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Monthly magazine for re-enactors from around the world covering all periods of re-enactment history
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The Re-Enactor Issue 51 May 2013
Website wwwhistoricgardenercouk
The walk will take place between April 28th
amp May 5th
The Historic Gardener
Hard at work
Features This Month 1 The Historic Gardener
2 Book Review-The Historical Novel Soc
3 The MHS Spring Conference
4 Jogo do Paursquos conceptualization
5 Military and Flying Machines Show
6 Event Information
7 Ratnoe Delo (Battle Skill) - 2012
Greetings All
Welcome to issue 51
The re-enactment season is just about to
really start here in the UK We have had a
few events including camping in -7 at
Glastonbury over Easter but I think we have
all warmed up a little now and we are all
raring to go
Thank you to everyone for their
contributions for this issue and to anyone
reading this who has an article report or
story they would like to submit please do
get in contact
The events list has grown so do take a look
through and see what is happening near
you if you see that an event you know of
isnrsquot in the list please let me have the details
and I will be sure to add it
Please send all correspondence to the
following email address
thereenactorbtinternetcom
Competitions
All competitions are free to enter
Winners will be selected at random on the 24th
of
each month for the relevant competition
Winners will be notified via email shortly after
the draw takes place
No correspondence will be entered into
The editorrsquos decision is final
The views and opinions expressed in the articles in
this ezine are those of the individual authors
themselves and not those of the Editor
Note If you have any questions
queries thoughts or ideas for and
about the magazine please do feel
free to contact me and we can discuss
them
A Correction In last monthrsquos article on
The Crabchurch Conspiracy-Anyone
interested in taking part in future events is
asked to refer to
httptheportlandgarrisonweeblycom
To receive notification of each new issue
send your email address to
thereenactorbtinternetcom
HISTORIC GARDENING
Many re-enactors take the part of the military and from experience I know that this is very
exhilarating and rewarding but throughout history somebody has to stay at home to either
support the war or to keep the home fires burning
The wealthy have always needed gardens for food but they could also afford the luxury of a
pleasant garden to relax in The poor have had to garden simply to exist
What follows is a very brief history of gardening in Britain
If you believe the Bible gardening is the oldest profession except Adam wasnrsquot paid setting
a precedent for low paid gardeners for centuries to come
Most of European gardening is based on the Roman methods and many things are still in use
today Modern gardening tools are the same as the ones the Romans used spades mattocks
rakes and pruning knives One piece of equipment that the Romans did not use however was
the wheelbarrow The Romans used baskets to carry garden produce and materials although
they could use handcarts for bulky and heavy materials
The Romans grew plants in raised beds created topiary by cutting evergreen shrubs into
different shapes and made use of water technologies that would not be used in gardens again
in Europe until the Renaissance
The Romans seem to be responsible for the idea of writing gardening books Several authors
such as Cato Columella Varro and Palladius wrote books on how to set up an estate and run
it profitably including instructions on how to set out plant and maintain a garden
The plants that were grown came from the Mediterranean and from all over the Roman
Empire This included plants for food plants scented resins and oils for perfumery burning
and of course medicinal use Many of the herbal recipes that we still use today were copied
from the Greeks and Romans
Wine was very important to the Romans and vines were grown throughout the Empire
including England Archaeologists discovered a Roman Vineyard at Wollaston in Northants
The grape vines had been planted in trenches faced with stone to reflect the heat to encourage
ripening of the grapes
We are lucky that we have not only the archaeological remains of Roman gardens but also
written and pictorial evidence of them At Pompeii some gardens have Trompe loeil
paintings on the surviving walls depicting non-existent areas of the gardens or of views
looking outside that there were not the space for in reality The virtual world is not just a
modern phenomenon
Archaeological remains stretch across the Roman world including a site
at Piddington close to where I live where the archaeologists found the
remains of planting areas a water cistern and even tree roots One
gardener had broken his spud a long handled tool leaving the metal head
for the archaeologists to find in the future A much larger site is
Fishbourne Palace near Chichester The soil at Fishbourne was mainly
chalk which is not very good for most plants so the Romans dug out
trenches where the hedges were to be planted and filled them with good
topsoil From the remains it has been possible to plant new hedges along
the same lines but of course what we donrsquot know is how tall the edges
where or how the tops were cut
Following the fall of the Roman Empire gardening was mainly kept alive
by the monks who still had access to Roman documents Charlemagne drew up a document
called lsquoThe Capituare de Villisrsquo which sets out how he wants his estates run It includes a list
of plants but it is only a list Unlike us the people of the time were quite aware of the uses of
Pruning the grape vines
the plants The Capitulare includes plants that we now mostly consider decorative such as
the Lily Iris and Rose but they were all grown for practical reasons as much as for
decoration
Walafrid Strabo wrote a book lsquoHortulusrsquo The Little Garden during the ninth century He
tells us in verse how he set out to make a garden firstly by digging up the weeds and then
making raised beds He lists 28 plants and includes medicinal and symbolic information
about them
Albertus Magnus wrote an encyclopaedia on Nature that includes a description of a garden
Flower beds should be made around the edge of the lawn There should be a bench with a tree
for shade and a fountain or basin of water The plants are for pleasure and were not to be
harvested Albertus also includes a description on how to lay turf that involves beating the
turf into the soil using large wooden mallets until the grass barely shows
Medieval gardens continued to grow plants in raised beds but some of them were adapted to
become turf seats planted with roses
Although herbals continue to be compiled the first gardening book written in English has to
wait for a few more centuries
Jon Gardener writing in the late 14C compiled a gardening calendar in verse which is
usually referred to as lsquoThe Feate of Gardeningrsquo Whether he was a real person or is using a
pen name to add authenticity to the writing we cannot be sure Many books say that his poem
is a useful insight into medieval gardening Jon does tell us about grafting plants in great
detail and includes a list of herbs that he grows but unfortunately that is about it
The garden tools were still those used by the Romans including the wooden spade
In Italy Pietro de Crecenzi wrote Liber Ruraliam Commodorum during the early fourteenth
century He refers to Roman authors but also quotes The Arab Avicenna His book follows
the roman estate manuals and offers very sound advice He mentions the use of hot beds
made of dung to produce early crops a practice that would not become common in England
for a few centuries His book has been translated into many languages but unfortunately not
English
With the advent of printing the mass production of books for the general reader becomes
possible In 1563 Thomas Hill published a book aimed at those with a small manor to
maintain and make productive lsquoThe profitable arte of gardening A most briefe and
pleasaunte treatise teaching how to dresse sowe and set a gardenrsquo
The instructions include choosing the site of the garden and examples of decorative knots to
set out using thyme and hyssop Box would not become common as an edging plant until the
mid 1600rsquos Imported plants from America are becoming common although
the herbalist Gerard was often at a loss with their usefulness and grow them
because they were pretty or interesting
This is the first proper book about gardening published in England Under
the pen name of Didymus Montain Hill later published lsquoThe Gardenerrsquos
Labyrinthrsquo in 1577 Both books are based on the work of earlier authors
especially the Roman ones mentioned earlier Today this is often called
plagiarism and frowned on but Hillrsquos intention was to show his own
scholarship and to prove the value of his work Many books on differing
subjects would follow the same reference to antiquity and the classical
authors Hill is not ashamed to name the ancient authors to whom he has
referred and lists them prominently at the front of his book In both books
Hill gives us the sort of practical information that we expect from a gardening book today
but there is also an abundance of myth magic and pure rubbish that has been copied from the
lsquoancient authoritiesrsquo of Rome A practical
tip is killing moles by filling a nut shell with sulphur lighting the sulphur and
throwing the toxic smoke bomb into the mole run The sulphur di oxide gas
would have certainly killed the moles but it is not a method that we can legally
use today There is a large section devoted to the use of the plants
Hill includes a chapter on the weather Here is an appropriate quote referring to
our recent weather
lsquo And the plenty of snow falling in due season of the yeare dooth fatten the
earth (and if the others doe helpe) then dooth it it signifie the plenty of corne
and other fruites of the earthrsquo
Maybe we shall have a good summer in 2013
Ever since Thomas Hill gardening books have been published in great
profusion on every horticultural subject imaginable to instruct gardeners in this peaceful art
But gardens for pleasure were often symbolic of power and wealth The restructuring of the
landscape from a wilderness into a formal layout displays your power over nature If you
want others to see you as the strong hero make sure there is a statue of Hercules in your
garden If you prefer art then maybe a statue of Apollo is more suitable At Stowe Gardens
there is a theme is of political and moral virtue not so far away at Wycombe Park the home
of the Hellfire Club it is more of sex and debauchery
Formal gardens remain in fashion until the English gentlemen returning from their gap years
of the lsquoGrand Tourrsquo when they had visited the cultural ancient sites of Europe decided they
wanted a classical rural idyll an Arcadia of temples and natural lakes populated with gods
nymphs and shepherdesses surrounding their country houses The English Landscape Garden
swept away the formal gardens in favour of an extended lawn The browsing sheep gave an
air of peace and idleness but of course you donrsquot want sheep muck on the lawn in front of
your house so you needed a Ha-Ha to keep them at armrsquos length The sheep kept the grass
trim saving the payment of labourers to scythe it short and they also provided wool and
meat what more could you ask for
But the English love their flowers so it was not so long before the formal terraces returned to
encircle the house and with the growth of the British Empire and the abolition of the window
tax flowers returned with a vengeance The landed gentry and the nouveau riche industrialists
created ever larger gardens bursting to the seams with colourful flowers exotic fruit and an
endless supply of vegetables as growing methods developed to extend the growing season
any new technology being exploited where ever possible
The gardens were powered by glasshouses heated with coal fired boilers and a cheap supply
of manual labour The workers had their own hierarchy ranging from apprentices learning
the trade by scaring birds and washing the pots to the journeymen who moved from garden
to garden as they learned about different horticultural
specialities finally resulting with the prestigious job of Head
Gardener which took years of training - at your own
expense
The working gardenerrsquos lot has never been an easy nor
prosperous one It has always involved heavy physical
labour and with the introduction of the lethal pesticides
during the Victorian period it could be the pathway to an
early death As Kipling would later write
lsquoOur England is a garden and such gardens are not made
By singing--Oh how beautiful and sitting in the shade
While better men than we go out and start their working lives
At grubbing weeds from gravel-paths with broken dinner-knivesrsquo
During WW2 the gardeners of Britain would be digging up these gardens and parks to
produce food supported by the lsquoDig for Victoryrsquo campaign
ldquoDig Dig Dig And your muscles will grow big
Keep on pushing the spade
Donrsquot mind the worms
Just ignore their squirms
And when your back aches laugh with glee
And keep on digginrsquo
Till we give our foes a Wigginrsquo
Dig Dig Dig to Victory
For all the terrors that the front line soldiers suffered if Hitler had succeeded in starving the
country he would have won the war
For many years I have been a professional gardener within the heritage sector originally the
medieval period and during this time I have learned much of the use of plants and gardening
techniques throughout the centuries I now offer displays for historic sites and schools and
talks on gardening from the Romans to the WW2 lsquoDig for Victoryrsquo campaign
Contact the Historic Gardener
Phone 01604 470 651
Email michaelbmikegmailcom
Website wwwhistoricgardenercouk
COME amp MAKE A HISTORICAL COSTUME
with Chalemie in Oxford
13-18 August 2013
Contact Barbara Segal info amp brochure 020 7700 4293
chalemiethorndemoncouk
wwwchalemiecouk
Other courses in Baroque Dance Commedia Singing and
Instrumental Music
Fees pound545 for full board and tuition
(financial help available age immaterial)
THE DEADLY SISTERHOOD BY LEONIE FRIEDA
After her much lauded biography of Catherine dersquo Medici Frieda has shifted her
chronological focus back a few years and broadened it to a cast of eight formidable 15th-
century women Some were related by blood (like the sisters Beatrice and Isabella drsquoEste)
others by marriage (like Lucrezia Tornabuoni mother of Lorenzo and Giuliano dersquoMedici
and her daughter-in-law the Roman aristocrat Clarice Orsini) but all were renowned either
as beauties ndash particularly Lucrezia Borgia and Giulia Farnese ndash political brides (like Isabella
drsquoAragona) or viragos like Caterina Sforza
Friedarsquos skill lies not so much in having researched these eight womenrsquos lives ndash some of
whom have been the subject of recent often revisionist research ndash but in linking them to form
a saga spanning an extraordinarily complex and dynamic period of history in the Italian
peninsula with its patchwork of major and minor city-states and principalities ruled ndash
apparently as Frieda adds ndash by men As Burckhardt first pointed out this was the golden age
of bastards in Italy where men and women born on either side of the marriage vows could
seize political control and ride the crested waves of Fortune This libidinous opportunistic
age ended dramatically in the horrific violence of the Sack of Rome and the years that
followed it ushered in a stricter sense of legitimacy ndash of birth nationality and religion ndash but
many of the women who became influential in it were descended from these extraordinary
15th-century women whose lives are charted so magnificently here
For other great reviews visit
httphistoricalnovelsocietyorg
Jogo do Paursquos conceptualization
An historical and sociological analysis
My name is Luiacutes Preto After completing an undergrad in physical education and two
masters one in sportsrsquo teaching methodologies and another in coaching sciences I am now
34 years old and with 25 years of martial arts experience which includes 16 years of
exposure to Jogo do Pau
First premise
To start off it is important to realize that my understanding of the word fencing is that it refers
to any activity in which an object external to onersquos body is used to perform strikes and
parries Additionally in light of the innumerable and physically distinct fencing weapons
around each weaponrsquos specific physical traits and combat tactics entail that there are
different ldquotypesrdquo of fencing
Overall view on European martial arts
I am going to start this historical and sociological conceptualization of Jogo do Pau by
describing my overall systematization of European fencing arts In this regard I find that
European historical fencing arts can be systematized into 3 main categories according to the
contextual circumstances under which combats took place and its resulting weapons and
tactics
1) Bashing weaponsrsquo battlefield period
As a result of many countriesrsquo efforts to extend their territory such as what took place in
Portugal between the XII and XIV centuries European fencingrsquos first period was centred
around the participation in battlefields In Portugal such activity brought about ldquoextra-
long swordsrdquo that were mostly blunt These ldquoextra-longrdquo swords like the Montante were
at least 15m long so as to enable their users to have the maximum possible reach
Additionally they also had to be significantly thick and thus heavy so as to sustain
strikes from any type of weapon from swords to steal pools Finally on top of having to
face multiple opponents at the same time battlefield combat also entailed facing
opponents who wore both chainmail and body armour Therefore combatants didnrsquot
waste time sharpening their weapons and were forced to rely on powerful bashing striking
techniques
2) Cutting weaponsrsquo duelling period
Later with the creation of firearms long swords began being used for leisure and with
this taking place in fencing schools where fighters did not use much if any body armour
swords became sharper and sparring incorporated softer slashing striking techniques
3) Thrusting weaponsrsquo duelling period
Finally the further development of duelling under an increasingly stricter code of honour
assured that combatants wouldnt have to face heavy weapons such as steal pools which
allowed for the development of thinner swords such as the rapier This new duelling
context and its resulting new weapon promoted the restructuring of single combat tactics
