Medieval reenactment
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Medieval reenactment is a form of historical reenactment that focuses on re-enacting European history in the period from the fall of Rome to about the end of the 15th Century. The second half of this period is often called the Middle Ages. This multiplicity of terms is compounded by the variety of other terms used for the period.
The first period is sometimes called the Migration Period or Dark Ages by Western European historians, and as Völkerwanderung ("wandering of the peoples") by German historians. This term is usually reserved for the 5th and 6th centuries. Re-enactors who re-create the next period of history - 7th to 11th Century - often refer to this as Early medieval. The 12th to 14th Centuries fall under the term High medieval, while the 15th century is often termed Late medieval.
With such a wide range of eras most medieval reenactment groups focus on a smaller time period, sometimes restricting their interest to a particular century, or even a specific decade or monarch, depending on how authentic the reenactment and encampment is intended to be.
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[edit] Living History
Living history groups and Medieval Reenactors may focus on recreating civilian or military life in tie during the Middle Ages. Medieval reenacting is often confused with the renaissance fair or participation in the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA). The goal of the reenactor and his group is to present an accurate impression of a person who did, or an interpretation of a person who credibly could exist at a specific place at a specific point in time. Renaissance fair participants generally borrow from a range of history and often incorporate fantasy or Hollywood-inspired elements into a presentation for public entertainment.
Authentic camping, cooking, practicing historical skills and trades, and playing historical musical instruments or board games are all examples of activities related to living history.
[edit] Combat Reenactment
There are many variations on the idea of reenacting medieval combat, ranging from training of historical dueling practices (usually with an appropriate period sword such as an arming sword or rapier and wrestling as a martial art, to reenactment of historical or legendary battles of the Middle Ages.
Some groups training historical combat as a martial art do not fit the traditional definition of a reenactment group and are more similar to fencing clubs, but some of them combine the sport with more traditional forms of reenactment, such as living history.
[edit] Battlefield Reenactment
Battlefield reenactment groups usually meet for training on a regular basis (ranging from twice a week to once a month, depending on the size of the group, the season, and personal preferences) and participate in reenactment events with other groups from the region (although some more popular events have an international audience).
A typical public reenactment event will last two to four days, with one or more battles per day (sometimes there are different battles for reenactors of different periods), a campsite for reenactors (often with a public campsite for living history and a restricted campsite for modern or non-authentic tenting) and a market, usually focussing medieval equipment and clothing, and depending upon the event organiser, some less authentic reenactment events feature more modern goods such as plastic toys for children among the public audience.
Apart from markets, living history, and the actual battles, reenactment events often allow for parades in authentic (or authentic looking) kit and attire, archery displays, shield displays (demonstrating a shield formation against archery) and, in some cases, artillery displays (usually featuring cannons and muskets firing blanks).
[edit] Display Fighting
Some living history groups who also train swordfighting do not train battlefield tactics or free combat. Instead, they usually focus on display fighting.
Display combat is different in that it aims toward providing a fight that looks dramatic for the audience, whilst often combining a contest of skills for the combatants. It is rarely a truly 'choreographed' fight as the movements are not a practised set of moves, but free form within set limits.
Display Combat can have a faster overall pace than real combat as it aims towards action and noise, rather than killing blow. Later Medieval armour allows for greater protection allowing armoured locations to be hit with a forceful blow and thus a 'Full Contact' style has developed, where blows that would otherwise incapacitate can land safely upon armoured locations.
To allow the audience to follow the action more clearly the blows themselves may be longer than usual - started further back from the target - or delivered slower than the "strike to kill" moves of combat reenactment.
Display fighting is also often featured in combination with jousting at Medieval Fayres or in the USA renaissance faires.
[edit] Reenactment in Europe
Medieval reenactment has been popular in the United Kingdom, starting in the late 1960's and growing every year since, with groups from all over England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales participating in events. Many UK battles are reenacted at their original battle sites by enthusiasts with a high degree of authenticity, together with Medieval traders, musicians, caterers. UK reenactors are friendly and can be seen throughout the UK during the summer months at battles, fairs, carnivals, fetes, pubs and schools. Almost entirely throughout the UK, reenactors use blunted steel weapons for reenactments and rubber tipped arrows (blunts) for archers, or steel heads when target shooting. The largest early medieval event in the UK is the Battle of Hastings reenactment, which in 2006 had over 3600 registered participants and combined living history and combat reenactment.
In Germany medieval reenactment is usually associated with living history and renaissance faires, but in the past few years combat reenactment has gained some ground as well. A few groups are training historical combat such as longsword dueling and dussack fighting at universities, but the majority of combat reenactment groups are battlefield reenactment groups, some of which have become isolated to some degree because of a strong focus on authenticity (some groups refuse to fight groups representing different or wider periods, even if the combat practices would be entirely compatible otherwise).
Among many battlefield reenactors in Germany, the Codex Belli has become a de-facto standard.
Groups from Eastern Europe, especially Hungary, are rumored to practice much more dangerous forms of battlefield reenactment, sometimes with sharp edges and points as well as metal arrow heads and an overall higher acceptance of the risk of injury posed by these dangers.
This more risky, although more realistic, form of reenactment is apparently also practiced in East Germany.
In Sweden there are many different "medieval markets". The largest is the one in Gotland.[1]
[edit] See also
- Historical reenactment
- Historical martial arts reconstruction
- List of medieval reenactment groups
- Dark Ages reenactment
[edit] External Links
- The Great Northwood Bowmen A Medieval Longbow Archery and Re-enactment society portraying life in the 15th century, based in London.
