Horseman's Mace

The first horseman's maces were a wooden handle, about 18 inches long, with a leather wrist strap at the bottom of the handle so the weapon would not be dropped, and a metal head. As time progressed, knights preferred to have maces made entirely of metal.

The horseman's mace became an important weapon to the knight. Knights usually keep a mace slung over a hook on the saddlebow. Not surprisingly, an alternate name for the horseman's mace is the knight's mace. This type of mace is a one-handed weapon.

"Maces are a step up from the basic club, and are a good weapon especially for priests who cannot use edged weapons. Adventurers may find that the horseman's mace is actually a good secondary weapon for a footman, though the reverse is certainly not true!

"A mace is specially made for crushing things, especially helmets and armor.''

-- Brother "Helmsbane'' Maynard

The Romans armed their allied auxiliaries with bronze-headed maces, although they never used maces themselves.

Two styles of mace head patterns emerged before the 14th century. The first was a ferrule from which extended knot or node-shaped pieces, and the second was a geometrically designed head with vanes (conical or diamond-shaped flanges).

Gothic influence in the 14th century made maces more decorative, a trend which ended in the 16th century, when maces were given a more military form. Eastern European maces, especially those from Poland and Hungary, had onion-shaped heads, an idea taken from the Turkish maces. Maces were used as a weapon up until the 18th century.

During the Middle Ages, arming oneself with a mace took on significance among nobles and army commanders. The mace became a preferred weapon among wealthy or illustrious users, and it became symbolic of power, wealth, and renown. These maces were shaped or decorated in a manner that represented the wielder. Thus, the owner of a mace became recognized as a person of prominence and rank, with the number of ribs and flanges on the mace indicating the owner's status.

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