centring it on the fastest of all striking techniques the thrust
My personal opinion is that none of these fencing styles is better than the remaining ones As
martial arts their usefulness depends on the context under which each person is forced to
fight for survival and as recreational leisure activities it simply depends on each personrsquos
personal preference
Now using this overall systematization as reference let us dive into the specific theme of
Jogo do Pau
Jogo do Pau
Jogo do Pau which literally means ldquogame of the staffrdquo is starting to become more well
known internationally and for the most part people view it as a Portuguese staff fencing art
However having researched this topic beyond a standard internet search I disagree with both
these attributes
On being a staff (exclusive) fencing art
Portuguese King D Duarte describes in his XV century book ldquoA ensinanccedila de bem cavalgar
toda a selardquo (available in English under the name ldquoThe art of riding on every saddlerdquo) the
striking techniques that can be performed with swords It so happens that both the strikesrsquo
names and the description of their trajectories correspond to Jogo do Paursquos terminology and
striking angles Furthermore since the Kingrsquos brief description of outnumbered combat
tactics also matches Jogo do Paursquos we consider that Jogo do Pau corresponds to the first
period of battlefield fencing system We believe that these combat skills (techniques and
tactics) were historically performed with both ldquoextra-longrdquo swords and staffs but upon
having swords being replaced in the military by firearms this art ended up being preserved
by civilians through the exclusive use of staffs since these were the only weapons most
people could afford
On being a Portuguese (exclusive) art
Before the more recent development of the combat sport Canne de Combat France also used
to have its own ldquostaff fencingrdquo art It so happens that this French art had exactly the same
name as the ldquoPortuguese artrdquo only in French obviously It was Le Jeux du Baton
My Jogo do Pau instructor Master Nuno Curvello Russo who is regarded as the most
experienced and knowledgeable Jogo do Pau instructor in Portugal lived in France during the
seventies While there he met Maurice Sarry who like Master Russo had dedicated himself
to the extensive study of his countryrsquos traditional fighting art and was highly regarded on a
national level
As these two great Masters got acquainted with one another they started training together
and soon realized their arts were identical regarding their single combat techniques strikes
parries and footwork I specifically pointed out that I am referring to single combat technique
because at the time the French art had become exclusively focused on this type of combat
similarly to what also occurred within the Portuguese urban industrial cities where the
practice of Jogo do Pau was undertaken as a leisure activity and therefore exclusively
focused on single combat
Thus with Jogo do Pau and Jeux du Baton being identical and knowing that European
countries interacted both socially (such as through royal marriages) and commercially it is all
but surprising to realize that they also developed a common standardized combat art Hence
Jogo do Pau corresponds to the preservation of European historical fencing and not merely a
Portuguese specific art
I do not wish to sound even if for just for a second disrespectful towards other European
combat schools of thought such as the German and Italian They are also European Historical
Fencing but simply from a different period and context more specifically from the second
period mentioned at the start of this article
On the parallel between societyrsquos evolution and Jogo do Paursquos motor skills
Double handed weapons
From its very first days mankind has always had the need to hunt for food as well as fight
other human beings in large groups so as to protect and or conquer both assets and territory
Consequently with martial artsrsquo origin and essence residing in the development of effective
skills for outnumbered combat Jogo do Pau was no exception which made it useful to both
civilians and the countryrsquos army
Additionally since people lived in rural environments (where space wasnrsquot lacking) and with
striking arts being highly influenced by reach this art was initially focused on the exclusive
use of long double handed weapons the extra long swords amongst the military and the staffs
amongst civilians
Surely enough some social conflicts did end up being settled through duels but with
peoplersquos standard training being focused on outnumbered combat these duels were fought by
looking to make the best possible use of the commonly trained outnumbered combat skills
Only towards to eighteenth century with the development of industrial cities did Jogo do
Pau begin being practiced as a leisure activity within these few cities Eventually the
connection between these two forms of combat single and outnumbered combat and their
distinct social realities became so strong that the practice of outnumbered combat started
being designated as ldquonorthrsquos gamerdquo where it kept being practitionersrsquo main focus until the
later stages of the twentieth century On the other hand the more recent leisure type practice
groups which focused on the artrsquos single combat recreational version brought about new
techniques and strategies to this type combat and began being called Lisbonrsquos school
From the early 1970rsquos onward Master Nuno Russo originally trained in Master Pedro
Ferreirarsquos Lisbon school routinely travelled to the north of Portugal for long seasons in order
to learn the artrsquos system of outnumbered combat Ultimately Master Russo was able to
combine both systems into one single and unified technical program which to my
knowledge is the only of its kind
Single handed weapons
Nevertheless people living in industrial cities were also confronted by self defence scenarios
Given this and keeping alive the artrsquos original essence Master Nuno Russo picked up on
Master Pedro Ferreirarsquos initial efforts and adopted some more city type weapons the walking
cane and the baton He extensively studied the artrsquos application to these shorter one handed
weapons making his school a very unique and complete system that offers both double and
single handed weapon mastery for both outnumbered and single combat
Currently Master Russorsquos school is called Escola Santo Condestaacutevel in memory of
Portuguese medieval legendary knight Nuno Aacutelvares Pereira (1360-1431) who was officially
declared saint by the current Pope on April 26th
2009
From Jogo do Pau to Lusitanian Fencing
Last but surely not least the previously mentioned elements allow us to conclude that the
artrsquos designation Jogo do Pau is incorrect as this art is not staff exclusive and by no means a
game
This medieval fencing artrsquos designation probably came about as a result of having been
preserved through staffs and additionally having in ancient Portuguese the verb ldquojogarrdquo (to
play) being used to designate the action of throwing something Consequently the skill of
knowing how to swing and kind of throw the staff against an opponent (jogar o pau) paved
the way for the art to be called Jogo do Pau
With the artrsquos name being incorrect and despite being aware of the difficult task that we face
in changing popular culture we decided to do something about it Were this to be a staff
specific fencing art its correct name would have been staff fencing (Esgrima de Pau) but
knowing of its historical and technical connection to medieval weapons we opted to rename
the art as Esgrima Lusitana (Lusitanian Fenicng) which also serves as a well deserved tribute
to our countryrsquos forefathers the brave Lusitanian people whom the Romans only managed to
subdue through treachery
Military amp Flying Machines Show
wwwmilitaryandflyingmachinesorguk
P R E S S R E L E A S E with immediate effect
Welcome Back Sally B The Military amp Flying Machines Team are so excited and pleased to be able to confirm some very special news for the 2013 show at Damyns Hall Aerodrome Due to public demand we are expanding our show to a three day event taking place on 3
rd 4
th and 5
th
August with more attractions more vehicles more flying and more big bangs This year we are delighted to welcome back the fantastic WW2 vintage B-17 Flying Fortress Bomber lsquoSally Brsquo the last remaining airworthy B-17 in Europe It quickly took on mythic proportions and widely circulated stories and photos of B-17s surviving battle damage increased its iconic status The B17 could fly higher than any of its Allied contemporaries and established its place in history dropping more bombs than any other US aircraft in World War II The Sally B has featured in many feature films most notably the blockbuster film Memphis Belle It will again amaze the crowds with low level displays as this truly historic aircraft is put through its paces ldquoSally Brdquo has always in the past performed the most amazing air display at Damyns Hall especially as the aerodrome is fairly small when this almighty warbird flyrsquos past it feels like you can reach out and touch it it is a display that cannot be missed
If Warbirds are of interest to you then you will be in for a big treat at this yearrsquos show with a superb display from the magnificent Spitfire the iconic shape and unmistakeable noise stir the imagination and the emotion of all that watch We also welcome the Hurricane ldquoHurribomberrdquo a first for our show (MORE ON HURRBOMBER) The WW2 fighter trainers ndash the Harvard T6 single-engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces United States Navy Royal Air Force and other air forces of the British Commonwealth during World War II and into the 1950s and the Boeing Stearman the work horses of the training airfield which were used to train many Battle of Britain heroes ndash will also join the line up to entertain the crowds The incomparable Jungmeister will also be displaying demonstrating its flying versatility A rare Messerschmitt 108 another classic WW2 aircraft from the German Luftwaffe The ME108 will also form part of a Living History static display on the ground Many of the aircrafts will be landing as well over the weekend so it is a fabulous rare opportunity to get up close
As well as all this there will be so much more to see whilst your there admiring the sights and sounds in the skies including helicopter pleasure flights along with 300+ military vehicles living history displays live entertainment all day arena activities including big bangs and even bigger vehicles Kidsrsquo activities vintage funfair refreshments stalls ndash there truly is something for everyone and at great value for money
Wersquove got more exciting news coming very soon ndash so watch this space for the next BIG ANNOUNCEMENT
For the latest updates on the show visit wwwmilitaryandflyingmachinesorguk
Military amp Flying
Machines Show
2nd
3rd
amp 4th August
- Over 17000 attendees
- Flying Displays
- Pleasure Flights
- Living History
Displays -
300+ Vehicles -
Live Entertainment -
Arena Activities -
20+ Tanks amp Armoured Vehicles
Live 40rsquos style big
band
Event Information
May
4
th ndash 6
th Bentley Medieval Festival Lewes east Sussex UK
marktime-productionscom
4th ndash 6
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Blenheim Palace UK
httpwwwblenheimpalacecom
5th amp 6
th ldquoRogues amp Outlawsrdquo Sherwood Forest UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
10th
ndash 12th British Quarterstaff Association weekend in Gloucestershire UK
httpquarterstafforgeventshtml
11th
The Mortimer History Society Spring Conference Leominster UK
wwwmortimerhistorysocietyorguk
11th
amp 12th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Ekenas Castle Sweden
httpwwwekenasslottse
May 11th amp 12th A Victorian Celebration Forge Mill Needle Museum Redditch UK
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
May 25th amp 26th Tall Ships rsquo13 Gloucester Historic Docks Ships maritime living history
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
May 26th amp 27th Harewood Medieval Faire Harewood House Leeds 2nd major annual
multi-period medieval festival with 1066 to 1487 timeline
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
26th
ndash 28th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Hedingham Castle UK
httpwwwhedinghamcastlecouk
May 28th
June 1st Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Leeds Castle UK
httpwwwleeds-castlecomlandphp
June
1st amp 2
nd Templecombe Medieval fair Templecombe UK
httpswwwfacebookcomevents300657233387495
8th amp 9
th History Alive Fort Lytton National Park Brisbane Australia
wwwhistoryalivecoau
15th
amp 16th
Gloucester Medieval Play Festival UK
wwwglostheatrecouk
15th
amp 16th
Tatton Park Old Hall Medieval fayre UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
21st ndash 23
rd Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Cardiff Castle Wales
httpwwwcardiffcastlecom
21st ndash 23
rd Times amp Epochs Moscow Russia
httpwwwfacebookcomhistoryfestref=tsampfref=ts
29th
amp 30th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Linlithgow Palace Scotland httpwwwhistoric-scotlandgovukpropertyresultspropertyoverviewhtmPropID=PL_199ampPropName=Linlithgow20Palace
July
5th ndash 7
th LARP Camp Huntley Wood Staffordshire UK
wwwlarpcampcouk
6th amp 7
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Linlithgow Palace Scotland
httpwwwhistoric-scotlandgovukpropertyresultspropertyoverviewhtmPropID=PL_199ampPropName=Linlithgow20Palace
13th
amp 14th
The Battle of Tewkesbury UK
httpwwwtewkesburymedievalfestivalorg
13th
amp 14th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
20th
amp 21st Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
26th
ndash 28th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
27th
amp 28th
Berkeley Skirmish Berkeley Castle Gloucestershire UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
27th
amp 28th
Smugglers Island Appuldurcombe House IOW UK
Email ednash1993hotmailcouk
July 27th amp 28th Hughendenrsquos Victorian Weekend Hughenden Manor Buckinghamshire
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
27th
amp 28th
Slaughterbridge Camlann Life and Legend Camelford Cornwall UK
heburbeckgmaiIc0m
August
2nd
ndash 4th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Blenheim Palace UK
httpwwwblenheimpalacecom
3rd
amp 4th
The Midlands Festival of History UK
httpwwwmid-festcouk
3rd
amp 4th
The Loxwood Joust Loxwood Meadow RH14 0AL UK
wwwloxwoodjoustcouk
9th ndash 11
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
16th
ndash 18th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
17th
amp 18th
Scotlands Festival of History Chatelherault Scotland
wwwscotlandsfestivalofhistorycouk
17th
amp 18th
M5-Multi Period Re-enactment Weekend Spetchley Park Worcs UK
Website ndash wwwm5showcouk
23rd
amp 24th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
25th
amp 26th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hedingham Castle UK
httpwwwhedinghamcastlecouk
25th
amp 26th
The Sheffield Fayre Norfolk Heritage Park Sheffield
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
August 31st amp September 1st On the Home Front 1939-45 Rufford Abbey Country Park
Notts Annual 1940s show wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
September
12th amp 13th Bexbach 1474 Call To Arms
www1474eu
14th
amp 15th
The Battle of Mortimerrsquos Cross Hampton Court Castle Herefordshire
wwwmortimerscrosscouk
September 21st amp 22nd Wimpole at War The Wimpole Estate Cambridgeshire Annual
1940s event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
September 28th amp 29th Sherwood through the ages Sherwood Forest Annual Ancient to
1980s multi-period event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
October
October 5th amp 6th Hughendenrsquos Wartime Weekend Hughenden Manor Bucks Annual
1940s event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
12th
amp 13th
International Events of Historical Crafts (EIAH) Portugal
Email artesanatocomhistoriagmailcom
November
15
th-17
th The Original Re-Enactors Market Ryton on Dunsmore Coventry UK
wwwreenactorsmarketcouk
16th
amp 17th
The National Living History Fair
wwwnlhfcouk
23rd
amp 24th
The Ludlow Medieval Christmas Fair Ludlow Castle Shropshire
httpwwwludlowcastlecompageseventsaspx
Living History Festival ldquoRatnoe Delo (Battle Skill) - 2012rdquo
By Nikolai Chebotarev
3 September 2012
Translated by Inna Drabkina
At last Irsquove got to my computer to tell you about the festival Ratnoe Delo-2012 For us
host living history societies (Legend Russian Village The Flemings) this was the
main event of the year
I am sure that our true friends from Samara and the Krasnoyarsky district where the action
unfolded found it a most pleasurable and interesting event too
Catching my breath after the festival I decided to take up the pen to commemorate the events
of the festival together with our photographers
100 Dyed-in-the-Wool Re-Enactors
The festival focuses on the confrontation of the Russian warriors and the West-European
knights of the 13th century The 13
th century was a dramatic one for the Medieval Rus it was
the age of the Mongol invasion but it was also the age of contact and conflict of the Western
Europe and the principalities of the north-west of Russia
The special appeal of the festival was its ldquoauthenticityrdquo focus In the first place only those
societies that had top-quality historical costumes military equipment household utensils
were admitted to the festival Secondly all these things had to be exact replicas of the 13th
century ones
The photographers couldnrsquot get all the re-enactors in frame
As it turned out it is not easy to gather in one place one hundred dyed-in-the-wool
ldquoauthenticrdquo re-enactors but we coped with the task The geography of the festival
participants ranges from Bryansk in Russia to Yokohama in Japan Yes you heard right
Yokohama
A year ago a Japanese guy Utah Iwasaki came to Russia to see our festival He was
fascinated by the idea of living history and historical re-enactment he told us that in the Land
of the Rising Sun there were no amateur re-enactors only professional actors playing their
parts in public shows This time he is taking to Japan not just photos from the festival but
also a chain mail Halberk - the one in the photo
ldquoIrsquom going to show the chain mail and the photos to my father I think he will be very much
impressed And then Irsquoll show them to my friends and colleagues at work maybe next time
