Morning star

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Medieval warriors wielded morning stars, club-like weapons featuring shafts attached to spiked balls, delivering crushing blows that often punctured armor. These brutal instruments were first employed en masse in the 14th century, predominantly in Germany where they bore the name Morgenstern. Misconceptions often arise between morning stars and military flails; flails typically comprised wooden shafts joined by chains to iron-tipped wooden bars or heavy sword pommels used as weights. Yet, limited depictions from the period suggest that this type of ball-and-chain flail was relatively rare.