there will be several of us comingrdquo
And who could expect that Utah would meet his compatriots amidst our steppes ldquoThere were
2 boys from Japan They come from a mixed Russian-Japanese family and they live in
Tokyo They came to Samara on a visit to their granddad and thatrsquos how we met at the
festivalrdquo
All the participants were divided into two rivaling partiesndash the East and the West A small
rivulet separated their camps The contest between the parties was the main intrigue of the
festival
The first two days - Friday and Saturday - were the time for the re-enactorsrsquo master classes
seminars and sharing their findings and ideas with each other The participant societies
prepared an extensive program including a master class in long sword and bastard sword
fencing
The wooden models of swords in the hands of the guys are the same as those used for
practicing many years ago
All the fencing movements that Mikhail Manin and Artem Rumyantsev showed were taken
from medieval fencing manuals - fechtbucher
The earliest fencing manual known as Manuscript I33 dates from about the year 1295 and
shows techniques of fencing with a sword and a small round shield (buckler)
It goes without saying that the program on Friday and Saturday was rich - tournaments
maneuvers on rough terrain etc All the participants received a lot of adrenaline and fun
Battering the palisade of the European camp with a ram
Alex Bogatikov a Samara ldquoLegendrdquo novice says This is my first time at the living history
festival and I am really enjoying it a lot of people and a lot of fun Thanks for the nice
impressions of the festival thanks to the guys from other living history societies - I expected
struggle and rivalry at the spear tournament but it turned out to be great fun a real adrenaline
rush All the re-enactors are friends they cheer each other and are very careful not to hurt
their adversaries - its cool guys
And the winners were duly rewarded
Photo link httpvkcomalbums-30578984z=photo-30578984_2882686622Fphotos-
30578984
For the victory of their fighters in an event the factions got points The total score determined
the winner who got the honorary right to raise the banner of the festival on the touristsrsquo day
This time the winner was the East Therefore the right to hoist the flag of the festival on
August19 during the solemn opening ceremony for the tourists passed to the re-enactors of
the Medieval Rus
The very festival field over which the scarlet banner flew seemed to be meant for such
activities The place is just gorgeousrdquo - our spectator Natalia Kuznetsova says ndash ldquoThe
sweet smell of wild strawberries the bridge over the river the undulating hillshellip
Unforgettable
And from the practical point of view the place was ideal too
First of all the federal highway to Ulyanovsk runs next to the festival field and therersquos a
village with a cheerful name of Stary Booyan (which in Russian sounds exactly the same as
lsquoOld Brawlerrsquo) nearby
Secondly the festival meadow is separated from the road and other marks of the modern
civilization by a copse which accounted for the effect of a real time travel
The secrets of the medieval handicrafts
After the opening of the festival a dynamic and rich program unfolded
Potters Maxim and Elena Borisov (society Mir masterov (World of Masters) Samara)
showed everyone who wished so the basics of working with clay Classes turned out to be
very exciting - the potters could not complain about the lack of public interest Their
workshop was thronged
While the enthusiasts at the market were molding clay women of fashion and glamour
gathered in the Western camp Kate Aristova from the Moscow living history club Legend
(full namesake of the Samara host society) spoke about makeup in the Middle Ages
According to her even now in the age of Oriflame and Amway the recipes that originated
eight hundred years ago can be of great interest to modern beauties as they are
environmentally friendly and work miracles with the skin
How to become a sergeant
While the women were buzzing and fussing about their jars of cream and bottles of scent
true men displayed their battle skill
On the eve of the battle Greg a fighter from The Flemings had to prove that he was ready
to become a sergeant
One doesnrsquot get promotion for a song and Greg challenged by experienced combatants had
to fight each of them in turn The task was to remain standing and he coped with it
After the duels ended ldquoThe Flemingsrdquo commander Walter asked the warriorsrsquo opinion of
Greg
I have known Greg for a very long timerdquo raised his voice the Samara Legendrsquos commander
Alexei Romanov ndash ldquoWe fought with him side by side and we also met on the battle-field as
adversaries And I believe that Greg is truly worthy of the rank of sergeant
After the duels and this praise the case was decided The commander of The Flemings with
due ceremony promoted Greg to sergeant
Clash of armour
This was followed by duels (sword ndash buckler sword - shield spears) and finally group
battles
Before the fight opponents egged each other on as best they could
And then rushed into battle
After which there happened something of the sort
Several group fights tough but fair ended in a most amicable way See for yourself
After the fights the spectators spilled out into the field - everyone wanted to be photographed
with the warriors Sometimes the result was pretty funny
Fair maidens prowess and singing arrows
Then came the turn of the womens tournament where fair maidens competed showing their
feminine prowess
To begin with they competed in throwing rolling pins into the target - of course strength and
accuracy were of utmost importance A very useful skill in family life they say And then the
ladies took their husbands battle axes and chopped cabbage with them and in general
displayed their prowess in the skills of ldquokeeping the home fires burningrdquo
Then the archers stepped on the scene The prize was contested by European infantrymen the
Mongol batyrs and of course by Russian warriors
Photo link httpvkcomphoto-30578984_288494144
Moreover women competed alongside with men
In the end the prize went to the well-known local marksman Mikhail Manin
(Novokuibyshevsk) winner of last years tournament
Medieval Jousting contest
Shortly after the tournament the mounted display Medieval Jousting was announced
This was a series of trials in which riders competed in various military disciplines Let me
first introduce the participants
Left to right - Master of the Knights Hospitaller a Mongolian horseman a Russian nobleman
in disgrace and an Arab who would not reveal his face to the audience By the way this is
only half of the participants
The first trial was mounted archery
Master of the Knights Hospitaller Note the speed of the rider And the wooden target he
has to hit is rather smallish
The second trial was ldquoThe Saracenrdquo (This is a spear game the accuracy of lance thrust is
evaluated)
Let me draw your attention to the fact that tournament lances have no heads and this is not
by chance
Just think of the force of the blow a mounted rider strikes when going at full canter
The spearhead passes through the target like a knife through butter Then one of the two
things will surely happen either the lance is stuck and the warrior gets thrown or loses his
lance or ldquoThe Saracen gets wrenched out of the earth Nobody wants it
Trial Three - mounted cutting
Itrsquos interesting that this exercise expressly shows the difference between a sword and a sabre
A sabre due to its characteristic curve of the blade cuts the head of cabbage neatly in two
But the sword chopping blows crush grind the head of cabbage
To some extent the difference is so marked because the sword blades at the festival werenrsquot
honed Honed sword blades also cut very neatly On the other hand a sabre is meant for
slashing blows and weighing less than a sword cuts very efficiently
In the photo you can see the ldquoLegendrdquo posadnik Maxim wearing a red mantle By the way he
won the ridersrsquo competition
Just in case let me explain who posadnik is The word is derived from the word posad
(pronounced as pah-lsquosad) In Russia ldquoposadrdquo was the part of town where most of the
citizens lived There was also a krom (kremlin) or citadel but only the prince with his
household and his host lived there and in the time of an enemy invasion the people flocked
to the citadel seeking protection In short posadnik is the head of the civil authority of the
town
Siege engine and storm
After the horsemenrsquos contest a ten-minute break was declared during which the audience had
a chance to walk around the festival lawn and the participants - to prepare for the impending
battle
According to our idea all the participants able to hold weapons were to meet on the
battlefield in the mass battle
Among them was the team of a medieval siege engine into which Utah Iwasaki seamlessly
blended
Thatrsquos what arcuballista looks like as seen by its aimer
The arcuballista team was under command of Vadim Sinichkin head of the living history
society ldquoSlovenerdquo from Novokuibyshevsk This society built all the siege engines of the
festival
ldquoWe are a small society that is why our only chance to influence the outcome of the battle is
to bombard the adversary with trebuchet and arcuballista projectiles We have adjusted those
things for throwing projectiles for 50 metres ndash contemporary living history festivals seldom
require more powerful siege engines with a longer range They are also rather convenient in
transportation - they can be taken apart and the parts fit on the floor of a mini-bus Thatrsquos
how actually we brought them hererdquo
The final battle
About 4 pm the master of ceremonies announced the last battle of the festival He said that
all the warriors of the festival would cross swords and break spears in the final melee The
3000 spectators began to fill the slope of the hill which became a natural amphitheater
The legend of the final battle was as follows it was a very ordinary event for the troubled
13th century A squad of European soldiers assaulted a Russian frontier guard outpost
located in the steppes of the Volga region
The European soldiers came there with a unit of Mongol warriors (which was a frequent
occasion with Genoan mercenaries from the Crimea) The Mongol warriors brought portable
siege engines to storm the outpost
The soldiers bring an arcuballista which is followed by the trebuchet Perhaps the stone
throwing engine with the help of which the women of Toulouse smashed the head of count
Simon de Montfort the legendary leader of the Crusaders looked very much the same
This unfortunate episode also took place in the 13th
century and to be absolutely precise
on June 25 1218
Having bombarded the outpost with the trebuchet projectiles the Mongols gave the European
foot soldiers the opportunity to attack it while the outpost defenders were still dazed A brief
skirmish and the outpost is takenhellip The Russian warriors retreat to the steppe Another
spell of fighting Only a handful of Russian warriors remainhellip And at the last moment
another Russian unit comes to the aid of the outpost
Irsquod better give the floor to Galina who came to the festival with her 4-year-old son Timothy
ldquoTimothy absolutely believed what he saw I myself felt enthralled ndash everything looked so
real
During the battle when only two Russian warriors remained fighting back to back
surrounded by enemies Tim thought they were about to perish and went to their aid
Photo link httpvkcomphoto7768284_287885078
White as a sheet he breathed out Im coming Hold on And ran to the rescuehellip
I could barely catch him It was hard to calm him down to persuade him it was all make-
believe
When the cavalry came to the rescue I said ldquoLook they are fine now Victoryrdquo You should
have seen the triumph and relief in his eyes
Thats how our long awaited festival ended
The spectators got into their cars and buses and went home ndash some to Samara some to
Togliatti some to Ulyanovskhellip
Photos by Olga Borisenkova Georgy Korobov Olga Nemkova Yulia Timirkhanova
Svetlana Makoveyeva Maria Gomolova Irina Yashina Natalia Kalmykova Alexey
Pleshkov Andrey Surin Ekaterina Orlova Tatiana Besschastnaya Vadim Kozin Evgeny
Krasnikov Alexandra Bunayeva Denis Khramov Nina Gubanova Yuri Chikin Ildar
Hassanov Ivan Yegorov Mikhail Pishchakov Mikhail Puzankov Olesya Strelchenko
Thank you all
Many thanks to the musicians who entertained the spectators They are Yegor Strelnikov
(psaltery Moscow) ldquoMusica Radicumrdquo (folk group Saint Petersburg)
Photo link httpcs304606userapicomv30460642737cah2D-hgjQpRsjpg
Photo link httpcs317423userapicomv31742302020a1HFnxYFD_uS0jpg
ldquoThe Eastrdquo
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Stupino)
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoSuzdalskaya Druzhina (Suzdal Host)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS ldquoTruvorrdquo (Orenburg)
LHS ldquoVityaz (Russian Knight)rdquo (Kazan)
LHS ldquoSlovenerdquo (Novokuibyshevsk)
Association ldquoNORD Rusrdquo (Samara)
ldquoMjollnirrdquo (Samara)
Individual participants
ldquoThe Westrdquo
LHS ldquoAtlit ndash Zamok Palomnika (Atlit - Pilgrimrsquos Castle)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS laquoNovum castrumraquo (Zheleznodorozhny)
LHS ldquoStary Svet (The Old World Company)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoDostoyanie (Heritage)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoFlamandtsy (The Flemings)rdquo (Odintsovo)
Individual participants
Special thanks to the artisans
Association ldquoMir masterov (World of Masters)rdquo (Samara)
ldquoNizhegorodskaya Artel Oruzheinikov (Armourersrsquo Artel)rdquo (Nizhny Novgorod)
Our valiant steeds came from ldquoRusskaya Sloboda (Russian Village)rdquo (Samara) and equestrian
club (Borskoe)
Thank you all guys for war and peace for merry feasts and fair competition
The festival took place on the 19 August 2012 near Stary Booyan in the Krasnoyarsky district
of the Samara Region
Next year our festival will be held again and we expect that our friends from Poland
Ukraine Belarus and Japan will be able to come So if you are interested in the 13th century
re-enactment welcome to Samara ldquoBattle Skill ndash 2013rdquo
Release Date May 11
th 2013
The walk will take place between April 28th
amp May 5th
The Historic Gardener
Hard at work
Features This Month 1 The Historic Gardener
2 Book Review-The Historical Novel Soc
3 The MHS Spring Conference
4 Jogo do Paursquos conceptualization
5 Military and Flying Machines Show
6 Event Information
7 Ratnoe Delo (Battle Skill) - 2012
Greetings All
Welcome to issue 51
The re-enactment season is just about to
really start here in the UK We have had a
few events including camping in -7 at
Glastonbury over Easter but I think we have
all warmed up a little now and we are all
raring to go
Thank you to everyone for their
contributions for this issue and to anyone
reading this who has an article report or
story they would like to submit please do
get in contact
The events list has grown so do take a look
through and see what is happening near
you if you see that an event you know of
isnrsquot in the list please let me have the details
and I will be sure to add it
Please send all correspondence to the
following email address
thereenactorbtinternetcom
Competitions
All competitions are free to enter
Winners will be selected at random on the 24th
of
each month for the relevant competition
Winners will be notified via email shortly after
the draw takes place
No correspondence will be entered into
The editorrsquos decision is final
The views and opinions expressed in the articles in
this ezine are those of the individual authors
themselves and not those of the Editor
Note If you have any questions
queries thoughts or ideas for and
about the magazine please do feel
free to contact me and we can discuss
them
A Correction In last monthrsquos article on
The Crabchurch Conspiracy-Anyone
interested in taking part in future events is
asked to refer to
httptheportlandgarrisonweeblycom
To receive notification of each new issue
send your email address to
thereenactorbtinternetcom
HISTORIC GARDENING
Many re-enactors take the part of the military and from experience I know that this is very
exhilarating and rewarding but throughout history somebody has to stay at home to either
support the war or to keep the home fires burning
The wealthy have always needed gardens for food but they could also afford the luxury of a
pleasant garden to relax in The poor have had to garden simply to exist
What follows is a very brief history of gardening in Britain
If you believe the Bible gardening is the oldest profession except Adam wasnrsquot paid setting
a precedent for low paid gardeners for centuries to come
Most of European gardening is based on the Roman methods and many things are still in use
today Modern gardening tools are the same as the ones the Romans used spades mattocks
rakes and pruning knives One piece of equipment that the Romans did not use however was
the wheelbarrow The Romans used baskets to carry garden produce and materials although
they could use handcarts for bulky and heavy materials
The Romans grew plants in raised beds created topiary by cutting evergreen shrubs into
different shapes and made use of water technologies that would not be used in gardens again
in Europe until the Renaissance
The Romans seem to be responsible for the idea of writing gardening books Several authors
such as Cato Columella Varro and Palladius wrote books on how to set up an estate and run
it profitably including instructions on how to set out plant and maintain a garden
The plants that were grown came from the Mediterranean and from all over the Roman
Empire This included plants for food plants scented resins and oils for perfumery burning
and of course medicinal use Many of the herbal recipes that we still use today were copied
from the Greeks and Romans
Wine was very important to the Romans and vines were grown throughout the Empire
including England Archaeologists discovered a Roman Vineyard at Wollaston in Northants
The grape vines had been planted in trenches faced with stone to reflect the heat to encourage
ripening of the grapes
We are lucky that we have not only the archaeological remains of Roman gardens but also
written and pictorial evidence of them At Pompeii some gardens have Trompe loeil
paintings on the surviving walls depicting non-existent areas of the gardens or of views
looking outside that there were not the space for in reality The virtual world is not just a
modern phenomenon
Archaeological remains stretch across the Roman world including a site
at Piddington close to where I live where the archaeologists found the
remains of planting areas a water cistern and even tree roots One
gardener had broken his spud a long handled tool leaving the metal head
for the archaeologists to find in the future A much larger site is
Fishbourne Palace near Chichester The soil at Fishbourne was mainly
chalk which is not very good for most plants so the Romans dug out
trenches where the hedges were to be planted and filled them with good
topsoil From the remains it has been possible to plant new hedges along
the same lines but of course what we donrsquot know is how tall the edges
where or how the tops were cut
Following the fall of the Roman Empire gardening was mainly kept alive
by the monks who still had access to Roman documents Charlemagne drew up a document
called lsquoThe Capituare de Villisrsquo which sets out how he wants his estates run It includes a list
of plants but it is only a list Unlike us the people of the time were quite aware of the uses of
Pruning the grape vines
the plants The Capitulare includes plants that we now mostly consider decorative such as
the Lily Iris and Rose but they were all grown for practical reasons as much as for
decoration
Walafrid Strabo wrote a book lsquoHortulusrsquo The Little Garden during the ninth century He
tells us in verse how he set out to make a garden firstly by digging up the weeds and then
making raised beds He lists 28 plants and includes medicinal and symbolic information
about them
Albertus Magnus wrote an encyclopaedia on Nature that includes a description of a garden
Flower beds should be made around the edge of the lawn There should be a bench with a tree
for shade and a fountain or basin of water The plants are for pleasure and were not to be
harvested Albertus also includes a description on how to lay turf that involves beating the
turf into the soil using large wooden mallets until the grass barely shows
Medieval gardens continued to grow plants in raised beds but some of them were adapted to
become turf seats planted with roses
Although herbals continue to be compiled the first gardening book written in English has to
wait for a few more centuries
Jon Gardener writing in the late 14C compiled a gardening calendar in verse which is
usually referred to as lsquoThe Feate of Gardeningrsquo Whether he was a real person or is using a
pen name to add authenticity to the writing we cannot be sure Many books say that his poem
is a useful insight into medieval gardening Jon does tell us about grafting plants in great
detail and includes a list of herbs that he grows but unfortunately that is about it
The garden tools were still those used by the Romans including the wooden spade
In Italy Pietro de Crecenzi wrote Liber Ruraliam Commodorum during the early fourteenth
century He refers to Roman authors but also quotes The Arab Avicenna His book follows
the roman estate manuals and offers very sound advice He mentions the use of hot beds
made of dung to produce early crops a practice that would not become common in England
for a few centuries His book has been translated into many languages but unfortunately not
English
With the advent of printing the mass production of books for the general reader becomes
possible In 1563 Thomas Hill published a book aimed at those with a small manor to
maintain and make productive lsquoThe profitable arte of gardening A most briefe and
pleasaunte treatise teaching how to dresse sowe and set a gardenrsquo
The instructions include choosing the site of the garden and examples of decorative knots to
set out using thyme and hyssop Box would not become common as an edging plant until the
mid 1600rsquos Imported plants from America are becoming common although
the herbalist Gerard was often at a loss with their usefulness and grow them
because they were pretty or interesting
This is the first proper book about gardening published in England Under
the pen name of Didymus Montain Hill later published lsquoThe Gardenerrsquos
Labyrinthrsquo in 1577 Both books are based on the work of earlier authors
especially the Roman ones mentioned earlier Today this is often called
plagiarism and frowned on but Hillrsquos intention was to show his own
scholarship and to prove the value of his work Many books on differing
subjects would follow the same reference to antiquity and the classical
authors Hill is not ashamed to name the ancient authors to whom he has
referred and lists them prominently at the front of his book In both books
Hill gives us the sort of practical information that we expect from a gardening book today
but there is also an abundance of myth magic and pure rubbish that has been copied from the
lsquoancient authoritiesrsquo of Rome A practical
tip is killing moles by filling a nut shell with sulphur lighting the sulphur and
throwing the toxic smoke bomb into the mole run The sulphur di oxide gas
would have certainly killed the moles but it is not a method that we can legally
use today There is a large section devoted to the use of the plants
Hill includes a chapter on the weather Here is an appropriate quote referring to
our recent weather
lsquo And the plenty of snow falling in due season of the yeare dooth fatten the
earth (and if the others doe helpe) then dooth it it signifie the plenty of corne
and other fruites of the earthrsquo
Maybe we shall have a good summer in 2013
Ever since Thomas Hill gardening books have been published in great
profusion on every horticultural subject imaginable to instruct gardeners in this peaceful art
But gardens for pleasure were often symbolic of power and wealth The restructuring of the
landscape from a wilderness into a formal layout displays your power over nature If you
want others to see you as the strong hero make sure there is a statue of Hercules in your
garden If you prefer art then maybe a statue of Apollo is more suitable At Stowe Gardens
there is a theme is of political and moral virtue not so far away at Wycombe Park the home
of the Hellfire Club it is more of sex and debauchery
Formal gardens remain in fashion until the English gentlemen returning from their gap years
of the lsquoGrand Tourrsquo when they had visited the cultural ancient sites of Europe decided they
wanted a classical rural idyll an Arcadia of temples and natural lakes populated with gods
nymphs and shepherdesses surrounding their country houses The English Landscape Garden
swept away the formal gardens in favour of an extended lawn The browsing sheep gave an
air of peace and idleness but of course you donrsquot want sheep muck on the lawn in front of
your house so you needed a Ha-Ha to keep them at armrsquos length The sheep kept the grass
trim saving the payment of labourers to scythe it short and they also provided wool and
meat what more could you ask for
But the English love their flowers so it was not so long before the formal terraces returned to
encircle the house and with the growth of the British Empire and the abolition of the window
tax flowers returned with a vengeance The landed gentry and the nouveau riche industrialists
created ever larger gardens bursting to the seams with colourful flowers exotic fruit and an
endless supply of vegetables as growing methods developed to extend the growing season
any new technology being exploited where ever possible
The gardens were powered by glasshouses heated with coal fired boilers and a cheap supply
of manual labour The workers had their own hierarchy ranging from apprentices learning
the trade by scaring birds and washing the pots to the journeymen who moved from garden
to garden as they learned about different horticultural
specialities finally resulting with the prestigious job of Head
Gardener which took years of training - at your own
expense
The working gardenerrsquos lot has never been an easy nor
prosperous one It has always involved heavy physical
labour and with the introduction of the lethal pesticides
during the Victorian period it could be the pathway to an
early death As Kipling would later write
lsquoOur England is a garden and such gardens are not made
By singing--Oh how beautiful and sitting in the shade
While better men than we go out and start their working lives
At grubbing weeds from gravel-paths with broken dinner-knivesrsquo
During WW2 the gardeners of Britain would be digging up these gardens and parks to
produce food supported by the lsquoDig for Victoryrsquo campaign
ldquoDig Dig Dig And your muscles will grow big
Keep on pushing the spade
Donrsquot mind the worms
Just ignore their squirms
And when your back aches laugh with glee
And keep on digginrsquo
Till we give our foes a Wigginrsquo
Dig Dig Dig to Victory
For all the terrors that the front line soldiers suffered if Hitler had succeeded in starving the
country he would have won the war
For many years I have been a professional gardener within the heritage sector originally the
medieval period and during this time I have learned much of the use of plants and gardening
techniques throughout the centuries I now offer displays for historic sites and schools and
talks on gardening from the Romans to the WW2 lsquoDig for Victoryrsquo campaign
Contact the Historic Gardener
Phone 01604 470 651
Email michaelbmikegmailcom
Website wwwhistoricgardenercouk
COME amp MAKE A HISTORICAL COSTUME
with Chalemie in Oxford
13-18 August 2013
Contact Barbara Segal info amp brochure 020 7700 4293
chalemiethorndemoncouk
wwwchalemiecouk
Other courses in Baroque Dance Commedia Singing and
Instrumental Music
Fees pound545 for full board and tuition
(financial help available age immaterial)
THE DEADLY SISTERHOOD BY LEONIE FRIEDA
After her much lauded biography of Catherine dersquo Medici Frieda has shifted her
chronological focus back a few years and broadened it to a cast of eight formidable 15th-
century women Some were related by blood (like the sisters Beatrice and Isabella drsquoEste)
others by marriage (like Lucrezia Tornabuoni mother of Lorenzo and Giuliano dersquoMedici
and her daughter-in-law the Roman aristocrat Clarice Orsini) but all were renowned either
as beauties ndash particularly Lucrezia Borgia and Giulia Farnese ndash political brides (like Isabella
drsquoAragona) or viragos like Caterina Sforza
Friedarsquos skill lies not so much in having researched these eight womenrsquos lives ndash some of
whom have been the subject of recent often revisionist research ndash but in linking them to form
a saga spanning an extraordinarily complex and dynamic period of history in the Italian
peninsula with its patchwork of major and minor city-states and principalities ruled ndash
apparently as Frieda adds ndash by men As Burckhardt first pointed out this was the golden age
of bastards in Italy where men and women born on either side of the marriage vows could
seize political control and ride the crested waves of Fortune This libidinous opportunistic
age ended dramatically in the horrific violence of the Sack of Rome and the years that
followed it ushered in a stricter sense of legitimacy ndash of birth nationality and religion ndash but
many of the women who became influential in it were descended from these extraordinary
15th-century women whose lives are charted so magnificently here
For other great reviews visit
httphistoricalnovelsocietyorg
Jogo do Paursquos conceptualization
An historical and sociological analysis
My name is Luiacutes Preto After completing an undergrad in physical education and two
masters one in sportsrsquo teaching methodologies and another in coaching sciences I am now
34 years old and with 25 years of martial arts experience which includes 16 years of
exposure to Jogo do Pau
First premise
To start off it is important to realize that my understanding of the word fencing is that it refers
to any activity in which an object external to onersquos body is used to perform strikes and
parries Additionally in light of the innumerable and physically distinct fencing weapons
around each weaponrsquos specific physical traits and combat tactics entail that there are
different ldquotypesrdquo of fencing
Overall view on European martial arts
I am going to start this historical and sociological conceptualization of Jogo do Pau by
describing my overall systematization of European fencing arts In this regard I find that
European historical fencing arts can be systematized into 3 main categories according to the
contextual circumstances under which combats took place and its resulting weapons and
tactics
1) Bashing weaponsrsquo battlefield period
As a result of many countriesrsquo efforts to extend their territory such as what took place in
Portugal between the XII and XIV centuries European fencingrsquos first period was centred
around the participation in battlefields In Portugal such activity brought about ldquoextra-
long swordsrdquo that were mostly blunt These ldquoextra-longrdquo swords like the Montante were
at least 15m long so as to enable their users to have the maximum possible reach
Additionally they also had to be significantly thick and thus heavy so as to sustain
strikes from any type of weapon from swords to steal pools Finally on top of having to
face multiple opponents at the same time battlefield combat also entailed facing
opponents who wore both chainmail and body armour Therefore combatants didnrsquot
waste time sharpening their weapons and were forced to rely on powerful bashing striking
techniques
2) Cutting weaponsrsquo duelling period
Later with the creation of firearms long swords began being used for leisure and with
this taking place in fencing schools where fighters did not use much if any body armour
swords became sharper and sparring incorporated softer slashing striking techniques
3) Thrusting weaponsrsquo duelling period
Finally the further development of duelling under an increasingly stricter code of honour
assured that combatants wouldnt have to face heavy weapons such as steal pools which
allowed for the development of thinner swords such as the rapier This new duelling
context and its resulting new weapon promoted the restructuring of single combat tactics
centring it on the fastest of all striking techniques the thrust
My personal opinion is that none of these fencing styles is better than the remaining ones As
martial arts their usefulness depends on the context under which each person is forced to
fight for survival and as recreational leisure activities it simply depends on each personrsquos
personal preference
Now using this overall systematization as reference let us dive into the specific theme of
Jogo do Pau
Jogo do Pau
Jogo do Pau which literally means ldquogame of the staffrdquo is starting to become more well
known internationally and for the most part people view it as a Portuguese staff fencing art
However having researched this topic beyond a standard internet search I disagree with both
these attributes
On being a staff (exclusive) fencing art
Portuguese King D Duarte describes in his XV century book ldquoA ensinanccedila de bem cavalgar
toda a selardquo (available in English under the name ldquoThe art of riding on every saddlerdquo) the
striking techniques that can be performed with swords It so happens that both the strikesrsquo
names and the description of their trajectories correspond to Jogo do Paursquos terminology and
striking angles Furthermore since the Kingrsquos brief description of outnumbered combat
tactics also matches Jogo do Paursquos we consider that Jogo do Pau corresponds to the first
period of battlefield fencing system We believe that these combat skills (techniques and
tactics) were historically performed with both ldquoextra-longrdquo swords and staffs but upon
having swords being replaced in the military by firearms this art ended up being preserved
by civilians through the exclusive use of staffs since these were the only weapons most
people could afford
On being a Portuguese (exclusive) art
Before the more recent development of the combat sport Canne de Combat France also used
to have its own ldquostaff fencingrdquo art It so happens that this French art had exactly the same
name as the ldquoPortuguese artrdquo only in French obviously It was Le Jeux du Baton
My Jogo do Pau instructor Master Nuno Curvello Russo who is regarded as the most
experienced and knowledgeable Jogo do Pau instructor in Portugal lived in France during the
seventies While there he met Maurice Sarry who like Master Russo had dedicated himself
to the extensive study of his countryrsquos traditional fighting art and was highly regarded on a
national level
As these two great Masters got acquainted with one another they started training together
and soon realized their arts were identical regarding their single combat techniques strikes
parries and footwork I specifically pointed out that I am referring to single combat technique
because at the time the French art had become exclusively focused on this type of combat
similarly to what also occurred within the Portuguese urban industrial cities where the
practice of Jogo do Pau was undertaken as a leisure activity and therefore exclusively
focused on single combat
Thus with Jogo do Pau and Jeux du Baton being identical and knowing that European
countries interacted both socially (such as through royal marriages) and commercially it is all
but surprising to realize that they also developed a common standardized combat art Hence
Jogo do Pau corresponds to the preservation of European historical fencing and not merely a
Portuguese specific art
I do not wish to sound even if for just for a second disrespectful towards other European
combat schools of thought such as the German and Italian They are also European Historical
Fencing but simply from a different period and context more specifically from the second
period mentioned at the start of this article
On the parallel between societyrsquos evolution and Jogo do Paursquos motor skills
Double handed weapons
From its very first days mankind has always had the need to hunt for food as well as fight
other human beings in large groups so as to protect and or conquer both assets and territory
Consequently with martial artsrsquo origin and essence residing in the development of effective
skills for outnumbered combat Jogo do Pau was no exception which made it useful to both
civilians and the countryrsquos army
Additionally since people lived in rural environments (where space wasnrsquot lacking) and with
striking arts being highly influenced by reach this art was initially focused on the exclusive
use of long double handed weapons the extra long swords amongst the military and the staffs
amongst civilians
Surely enough some social conflicts did end up being settled through duels but with
peoplersquos standard training being focused on outnumbered combat these duels were fought by
looking to make the best possible use of the commonly trained outnumbered combat skills
Only towards to eighteenth century with the development of industrial cities did Jogo do
Pau begin being practiced as a leisure activity within these few cities Eventually the
connection between these two forms of combat single and outnumbered combat and their
distinct social realities became so strong that the practice of outnumbered combat started
being designated as ldquonorthrsquos gamerdquo where it kept being practitionersrsquo main focus until the
later stages of the twentieth century On the other hand the more recent leisure type practice
groups which focused on the artrsquos single combat recreational version brought about new
techniques and strategies to this type combat and began being called Lisbonrsquos school
From the early 1970rsquos onward Master Nuno Russo originally trained in Master Pedro
Ferreirarsquos Lisbon school routinely travelled to the north of Portugal for long seasons in order
to learn the artrsquos system of outnumbered combat Ultimately Master Russo was able to
combine both systems into one single and unified technical program which to my
knowledge is the only of its kind
Single handed weapons
Nevertheless people living in industrial cities were also confronted by self defence scenarios
Given this and keeping alive the artrsquos original essence Master Nuno Russo picked up on
Master Pedro Ferreirarsquos initial efforts and adopted some more city type weapons the walking
cane and the baton He extensively studied the artrsquos application to these shorter one handed
weapons making his school a very unique and complete system that offers both double and
single handed weapon mastery for both outnumbered and single combat
Currently Master Russorsquos school is called Escola Santo Condestaacutevel in memory of
Portuguese medieval legendary knight Nuno Aacutelvares Pereira (1360-1431) who was officially
declared saint by the current Pope on April 26th
2009
From Jogo do Pau to Lusitanian Fencing
Last but surely not least the previously mentioned elements allow us to conclude that the
artrsquos designation Jogo do Pau is incorrect as this art is not staff exclusive and by no means a
game
This medieval fencing artrsquos designation probably came about as a result of having been
preserved through staffs and additionally having in ancient Portuguese the verb ldquojogarrdquo (to
play) being used to designate the action of throwing something Consequently the skill of
knowing how to swing and kind of throw the staff against an opponent (jogar o pau) paved
the way for the art to be called Jogo do Pau
With the artrsquos name being incorrect and despite being aware of the difficult task that we face
in changing popular culture we decided to do something about it Were this to be a staff
specific fencing art its correct name would have been staff fencing (Esgrima de Pau) but
knowing of its historical and technical connection to medieval weapons we opted to rename
the art as Esgrima Lusitana (Lusitanian Fenicng) which also serves as a well deserved tribute
to our countryrsquos forefathers the brave Lusitanian people whom the Romans only managed to
subdue through treachery
Military amp Flying Machines Show
wwwmilitaryandflyingmachinesorguk
P R E S S R E L E A S E with immediate effect
Welcome Back Sally B The Military amp Flying Machines Team are so excited and pleased to be able to confirm some very special news for the 2013 show at Damyns Hall Aerodrome Due to public demand we are expanding our show to a three day event taking place on 3
rd 4
th and 5
th
August with more attractions more vehicles more flying and more big bangs This year we are delighted to welcome back the fantastic WW2 vintage B-17 Flying Fortress Bomber lsquoSally Brsquo the last remaining airworthy B-17 in Europe It quickly took on mythic proportions and widely circulated stories and photos of B-17s surviving battle damage increased its iconic status The B17 could fly higher than any of its Allied contemporaries and established its place in history dropping more bombs than any other US aircraft in World War II The Sally B has featured in many feature films most notably the blockbuster film Memphis Belle It will again amaze the crowds with low level displays as this truly historic aircraft is put through its paces ldquoSally Brdquo has always in the past performed the most amazing air display at Damyns Hall especially as the aerodrome is fairly small when this almighty warbird flyrsquos past it feels like you can reach out and touch it it is a display that cannot be missed
If Warbirds are of interest to you then you will be in for a big treat at this yearrsquos show with a superb display from the magnificent Spitfire the iconic shape and unmistakeable noise stir the imagination and the emotion of all that watch We also welcome the Hurricane ldquoHurribomberrdquo a first for our show (MORE ON HURRBOMBER) The WW2 fighter trainers ndash the Harvard T6 single-engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces United States Navy Royal Air Force and other air forces of the British Commonwealth during World War II and into the 1950s and the Boeing Stearman the work horses of the training airfield which were used to train many Battle of Britain heroes ndash will also join the line up to entertain the crowds The incomparable Jungmeister will also be displaying demonstrating its flying versatility A rare Messerschmitt 108 another classic WW2 aircraft from the German Luftwaffe The ME108 will also form part of a Living History static display on the ground Many of the aircrafts will be landing as well over the weekend so it is a fabulous rare opportunity to get up close
As well as all this there will be so much more to see whilst your there admiring the sights and sounds in the skies including helicopter pleasure flights along with 300+ military vehicles living history displays live entertainment all day arena activities including big bangs and even bigger vehicles Kidsrsquo activities vintage funfair refreshments stalls ndash there truly is something for everyone and at great value for money
Wersquove got more exciting news coming very soon ndash so watch this space for the next BIG ANNOUNCEMENT
For the latest updates on the show visit wwwmilitaryandflyingmachinesorguk
Military amp Flying
Machines Show
2nd
3rd
amp 4th August
- Over 17000 attendees
- Flying Displays
- Pleasure Flights
- Living History
Displays -
300+ Vehicles -
Live Entertainment -
Arena Activities -
20+ Tanks amp Armoured Vehicles
Live 40rsquos style big
band
Event Information
May
4
th ndash 6
th Bentley Medieval Festival Lewes east Sussex UK
marktime-productionscom
4th ndash 6
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Blenheim Palace UK
httpwwwblenheimpalacecom
5th amp 6
th ldquoRogues amp Outlawsrdquo Sherwood Forest UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
10th
ndash 12th British Quarterstaff Association weekend in Gloucestershire UK
httpquarterstafforgeventshtml
11th
The Mortimer History Society Spring Conference Leominster UK
wwwmortimerhistorysocietyorguk
11th
amp 12th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Ekenas Castle Sweden
httpwwwekenasslottse
May 11th amp 12th A Victorian Celebration Forge Mill Needle Museum Redditch UK
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
May 25th amp 26th Tall Ships rsquo13 Gloucester Historic Docks Ships maritime living history
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
May 26th amp 27th Harewood Medieval Faire Harewood House Leeds 2nd major annual
multi-period medieval festival with 1066 to 1487 timeline
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
26th
ndash 28th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Hedingham Castle UK
httpwwwhedinghamcastlecouk
May 28th
June 1st Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Leeds Castle UK
httpwwwleeds-castlecomlandphp
June
1st amp 2
nd Templecombe Medieval fair Templecombe UK
httpswwwfacebookcomevents300657233387495
8th amp 9
th History Alive Fort Lytton National Park Brisbane Australia
wwwhistoryalivecoau
15th
amp 16th
Gloucester Medieval Play Festival UK
wwwglostheatrecouk
15th
amp 16th
Tatton Park Old Hall Medieval fayre UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
21st ndash 23
rd Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Cardiff Castle Wales
httpwwwcardiffcastlecom
21st ndash 23
rd Times amp Epochs Moscow Russia
httpwwwfacebookcomhistoryfestref=tsampfref=ts
29th
amp 30th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Linlithgow Palace Scotland httpwwwhistoric-scotlandgovukpropertyresultspropertyoverviewhtmPropID=PL_199ampPropName=Linlithgow20Palace
July
5th ndash 7
th LARP Camp Huntley Wood Staffordshire UK
wwwlarpcampcouk
6th amp 7
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Linlithgow Palace Scotland
httpwwwhistoric-scotlandgovukpropertyresultspropertyoverviewhtmPropID=PL_199ampPropName=Linlithgow20Palace
13th
amp 14th
The Battle of Tewkesbury UK
httpwwwtewkesburymedievalfestivalorg
13th
amp 14th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
20th
amp 21st Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
26th
ndash 28th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
27th
amp 28th
Berkeley Skirmish Berkeley Castle Gloucestershire UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
27th
amp 28th
Smugglers Island Appuldurcombe House IOW UK
Email ednash1993hotmailcouk
July 27th amp 28th Hughendenrsquos Victorian Weekend Hughenden Manor Buckinghamshire
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
27th
amp 28th
Slaughterbridge Camlann Life and Legend Camelford Cornwall UK
heburbeckgmaiIc0m
August
2nd
ndash 4th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Blenheim Palace UK
httpwwwblenheimpalacecom
3rd
amp 4th
The Midlands Festival of History UK
httpwwwmid-festcouk
3rd
amp 4th
The Loxwood Joust Loxwood Meadow RH14 0AL UK
wwwloxwoodjoustcouk
9th ndash 11
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
16th
ndash 18th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
17th
amp 18th
Scotlands Festival of History Chatelherault Scotland
wwwscotlandsfestivalofhistorycouk
17th
amp 18th
M5-Multi Period Re-enactment Weekend Spetchley Park Worcs UK
Website ndash wwwm5showcouk
23rd
amp 24th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
25th
amp 26th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hedingham Castle UK
httpwwwhedinghamcastlecouk
25th
amp 26th
The Sheffield Fayre Norfolk Heritage Park Sheffield
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
August 31st amp September 1st On the Home Front 1939-45 Rufford Abbey Country Park
Notts Annual 1940s show wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
September
12th amp 13th Bexbach 1474 Call To Arms
www1474eu
14th
amp 15th
The Battle of Mortimerrsquos Cross Hampton Court Castle Herefordshire
wwwmortimerscrosscouk
September 21st amp 22nd Wimpole at War The Wimpole Estate Cambridgeshire Annual
1940s event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
September 28th amp 29th Sherwood through the ages Sherwood Forest Annual Ancient to
1980s multi-period event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
October
October 5th amp 6th Hughendenrsquos Wartime Weekend Hughenden Manor Bucks Annual
1940s event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
12th
amp 13th
International Events of Historical Crafts (EIAH) Portugal
Email artesanatocomhistoriagmailcom
November
15
th-17
th The Original Re-Enactors Market Ryton on Dunsmore Coventry UK
wwwreenactorsmarketcouk
16th
amp 17th
The National Living History Fair
wwwnlhfcouk
23rd
amp 24th
The Ludlow Medieval Christmas Fair Ludlow Castle Shropshire
httpwwwludlowcastlecompageseventsaspx
Living History Festival ldquoRatnoe Delo (Battle Skill) - 2012rdquo
By Nikolai Chebotarev
3 September 2012
Translated by Inna Drabkina
At last Irsquove got to my computer to tell you about the festival Ratnoe Delo-2012 For us
host living history societies (Legend Russian Village The Flemings) this was the
main event of the year
I am sure that our true friends from Samara and the Krasnoyarsky district where the action
unfolded found it a most pleasurable and interesting event too
Catching my breath after the festival I decided to take up the pen to commemorate the events
of the festival together with our photographers
100 Dyed-in-the-Wool Re-Enactors
The festival focuses on the confrontation of the Russian warriors and the West-European
knights of the 13th century The 13
th century was a dramatic one for the Medieval Rus it was
the age of the Mongol invasion but it was also the age of contact and conflict of the Western
Europe and the principalities of the north-west of Russia
The special appeal of the festival was its ldquoauthenticityrdquo focus In the first place only those
societies that had top-quality historical costumes military equipment household utensils
were admitted to the festival Secondly all these things had to be exact replicas of the 13th
century ones
The photographers couldnrsquot get all the re-enactors in frame
As it turned out it is not easy to gather in one place one hundred dyed-in-the-wool
ldquoauthenticrdquo re-enactors but we coped with the task The geography of the festival
participants ranges from Bryansk in Russia to Yokohama in Japan Yes you heard right
Yokohama
A year ago a Japanese guy Utah Iwasaki came to Russia to see our festival He was
fascinated by the idea of living history and historical re-enactment he told us that in the Land
of the Rising Sun there were no amateur re-enactors only professional actors playing their
parts in public shows This time he is taking to Japan not just photos from the festival but
also a chain mail Halberk - the one in the photo
ldquoIrsquom going to show the chain mail and the photos to my father I think he will be very much
impressed And then Irsquoll show them to my friends and colleagues at work maybe next time
there will be several of us comingrdquo
And who could expect that Utah would meet his compatriots amidst our steppes ldquoThere were
2 boys from Japan They come from a mixed Russian-Japanese family and they live in
Tokyo They came to Samara on a visit to their granddad and thatrsquos how we met at the
festivalrdquo
All the participants were divided into two rivaling partiesndash the East and the West A small
rivulet separated their camps The contest between the parties was the main intrigue of the
festival
The first two days - Friday and Saturday - were the time for the re-enactorsrsquo master classes
seminars and sharing their findings and ideas with each other The participant societies
prepared an extensive program including a master class in long sword and bastard sword
fencing
The wooden models of swords in the hands of the guys are the same as those used for
practicing many years ago
All the fencing movements that Mikhail Manin and Artem Rumyantsev showed were taken
from medieval fencing manuals - fechtbucher
The earliest fencing manual known as Manuscript I33 dates from about the year 1295 and
shows techniques of fencing with a sword and a small round shield (buckler)
It goes without saying that the program on Friday and Saturday was rich - tournaments
maneuvers on rough terrain etc All the participants received a lot of adrenaline and fun
Battering the palisade of the European camp with a ram
Alex Bogatikov a Samara ldquoLegendrdquo novice says This is my first time at the living history
festival and I am really enjoying it a lot of people and a lot of fun Thanks for the nice
impressions of the festival thanks to the guys from other living history societies - I expected
struggle and rivalry at the spear tournament but it turned out to be great fun a real adrenaline
rush All the re-enactors are friends they cheer each other and are very careful not to hurt
their adversaries - its cool guys
And the winners were duly rewarded
Photo link httpvkcomalbums-30578984z=photo-30578984_2882686622Fphotos-
30578984
For the victory of their fighters in an event the factions got points The total score determined
the winner who got the honorary right to raise the banner of the festival on the touristsrsquo day
This time the winner was the East Therefore the right to hoist the flag of the festival on
August19 during the solemn opening ceremony for the tourists passed to the re-enactors of
the Medieval Rus
The very festival field over which the scarlet banner flew seemed to be meant for such
activities The place is just gorgeousrdquo - our spectator Natalia Kuznetsova says ndash ldquoThe
sweet smell of wild strawberries the bridge over the river the undulating hillshellip
Unforgettable
And from the practical point of view the place was ideal too
First of all the federal highway to Ulyanovsk runs next to the festival field and therersquos a
village with a cheerful name of Stary Booyan (which in Russian sounds exactly the same as
lsquoOld Brawlerrsquo) nearby
Secondly the festival meadow is separated from the road and other marks of the modern
civilization by a copse which accounted for the effect of a real time travel
The secrets of the medieval handicrafts
After the opening of the festival a dynamic and rich program unfolded
Potters Maxim and Elena Borisov (society Mir masterov (World of Masters) Samara)
showed everyone who wished so the basics of working with clay Classes turned out to be
very exciting - the potters could not complain about the lack of public interest Their
workshop was thronged
While the enthusiasts at the market were molding clay women of fashion and glamour
gathered in the Western camp Kate Aristova from the Moscow living history club Legend
(full namesake of the Samara host society) spoke about makeup in the Middle Ages
According to her even now in the age of Oriflame and Amway the recipes that originated
eight hundred years ago can be of great interest to modern beauties as they are
environmentally friendly and work miracles with the skin
How to become a sergeant
While the women were buzzing and fussing about their jars of cream and bottles of scent
true men displayed their battle skill
On the eve of the battle Greg a fighter from The Flemings had to prove that he was ready
to become a sergeant
One doesnrsquot get promotion for a song and Greg challenged by experienced combatants had
to fight each of them in turn The task was to remain standing and he coped with it
After the duels ended ldquoThe Flemingsrdquo commander Walter asked the warriorsrsquo opinion of
Greg
I have known Greg for a very long timerdquo raised his voice the Samara Legendrsquos commander
Alexei Romanov ndash ldquoWe fought with him side by side and we also met on the battle-field as
adversaries And I believe that Greg is truly worthy of the rank of sergeant
After the duels and this praise the case was decided The commander of The Flemings with
due ceremony promoted Greg to sergeant
Clash of armour
This was followed by duels (sword ndash buckler sword - shield spears) and finally group
battles
Before the fight opponents egged each other on as best they could
And then rushed into battle
After which there happened something of the sort
Several group fights tough but fair ended in a most amicable way See for yourself
After the fights the spectators spilled out into the field - everyone wanted to be photographed
with the warriors Sometimes the result was pretty funny
Fair maidens prowess and singing arrows
Then came the turn of the womens tournament where fair maidens competed showing their
feminine prowess
To begin with they competed in throwing rolling pins into the target - of course strength and
accuracy were of utmost importance A very useful skill in family life they say And then the
ladies took their husbands battle axes and chopped cabbage with them and in general
displayed their prowess in the skills of ldquokeeping the home fires burningrdquo
Then the archers stepped on the scene The prize was contested by European infantrymen the
Mongol batyrs and of course by Russian warriors
Photo link httpvkcomphoto-30578984_288494144
Moreover women competed alongside with men
In the end the prize went to the well-known local marksman Mikhail Manin
(Novokuibyshevsk) winner of last years tournament
Medieval Jousting contest
Shortly after the tournament the mounted display Medieval Jousting was announced
This was a series of trials in which riders competed in various military disciplines Let me
first introduce the participants
Left to right - Master of the Knights Hospitaller a Mongolian horseman a Russian nobleman
in disgrace and an Arab who would not reveal his face to the audience By the way this is
only half of the participants
The first trial was mounted archery
Master of the Knights Hospitaller Note the speed of the rider And the wooden target he
has to hit is rather smallish
The second trial was ldquoThe Saracenrdquo (This is a spear game the accuracy of lance thrust is
evaluated)
Let me draw your attention to the fact that tournament lances have no heads and this is not
by chance
Just think of the force of the blow a mounted rider strikes when going at full canter
The spearhead passes through the target like a knife through butter Then one of the two
things will surely happen either the lance is stuck and the warrior gets thrown or loses his
lance or ldquoThe Saracen gets wrenched out of the earth Nobody wants it
Trial Three - mounted cutting
Itrsquos interesting that this exercise expressly shows the difference between a sword and a sabre
A sabre due to its characteristic curve of the blade cuts the head of cabbage neatly in two
But the sword chopping blows crush grind the head of cabbage
To some extent the difference is so marked because the sword blades at the festival werenrsquot
honed Honed sword blades also cut very neatly On the other hand a sabre is meant for
slashing blows and weighing less than a sword cuts very efficiently
In the photo you can see the ldquoLegendrdquo posadnik Maxim wearing a red mantle By the way he
won the ridersrsquo competition
Just in case let me explain who posadnik is The word is derived from the word posad
(pronounced as pah-lsquosad) In Russia ldquoposadrdquo was the part of town where most of the
citizens lived There was also a krom (kremlin) or citadel but only the prince with his
household and his host lived there and in the time of an enemy invasion the people flocked
to the citadel seeking protection In short posadnik is the head of the civil authority of the
town
Siege engine and storm
After the horsemenrsquos contest a ten-minute break was declared during which the audience had
a chance to walk around the festival lawn and the participants - to prepare for the impending
battle
According to our idea all the participants able to hold weapons were to meet on the
battlefield in the mass battle
Among them was the team of a medieval siege engine into which Utah Iwasaki seamlessly
blended
Thatrsquos what arcuballista looks like as seen by its aimer
The arcuballista team was under command of Vadim Sinichkin head of the living history
society ldquoSlovenerdquo from Novokuibyshevsk This society built all the siege engines of the
festival
ldquoWe are a small society that is why our only chance to influence the outcome of the battle is
to bombard the adversary with trebuchet and arcuballista projectiles We have adjusted those
things for throwing projectiles for 50 metres ndash contemporary living history festivals seldom
require more powerful siege engines with a longer range They are also rather convenient in
transportation - they can be taken apart and the parts fit on the floor of a mini-bus Thatrsquos
how actually we brought them hererdquo
The final battle
About 4 pm the master of ceremonies announced the last battle of the festival He said that
all the warriors of the festival would cross swords and break spears in the final melee The
3000 spectators began to fill the slope of the hill which became a natural amphitheater
The legend of the final battle was as follows it was a very ordinary event for the troubled
13th century A squad of European soldiers assaulted a Russian frontier guard outpost
located in the steppes of the Volga region
The European soldiers came there with a unit of Mongol warriors (which was a frequent
occasion with Genoan mercenaries from the Crimea) The Mongol warriors brought portable
siege engines to storm the outpost
The soldiers bring an arcuballista which is followed by the trebuchet Perhaps the stone
throwing engine with the help of which the women of Toulouse smashed the head of count
Simon de Montfort the legendary leader of the Crusaders looked very much the same
This unfortunate episode also took place in the 13th
century and to be absolutely precise
on June 25 1218
Having bombarded the outpost with the trebuchet projectiles the Mongols gave the European
foot soldiers the opportunity to attack it while the outpost defenders were still dazed A brief
skirmish and the outpost is takenhellip The Russian warriors retreat to the steppe Another
spell of fighting Only a handful of Russian warriors remainhellip And at the last moment
another Russian unit comes to the aid of the outpost
Irsquod better give the floor to Galina who came to the festival with her 4-year-old son Timothy
ldquoTimothy absolutely believed what he saw I myself felt enthralled ndash everything looked so
real
During the battle when only two Russian warriors remained fighting back to back
surrounded by enemies Tim thought they were about to perish and went to their aid
Photo link httpvkcomphoto7768284_287885078
White as a sheet he breathed out Im coming Hold on And ran to the rescuehellip
I could barely catch him It was hard to calm him down to persuade him it was all make-
believe
When the cavalry came to the rescue I said ldquoLook they are fine now Victoryrdquo You should
have seen the triumph and relief in his eyes
Thats how our long awaited festival ended
The spectators got into their cars and buses and went home ndash some to Samara some to
Togliatti some to Ulyanovskhellip
Photos by Olga Borisenkova Georgy Korobov Olga Nemkova Yulia Timirkhanova
Svetlana Makoveyeva Maria Gomolova Irina Yashina Natalia Kalmykova Alexey
Pleshkov Andrey Surin Ekaterina Orlova Tatiana Besschastnaya Vadim Kozin Evgeny
Krasnikov Alexandra Bunayeva Denis Khramov Nina Gubanova Yuri Chikin Ildar
Hassanov Ivan Yegorov Mikhail Pishchakov Mikhail Puzankov Olesya Strelchenko
Thank you all
Many thanks to the musicians who entertained the spectators They are Yegor Strelnikov
(psaltery Moscow) ldquoMusica Radicumrdquo (folk group Saint Petersburg)
Photo link httpcs304606userapicomv30460642737cah2D-hgjQpRsjpg
Photo link httpcs317423userapicomv31742302020a1HFnxYFD_uS0jpg
ldquoThe Eastrdquo
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Stupino)
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoSuzdalskaya Druzhina (Suzdal Host)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS ldquoTruvorrdquo (Orenburg)
LHS ldquoVityaz (Russian Knight)rdquo (Kazan)
LHS ldquoSlovenerdquo (Novokuibyshevsk)
Association ldquoNORD Rusrdquo (Samara)
ldquoMjollnirrdquo (Samara)
Individual participants
ldquoThe Westrdquo
LHS ldquoAtlit ndash Zamok Palomnika (Atlit - Pilgrimrsquos Castle)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS laquoNovum castrumraquo (Zheleznodorozhny)
LHS ldquoStary Svet (The Old World Company)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoDostoyanie (Heritage)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoFlamandtsy (The Flemings)rdquo (Odintsovo)
Individual participants
Special thanks to the artisans
Association ldquoMir masterov (World of Masters)rdquo (Samara)
ldquoNizhegorodskaya Artel Oruzheinikov (Armourersrsquo Artel)rdquo (Nizhny Novgorod)
Our valiant steeds came from ldquoRusskaya Sloboda (Russian Village)rdquo (Samara) and equestrian
club (Borskoe)
Thank you all guys for war and peace for merry feasts and fair competition
The festival took place on the 19 August 2012 near Stary Booyan in the Krasnoyarsky district
of the Samara Region
Next year our festival will be held again and we expect that our friends from Poland
Ukraine Belarus and Japan will be able to come So if you are interested in the 13th century
re-enactment welcome to Samara ldquoBattle Skill ndash 2013rdquo
Release Date May 11
th 2013
The Historic Gardener
Hard at work
Features This Month 1 The Historic Gardener
2 Book Review-The Historical Novel Soc
3 The MHS Spring Conference
4 Jogo do Paursquos conceptualization
5 Military and Flying Machines Show
6 Event Information
7 Ratnoe Delo (Battle Skill) - 2012
Greetings All
Welcome to issue 51
The re-enactment season is just about to
really start here in the UK We have had a
few events including camping in -7 at
Glastonbury over Easter but I think we have
all warmed up a little now and we are all
raring to go
Thank you to everyone for their
contributions for this issue and to anyone
reading this who has an article report or
story they would like to submit please do
get in contact
The events list has grown so do take a look
through and see what is happening near
you if you see that an event you know of
isnrsquot in the list please let me have the details
and I will be sure to add it
Please send all correspondence to the
following email address
thereenactorbtinternetcom
Competitions
All competitions are free to enter
Winners will be selected at random on the 24th
of
each month for the relevant competition
Winners will be notified via email shortly after
the draw takes place
No correspondence will be entered into
The editorrsquos decision is final
The views and opinions expressed in the articles in
this ezine are those of the individual authors
themselves and not those of the Editor
Note If you have any questions
queries thoughts or ideas for and
about the magazine please do feel
free to contact me and we can discuss
them
A Correction In last monthrsquos article on
The Crabchurch Conspiracy-Anyone
interested in taking part in future events is
asked to refer to
httptheportlandgarrisonweeblycom
To receive notification of each new issue
send your email address to
thereenactorbtinternetcom
HISTORIC GARDENING
Many re-enactors take the part of the military and from experience I know that this is very
exhilarating and rewarding but throughout history somebody has to stay at home to either
support the war or to keep the home fires burning
The wealthy have always needed gardens for food but they could also afford the luxury of a
pleasant garden to relax in The poor have had to garden simply to exist
What follows is a very brief history of gardening in Britain
If you believe the Bible gardening is the oldest profession except Adam wasnrsquot paid setting
a precedent for low paid gardeners for centuries to come
Most of European gardening is based on the Roman methods and many things are still in use
today Modern gardening tools are the same as the ones the Romans used spades mattocks
rakes and pruning knives One piece of equipment that the Romans did not use however was
the wheelbarrow The Romans used baskets to carry garden produce and materials although
they could use handcarts for bulky and heavy materials
The Romans grew plants in raised beds created topiary by cutting evergreen shrubs into
different shapes and made use of water technologies that would not be used in gardens again
in Europe until the Renaissance
The Romans seem to be responsible for the idea of writing gardening books Several authors
such as Cato Columella Varro and Palladius wrote books on how to set up an estate and run
it profitably including instructions on how to set out plant and maintain a garden
The plants that were grown came from the Mediterranean and from all over the Roman
Empire This included plants for food plants scented resins and oils for perfumery burning
and of course medicinal use Many of the herbal recipes that we still use today were copied
from the Greeks and Romans
Wine was very important to the Romans and vines were grown throughout the Empire
including England Archaeologists discovered a Roman Vineyard at Wollaston in Northants
The grape vines had been planted in trenches faced with stone to reflect the heat to encourage
ripening of the grapes
We are lucky that we have not only the archaeological remains of Roman gardens but also
written and pictorial evidence of them At Pompeii some gardens have Trompe loeil
paintings on the surviving walls depicting non-existent areas of the gardens or of views
looking outside that there were not the space for in reality The virtual world is not just a
modern phenomenon
Archaeological remains stretch across the Roman world including a site
at Piddington close to where I live where the archaeologists found the
remains of planting areas a water cistern and even tree roots One
gardener had broken his spud a long handled tool leaving the metal head
for the archaeologists to find in the future A much larger site is
Fishbourne Palace near Chichester The soil at Fishbourne was mainly
chalk which is not very good for most plants so the Romans dug out
trenches where the hedges were to be planted and filled them with good
topsoil From the remains it has been possible to plant new hedges along
the same lines but of course what we donrsquot know is how tall the edges
where or how the tops were cut
Following the fall of the Roman Empire gardening was mainly kept alive
by the monks who still had access to Roman documents Charlemagne drew up a document
called lsquoThe Capituare de Villisrsquo which sets out how he wants his estates run It includes a list
of plants but it is only a list Unlike us the people of the time were quite aware of the uses of
Pruning the grape vines
the plants The Capitulare includes plants that we now mostly consider decorative such as
the Lily Iris and Rose but they were all grown for practical reasons as much as for
decoration
Walafrid Strabo wrote a book lsquoHortulusrsquo The Little Garden during the ninth century He
tells us in verse how he set out to make a garden firstly by digging up the weeds and then
making raised beds He lists 28 plants and includes medicinal and symbolic information
about them
Albertus Magnus wrote an encyclopaedia on Nature that includes a description of a garden
Flower beds should be made around the edge of the lawn There should be a bench with a tree
for shade and a fountain or basin of water The plants are for pleasure and were not to be
harvested Albertus also includes a description on how to lay turf that involves beating the
turf into the soil using large wooden mallets until the grass barely shows
Medieval gardens continued to grow plants in raised beds but some of them were adapted to
become turf seats planted with roses
Although herbals continue to be compiled the first gardening book written in English has to
wait for a few more centuries
Jon Gardener writing in the late 14C compiled a gardening calendar in verse which is
usually referred to as lsquoThe Feate of Gardeningrsquo Whether he was a real person or is using a
pen name to add authenticity to the writing we cannot be sure Many books say that his poem
is a useful insight into medieval gardening Jon does tell us about grafting plants in great
detail and includes a list of herbs that he grows but unfortunately that is about it
The garden tools were still those used by the Romans including the wooden spade
In Italy Pietro de Crecenzi wrote Liber Ruraliam Commodorum during the early fourteenth
century He refers to Roman authors but also quotes The Arab Avicenna His book follows
the roman estate manuals and offers very sound advice He mentions the use of hot beds
made of dung to produce early crops a practice that would not become common in England
for a few centuries His book has been translated into many languages but unfortunately not
English
With the advent of printing the mass production of books for the general reader becomes
possible In 1563 Thomas Hill published a book aimed at those with a small manor to
maintain and make productive lsquoThe profitable arte of gardening A most briefe and
pleasaunte treatise teaching how to dresse sowe and set a gardenrsquo
The instructions include choosing the site of the garden and examples of decorative knots to
set out using thyme and hyssop Box would not become common as an edging plant until the
mid 1600rsquos Imported plants from America are becoming common although
the herbalist Gerard was often at a loss with their usefulness and grow them
because they were pretty or interesting
This is the first proper book about gardening published in England Under
the pen name of Didymus Montain Hill later published lsquoThe Gardenerrsquos
Labyrinthrsquo in 1577 Both books are based on the work of earlier authors
especially the Roman ones mentioned earlier Today this is often called
plagiarism and frowned on but Hillrsquos intention was to show his own
scholarship and to prove the value of his work Many books on differing
subjects would follow the same reference to antiquity and the classical
authors Hill is not ashamed to name the ancient authors to whom he has
referred and lists them prominently at the front of his book In both books
Hill gives us the sort of practical information that we expect from a gardening book today
but there is also an abundance of myth magic and pure rubbish that has been copied from the
lsquoancient authoritiesrsquo of Rome A practical
tip is killing moles by filling a nut shell with sulphur lighting the sulphur and
throwing the toxic smoke bomb into the mole run The sulphur di oxide gas
would have certainly killed the moles but it is not a method that we can legally
use today There is a large section devoted to the use of the plants
Hill includes a chapter on the weather Here is an appropriate quote referring to
our recent weather
lsquo And the plenty of snow falling in due season of the yeare dooth fatten the
earth (and if the others doe helpe) then dooth it it signifie the plenty of corne
and other fruites of the earthrsquo
Maybe we shall have a good summer in 2013
Ever since Thomas Hill gardening books have been published in great
profusion on every horticultural subject imaginable to instruct gardeners in this peaceful art
But gardens for pleasure were often symbolic of power and wealth The restructuring of the
landscape from a wilderness into a formal layout displays your power over nature If you
want others to see you as the strong hero make sure there is a statue of Hercules in your
garden If you prefer art then maybe a statue of Apollo is more suitable At Stowe Gardens
there is a theme is of political and moral virtue not so far away at Wycombe Park the home
of the Hellfire Club it is more of sex and debauchery
Formal gardens remain in fashion until the English gentlemen returning from their gap years
of the lsquoGrand Tourrsquo when they had visited the cultural ancient sites of Europe decided they
wanted a classical rural idyll an Arcadia of temples and natural lakes populated with gods
nymphs and shepherdesses surrounding their country houses The English Landscape Garden
swept away the formal gardens in favour of an extended lawn The browsing sheep gave an
air of peace and idleness but of course you donrsquot want sheep muck on the lawn in front of
your house so you needed a Ha-Ha to keep them at armrsquos length The sheep kept the grass
trim saving the payment of labourers to scythe it short and they also provided wool and
meat what more could you ask for
But the English love their flowers so it was not so long before the formal terraces returned to
encircle the house and with the growth of the British Empire and the abolition of the window
tax flowers returned with a vengeance The landed gentry and the nouveau riche industrialists
created ever larger gardens bursting to the seams with colourful flowers exotic fruit and an
endless supply of vegetables as growing methods developed to extend the growing season
any new technology being exploited where ever possible
The gardens were powered by glasshouses heated with coal fired boilers and a cheap supply
of manual labour The workers had their own hierarchy ranging from apprentices learning
the trade by scaring birds and washing the pots to the journeymen who moved from garden
to garden as they learned about different horticultural
specialities finally resulting with the prestigious job of Head
Gardener which took years of training - at your own
expense
The working gardenerrsquos lot has never been an easy nor
prosperous one It has always involved heavy physical
labour and with the introduction of the lethal pesticides
during the Victorian period it could be the pathway to an
early death As Kipling would later write
lsquoOur England is a garden and such gardens are not made
By singing--Oh how beautiful and sitting in the shade
While better men than we go out and start their working lives
At grubbing weeds from gravel-paths with broken dinner-knivesrsquo
During WW2 the gardeners of Britain would be digging up these gardens and parks to
produce food supported by the lsquoDig for Victoryrsquo campaign
ldquoDig Dig Dig And your muscles will grow big
Keep on pushing the spade
Donrsquot mind the worms
Just ignore their squirms
And when your back aches laugh with glee
And keep on digginrsquo
Till we give our foes a Wigginrsquo
Dig Dig Dig to Victory
For all the terrors that the front line soldiers suffered if Hitler had succeeded in starving the
country he would have won the war
For many years I have been a professional gardener within the heritage sector originally the
medieval period and during this time I have learned much of the use of plants and gardening
techniques throughout the centuries I now offer displays for historic sites and schools and
talks on gardening from the Romans to the WW2 lsquoDig for Victoryrsquo campaign
Contact the Historic Gardener
Phone 01604 470 651
Email michaelbmikegmailcom
Website wwwhistoricgardenercouk
COME amp MAKE A HISTORICAL COSTUME
with Chalemie in Oxford
13-18 August 2013
Contact Barbara Segal info amp brochure 020 7700 4293
chalemiethorndemoncouk
wwwchalemiecouk
Other courses in Baroque Dance Commedia Singing and
Instrumental Music
Fees pound545 for full board and tuition
(financial help available age immaterial)
THE DEADLY SISTERHOOD BY LEONIE FRIEDA
After her much lauded biography of Catherine dersquo Medici Frieda has shifted her
chronological focus back a few years and broadened it to a cast of eight formidable 15th-
century women Some were related by blood (like the sisters Beatrice and Isabella drsquoEste)
others by marriage (like Lucrezia Tornabuoni mother of Lorenzo and Giuliano dersquoMedici
and her daughter-in-law the Roman aristocrat Clarice Orsini) but all were renowned either
as beauties ndash particularly Lucrezia Borgia and Giulia Farnese ndash political brides (like Isabella
drsquoAragona) or viragos like Caterina Sforza
Friedarsquos skill lies not so much in having researched these eight womenrsquos lives ndash some of
whom have been the subject of recent often revisionist research ndash but in linking them to form
a saga spanning an extraordinarily complex and dynamic period of history in the Italian
peninsula with its patchwork of major and minor city-states and principalities ruled ndash
apparently as Frieda adds ndash by men As Burckhardt first pointed out this was the golden age
of bastards in Italy where men and women born on either side of the marriage vows could
seize political control and ride the crested waves of Fortune This libidinous opportunistic
age ended dramatically in the horrific violence of the Sack of Rome and the years that
followed it ushered in a stricter sense of legitimacy ndash of birth nationality and religion ndash but
many of the women who became influential in it were descended from these extraordinary
15th-century women whose lives are charted so magnificently here
For other great reviews visit
httphistoricalnovelsocietyorg
Jogo do Paursquos conceptualization
An historical and sociological analysis
My name is Luiacutes Preto After completing an undergrad in physical education and two
masters one in sportsrsquo teaching methodologies and another in coaching sciences I am now
34 years old and with 25 years of martial arts experience which includes 16 years of
exposure to Jogo do Pau
First premise
To start off it is important to realize that my understanding of the word fencing is that it refers
to any activity in which an object external to onersquos body is used to perform strikes and
parries Additionally in light of the innumerable and physically distinct fencing weapons
around each weaponrsquos specific physical traits and combat tactics entail that there are
different ldquotypesrdquo of fencing
Overall view on European martial arts
I am going to start this historical and sociological conceptualization of Jogo do Pau by
describing my overall systematization of European fencing arts In this regard I find that
European historical fencing arts can be systematized into 3 main categories according to the
contextual circumstances under which combats took place and its resulting weapons and
tactics
1) Bashing weaponsrsquo battlefield period
As a result of many countriesrsquo efforts to extend their territory such as what took place in
Portugal between the XII and XIV centuries European fencingrsquos first period was centred
around the participation in battlefields In Portugal such activity brought about ldquoextra-
long swordsrdquo that were mostly blunt These ldquoextra-longrdquo swords like the Montante were
at least 15m long so as to enable their users to have the maximum possible reach
Additionally they also had to be significantly thick and thus heavy so as to sustain
strikes from any type of weapon from swords to steal pools Finally on top of having to
face multiple opponents at the same time battlefield combat also entailed facing
opponents who wore both chainmail and body armour Therefore combatants didnrsquot
waste time sharpening their weapons and were forced to rely on powerful bashing striking
techniques
2) Cutting weaponsrsquo duelling period
Later with the creation of firearms long swords began being used for leisure and with
this taking place in fencing schools where fighters did not use much if any body armour
swords became sharper and sparring incorporated softer slashing striking techniques
3) Thrusting weaponsrsquo duelling period
Finally the further development of duelling under an increasingly stricter code of honour
assured that combatants wouldnt have to face heavy weapons such as steal pools which
allowed for the development of thinner swords such as the rapier This new duelling
context and its resulting new weapon promoted the restructuring of single combat tactics
centring it on the fastest of all striking techniques the thrust
My personal opinion is that none of these fencing styles is better than the remaining ones As
martial arts their usefulness depends on the context under which each person is forced to
fight for survival and as recreational leisure activities it simply depends on each personrsquos
personal preference
Now using this overall systematization as reference let us dive into the specific theme of
Jogo do Pau
Jogo do Pau
Jogo do Pau which literally means ldquogame of the staffrdquo is starting to become more well
known internationally and for the most part people view it as a Portuguese staff fencing art
However having researched this topic beyond a standard internet search I disagree with both
these attributes
On being a staff (exclusive) fencing art
Portuguese King D Duarte describes in his XV century book ldquoA ensinanccedila de bem cavalgar
toda a selardquo (available in English under the name ldquoThe art of riding on every saddlerdquo) the
striking techniques that can be performed with swords It so happens that both the strikesrsquo
names and the description of their trajectories correspond to Jogo do Paursquos terminology and
striking angles Furthermore since the Kingrsquos brief description of outnumbered combat
tactics also matches Jogo do Paursquos we consider that Jogo do Pau corresponds to the first
period of battlefield fencing system We believe that these combat skills (techniques and
tactics) were historically performed with both ldquoextra-longrdquo swords and staffs but upon
having swords being replaced in the military by firearms this art ended up being preserved
by civilians through the exclusive use of staffs since these were the only weapons most
people could afford
On being a Portuguese (exclusive) art
Before the more recent development of the combat sport Canne de Combat France also used
to have its own ldquostaff fencingrdquo art It so happens that this French art had exactly the same
name as the ldquoPortuguese artrdquo only in French obviously It was Le Jeux du Baton
My Jogo do Pau instructor Master Nuno Curvello Russo who is regarded as the most
experienced and knowledgeable Jogo do Pau instructor in Portugal lived in France during the
seventies While there he met Maurice Sarry who like Master Russo had dedicated himself
to the extensive study of his countryrsquos traditional fighting art and was highly regarded on a
national level
As these two great Masters got acquainted with one another they started training together
and soon realized their arts were identical regarding their single combat techniques strikes
parries and footwork I specifically pointed out that I am referring to single combat technique
because at the time the French art had become exclusively focused on this type of combat
similarly to what also occurred within the Portuguese urban industrial cities where the
practice of Jogo do Pau was undertaken as a leisure activity and therefore exclusively
focused on single combat
Thus with Jogo do Pau and Jeux du Baton being identical and knowing that European
countries interacted both socially (such as through royal marriages) and commercially it is all
but surprising to realize that they also developed a common standardized combat art Hence
Jogo do Pau corresponds to the preservation of European historical fencing and not merely a
Portuguese specific art
I do not wish to sound even if for just for a second disrespectful towards other European
combat schools of thought such as the German and Italian They are also European Historical
Fencing but simply from a different period and context more specifically from the second
period mentioned at the start of this article
On the parallel between societyrsquos evolution and Jogo do Paursquos motor skills
Double handed weapons
From its very first days mankind has always had the need to hunt for food as well as fight
other human beings in large groups so as to protect and or conquer both assets and territory
Consequently with martial artsrsquo origin and essence residing in the development of effective
skills for outnumbered combat Jogo do Pau was no exception which made it useful to both
civilians and the countryrsquos army
Additionally since people lived in rural environments (where space wasnrsquot lacking) and with
striking arts being highly influenced by reach this art was initially focused on the exclusive
use of long double handed weapons the extra long swords amongst the military and the staffs
amongst civilians
Surely enough some social conflicts did end up being settled through duels but with
peoplersquos standard training being focused on outnumbered combat these duels were fought by
looking to make the best possible use of the commonly trained outnumbered combat skills
Only towards to eighteenth century with the development of industrial cities did Jogo do
Pau begin being practiced as a leisure activity within these few cities Eventually the
connection between these two forms of combat single and outnumbered combat and their
distinct social realities became so strong that the practice of outnumbered combat started
being designated as ldquonorthrsquos gamerdquo where it kept being practitionersrsquo main focus until the
later stages of the twentieth century On the other hand the more recent leisure type practice
groups which focused on the artrsquos single combat recreational version brought about new
techniques and strategies to this type combat and began being called Lisbonrsquos school
From the early 1970rsquos onward Master Nuno Russo originally trained in Master Pedro
Ferreirarsquos Lisbon school routinely travelled to the north of Portugal for long seasons in order
to learn the artrsquos system of outnumbered combat Ultimately Master Russo was able to
combine both systems into one single and unified technical program which to my
knowledge is the only of its kind
Single handed weapons
Nevertheless people living in industrial cities were also confronted by self defence scenarios
Given this and keeping alive the artrsquos original essence Master Nuno Russo picked up on
Master Pedro Ferreirarsquos initial efforts and adopted some more city type weapons the walking
cane and the baton He extensively studied the artrsquos application to these shorter one handed
weapons making his school a very unique and complete system that offers both double and
single handed weapon mastery for both outnumbered and single combat
Currently Master Russorsquos school is called Escola Santo Condestaacutevel in memory of
Portuguese medieval legendary knight Nuno Aacutelvares Pereira (1360-1431) who was officially
declared saint by the current Pope on April 26th
2009
From Jogo do Pau to Lusitanian Fencing
Last but surely not least the previously mentioned elements allow us to conclude that the
artrsquos designation Jogo do Pau is incorrect as this art is not staff exclusive and by no means a
game
This medieval fencing artrsquos designation probably came about as a result of having been
preserved through staffs and additionally having in ancient Portuguese the verb ldquojogarrdquo (to
play) being used to designate the action of throwing something Consequently the skill of
knowing how to swing and kind of throw the staff against an opponent (jogar o pau) paved
the way for the art to be called Jogo do Pau
With the artrsquos name being incorrect and despite being aware of the difficult task that we face
in changing popular culture we decided to do something about it Were this to be a staff
specific fencing art its correct name would have been staff fencing (Esgrima de Pau) but
knowing of its historical and technical connection to medieval weapons we opted to rename
the art as Esgrima Lusitana (Lusitanian Fenicng) which also serves as a well deserved tribute
to our countryrsquos forefathers the brave Lusitanian people whom the Romans only managed to
subdue through treachery
Military amp Flying Machines Show
wwwmilitaryandflyingmachinesorguk
P R E S S R E L E A S E with immediate effect
Welcome Back Sally B The Military amp Flying Machines Team are so excited and pleased to be able to confirm some very special news for the 2013 show at Damyns Hall Aerodrome Due to public demand we are expanding our show to a three day event taking place on 3
rd 4
th and 5
th
August with more attractions more vehicles more flying and more big bangs This year we are delighted to welcome back the fantastic WW2 vintage B-17 Flying Fortress Bomber lsquoSally Brsquo the last remaining airworthy B-17 in Europe It quickly took on mythic proportions and widely circulated stories and photos of B-17s surviving battle damage increased its iconic status The B17 could fly higher than any of its Allied contemporaries and established its place in history dropping more bombs than any other US aircraft in World War II The Sally B has featured in many feature films most notably the blockbuster film Memphis Belle It will again amaze the crowds with low level displays as this truly historic aircraft is put through its paces ldquoSally Brdquo has always in the past performed the most amazing air display at Damyns Hall especially as the aerodrome is fairly small when this almighty warbird flyrsquos past it feels like you can reach out and touch it it is a display that cannot be missed
If Warbirds are of interest to you then you will be in for a big treat at this yearrsquos show with a superb display from the magnificent Spitfire the iconic shape and unmistakeable noise stir the imagination and the emotion of all that watch We also welcome the Hurricane ldquoHurribomberrdquo a first for our show (MORE ON HURRBOMBER) The WW2 fighter trainers ndash the Harvard T6 single-engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces United States Navy Royal Air Force and other air forces of the British Commonwealth during World War II and into the 1950s and the Boeing Stearman the work horses of the training airfield which were used to train many Battle of Britain heroes ndash will also join the line up to entertain the crowds The incomparable Jungmeister will also be displaying demonstrating its flying versatility A rare Messerschmitt 108 another classic WW2 aircraft from the German Luftwaffe The ME108 will also form part of a Living History static display on the ground Many of the aircrafts will be landing as well over the weekend so it is a fabulous rare opportunity to get up close
As well as all this there will be so much more to see whilst your there admiring the sights and sounds in the skies including helicopter pleasure flights along with 300+ military vehicles living history displays live entertainment all day arena activities including big bangs and even bigger vehicles Kidsrsquo activities vintage funfair refreshments stalls ndash there truly is something for everyone and at great value for money
Wersquove got more exciting news coming very soon ndash so watch this space for the next BIG ANNOUNCEMENT
For the latest updates on the show visit wwwmilitaryandflyingmachinesorguk
Military amp Flying
Machines Show
2nd
3rd
amp 4th August
- Over 17000 attendees
- Flying Displays
- Pleasure Flights
- Living History
Displays -
300+ Vehicles -
Live Entertainment -
Arena Activities -
20+ Tanks amp Armoured Vehicles
Live 40rsquos style big
band
Event Information
May
4
th ndash 6
th Bentley Medieval Festival Lewes east Sussex UK
marktime-productionscom
4th ndash 6
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Blenheim Palace UK
httpwwwblenheimpalacecom
5th amp 6
th ldquoRogues amp Outlawsrdquo Sherwood Forest UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
10th
ndash 12th British Quarterstaff Association weekend in Gloucestershire UK
httpquarterstafforgeventshtml
11th
The Mortimer History Society Spring Conference Leominster UK
wwwmortimerhistorysocietyorguk
11th
amp 12th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Ekenas Castle Sweden
httpwwwekenasslottse
May 11th amp 12th A Victorian Celebration Forge Mill Needle Museum Redditch UK
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
May 25th amp 26th Tall Ships rsquo13 Gloucester Historic Docks Ships maritime living history
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
May 26th amp 27th Harewood Medieval Faire Harewood House Leeds 2nd major annual
multi-period medieval festival with 1066 to 1487 timeline
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
26th
ndash 28th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Hedingham Castle UK
httpwwwhedinghamcastlecouk
May 28th
June 1st Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Leeds Castle UK
httpwwwleeds-castlecomlandphp
June
1st amp 2
nd Templecombe Medieval fair Templecombe UK
httpswwwfacebookcomevents300657233387495
8th amp 9
th History Alive Fort Lytton National Park Brisbane Australia
wwwhistoryalivecoau
15th
amp 16th
Gloucester Medieval Play Festival UK
wwwglostheatrecouk
15th
amp 16th
Tatton Park Old Hall Medieval fayre UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
21st ndash 23
rd Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Cardiff Castle Wales
httpwwwcardiffcastlecom
21st ndash 23
rd Times amp Epochs Moscow Russia
httpwwwfacebookcomhistoryfestref=tsampfref=ts
29th
amp 30th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Linlithgow Palace Scotland httpwwwhistoric-scotlandgovukpropertyresultspropertyoverviewhtmPropID=PL_199ampPropName=Linlithgow20Palace
July
5th ndash 7
th LARP Camp Huntley Wood Staffordshire UK
wwwlarpcampcouk
6th amp 7
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Linlithgow Palace Scotland
httpwwwhistoric-scotlandgovukpropertyresultspropertyoverviewhtmPropID=PL_199ampPropName=Linlithgow20Palace
13th
amp 14th
The Battle of Tewkesbury UK
httpwwwtewkesburymedievalfestivalorg
13th
amp 14th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
20th
amp 21st Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
26th
ndash 28th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
27th
amp 28th
Berkeley Skirmish Berkeley Castle Gloucestershire UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
27th
amp 28th
Smugglers Island Appuldurcombe House IOW UK
Email ednash1993hotmailcouk
July 27th amp 28th Hughendenrsquos Victorian Weekend Hughenden Manor Buckinghamshire
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
27th
amp 28th
Slaughterbridge Camlann Life and Legend Camelford Cornwall UK
heburbeckgmaiIc0m
August
2nd
ndash 4th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Blenheim Palace UK
httpwwwblenheimpalacecom
3rd
amp 4th
The Midlands Festival of History UK
httpwwwmid-festcouk
3rd
amp 4th
The Loxwood Joust Loxwood Meadow RH14 0AL UK
wwwloxwoodjoustcouk
9th ndash 11
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
16th
ndash 18th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
17th
amp 18th
Scotlands Festival of History Chatelherault Scotland
wwwscotlandsfestivalofhistorycouk
17th
amp 18th
M5-Multi Period Re-enactment Weekend Spetchley Park Worcs UK
Website ndash wwwm5showcouk
23rd
amp 24th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
25th
amp 26th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hedingham Castle UK
httpwwwhedinghamcastlecouk
25th
amp 26th
The Sheffield Fayre Norfolk Heritage Park Sheffield
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
August 31st amp September 1st On the Home Front 1939-45 Rufford Abbey Country Park
Notts Annual 1940s show wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
September
12th amp 13th Bexbach 1474 Call To Arms
www1474eu
14th
amp 15th
The Battle of Mortimerrsquos Cross Hampton Court Castle Herefordshire
wwwmortimerscrosscouk
September 21st amp 22nd Wimpole at War The Wimpole Estate Cambridgeshire Annual
1940s event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
September 28th amp 29th Sherwood through the ages Sherwood Forest Annual Ancient to
1980s multi-period event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
October
October 5th amp 6th Hughendenrsquos Wartime Weekend Hughenden Manor Bucks Annual
1940s event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
12th
amp 13th
International Events of Historical Crafts (EIAH) Portugal
Email artesanatocomhistoriagmailcom
November
15
th-17
th The Original Re-Enactors Market Ryton on Dunsmore Coventry UK
wwwreenactorsmarketcouk
16th
amp 17th
The National Living History Fair
wwwnlhfcouk
23rd
amp 24th
The Ludlow Medieval Christmas Fair Ludlow Castle Shropshire
httpwwwludlowcastlecompageseventsaspx
Living History Festival ldquoRatnoe Delo (Battle Skill) - 2012rdquo
By Nikolai Chebotarev
3 September 2012
Translated by Inna Drabkina
At last Irsquove got to my computer to tell you about the festival Ratnoe Delo-2012 For us
host living history societies (Legend Russian Village The Flemings) this was the
main event of the year
I am sure that our true friends from Samara and the Krasnoyarsky district where the action
unfolded found it a most pleasurable and interesting event too
Catching my breath after the festival I decided to take up the pen to commemorate the events
of the festival together with our photographers
100 Dyed-in-the-Wool Re-Enactors
The festival focuses on the confrontation of the Russian warriors and the West-European
knights of the 13th century The 13
th century was a dramatic one for the Medieval Rus it was
the age of the Mongol invasion but it was also the age of contact and conflict of the Western
Europe and the principalities of the north-west of Russia
The special appeal of the festival was its ldquoauthenticityrdquo focus In the first place only those
societies that had top-quality historical costumes military equipment household utensils
were admitted to the festival Secondly all these things had to be exact replicas of the 13th
century ones
The photographers couldnrsquot get all the re-enactors in frame
As it turned out it is not easy to gather in one place one hundred dyed-in-the-wool
ldquoauthenticrdquo re-enactors but we coped with the task The geography of the festival
participants ranges from Bryansk in Russia to Yokohama in Japan Yes you heard right
Yokohama
A year ago a Japanese guy Utah Iwasaki came to Russia to see our festival He was
fascinated by the idea of living history and historical re-enactment he told us that in the Land
of the Rising Sun there were no amateur re-enactors only professional actors playing their
parts in public shows This time he is taking to Japan not just photos from the festival but
also a chain mail Halberk - the one in the photo
ldquoIrsquom going to show the chain mail and the photos to my father I think he will be very much
impressed And then Irsquoll show them to my friends and colleagues at work maybe next time
there will be several of us comingrdquo
And who could expect that Utah would meet his compatriots amidst our steppes ldquoThere were
2 boys from Japan They come from a mixed Russian-Japanese family and they live in
Tokyo They came to Samara on a visit to their granddad and thatrsquos how we met at the
festivalrdquo
All the participants were divided into two rivaling partiesndash the East and the West A small
rivulet separated their camps The contest between the parties was the main intrigue of the
festival
The first two days - Friday and Saturday - were the time for the re-enactorsrsquo master classes
seminars and sharing their findings and ideas with each other The participant societies
prepared an extensive program including a master class in long sword and bastard sword
fencing
The wooden models of swords in the hands of the guys are the same as those used for
practicing many years ago
All the fencing movements that Mikhail Manin and Artem Rumyantsev showed were taken
from medieval fencing manuals - fechtbucher
The earliest fencing manual known as Manuscript I33 dates from about the year 1295 and
shows techniques of fencing with a sword and a small round shield (buckler)
It goes without saying that the program on Friday and Saturday was rich - tournaments
maneuvers on rough terrain etc All the participants received a lot of adrenaline and fun
Battering the palisade of the European camp with a ram
Alex Bogatikov a Samara ldquoLegendrdquo novice says This is my first time at the living history
festival and I am really enjoying it a lot of people and a lot of fun Thanks for the nice
impressions of the festival thanks to the guys from other living history societies - I expected
struggle and rivalry at the spear tournament but it turned out to be great fun a real adrenaline
rush All the re-enactors are friends they cheer each other and are very careful not to hurt
their adversaries - its cool guys
And the winners were duly rewarded
Photo link httpvkcomalbums-30578984z=photo-30578984_2882686622Fphotos-
30578984
For the victory of their fighters in an event the factions got points The total score determined
the winner who got the honorary right to raise the banner of the festival on the touristsrsquo day
This time the winner was the East Therefore the right to hoist the flag of the festival on
August19 during the solemn opening ceremony for the tourists passed to the re-enactors of
the Medieval Rus
The very festival field over which the scarlet banner flew seemed to be meant for such
activities The place is just gorgeousrdquo - our spectator Natalia Kuznetsova says ndash ldquoThe
sweet smell of wild strawberries the bridge over the river the undulating hillshellip
Unforgettable
And from the practical point of view the place was ideal too
First of all the federal highway to Ulyanovsk runs next to the festival field and therersquos a
village with a cheerful name of Stary Booyan (which in Russian sounds exactly the same as
lsquoOld Brawlerrsquo) nearby
Secondly the festival meadow is separated from the road and other marks of the modern
civilization by a copse which accounted for the effect of a real time travel
The secrets of the medieval handicrafts
After the opening of the festival a dynamic and rich program unfolded
Potters Maxim and Elena Borisov (society Mir masterov (World of Masters) Samara)
showed everyone who wished so the basics of working with clay Classes turned out to be
very exciting - the potters could not complain about the lack of public interest Their
workshop was thronged
While the enthusiasts at the market were molding clay women of fashion and glamour
gathered in the Western camp Kate Aristova from the Moscow living history club Legend
(full namesake of the Samara host society) spoke about makeup in the Middle Ages
According to her even now in the age of Oriflame and Amway the recipes that originated
eight hundred years ago can be of great interest to modern beauties as they are
environmentally friendly and work miracles with the skin
How to become a sergeant
While the women were buzzing and fussing about their jars of cream and bottles of scent
true men displayed their battle skill
On the eve of the battle Greg a fighter from The Flemings had to prove that he was ready
to become a sergeant
One doesnrsquot get promotion for a song and Greg challenged by experienced combatants had
to fight each of them in turn The task was to remain standing and he coped with it
After the duels ended ldquoThe Flemingsrdquo commander Walter asked the warriorsrsquo opinion of
Greg
I have known Greg for a very long timerdquo raised his voice the Samara Legendrsquos commander
Alexei Romanov ndash ldquoWe fought with him side by side and we also met on the battle-field as
adversaries And I believe that Greg is truly worthy of the rank of sergeant
After the duels and this praise the case was decided The commander of The Flemings with
due ceremony promoted Greg to sergeant
Clash of armour
This was followed by duels (sword ndash buckler sword - shield spears) and finally group
battles
Before the fight opponents egged each other on as best they could
And then rushed into battle
After which there happened something of the sort
Several group fights tough but fair ended in a most amicable way See for yourself
After the fights the spectators spilled out into the field - everyone wanted to be photographed
with the warriors Sometimes the result was pretty funny
Fair maidens prowess and singing arrows
Then came the turn of the womens tournament where fair maidens competed showing their
feminine prowess
To begin with they competed in throwing rolling pins into the target - of course strength and
accuracy were of utmost importance A very useful skill in family life they say And then the
ladies took their husbands battle axes and chopped cabbage with them and in general
displayed their prowess in the skills of ldquokeeping the home fires burningrdquo
Then the archers stepped on the scene The prize was contested by European infantrymen the
Mongol batyrs and of course by Russian warriors
Photo link httpvkcomphoto-30578984_288494144
Moreover women competed alongside with men
In the end the prize went to the well-known local marksman Mikhail Manin
(Novokuibyshevsk) winner of last years tournament
Medieval Jousting contest
Shortly after the tournament the mounted display Medieval Jousting was announced
This was a series of trials in which riders competed in various military disciplines Let me
first introduce the participants
Left to right - Master of the Knights Hospitaller a Mongolian horseman a Russian nobleman
in disgrace and an Arab who would not reveal his face to the audience By the way this is
only half of the participants
The first trial was mounted archery
Master of the Knights Hospitaller Note the speed of the rider And the wooden target he
has to hit is rather smallish
The second trial was ldquoThe Saracenrdquo (This is a spear game the accuracy of lance thrust is
evaluated)
Let me draw your attention to the fact that tournament lances have no heads and this is not
by chance
Just think of the force of the blow a mounted rider strikes when going at full canter
The spearhead passes through the target like a knife through butter Then one of the two
things will surely happen either the lance is stuck and the warrior gets thrown or loses his
lance or ldquoThe Saracen gets wrenched out of the earth Nobody wants it
Trial Three - mounted cutting
Itrsquos interesting that this exercise expressly shows the difference between a sword and a sabre
A sabre due to its characteristic curve of the blade cuts the head of cabbage neatly in two
But the sword chopping blows crush grind the head of cabbage
To some extent the difference is so marked because the sword blades at the festival werenrsquot
honed Honed sword blades also cut very neatly On the other hand a sabre is meant for
slashing blows and weighing less than a sword cuts very efficiently
In the photo you can see the ldquoLegendrdquo posadnik Maxim wearing a red mantle By the way he
won the ridersrsquo competition
Just in case let me explain who posadnik is The word is derived from the word posad
(pronounced as pah-lsquosad) In Russia ldquoposadrdquo was the part of town where most of the
citizens lived There was also a krom (kremlin) or citadel but only the prince with his
household and his host lived there and in the time of an enemy invasion the people flocked
to the citadel seeking protection In short posadnik is the head of the civil authority of the
town
Siege engine and storm
After the horsemenrsquos contest a ten-minute break was declared during which the audience had
a chance to walk around the festival lawn and the participants - to prepare for the impending
battle
According to our idea all the participants able to hold weapons were to meet on the
battlefield in the mass battle
Among them was the team of a medieval siege engine into which Utah Iwasaki seamlessly
blended
Thatrsquos what arcuballista looks like as seen by its aimer
The arcuballista team was under command of Vadim Sinichkin head of the living history
society ldquoSlovenerdquo from Novokuibyshevsk This society built all the siege engines of the
festival
ldquoWe are a small society that is why our only chance to influence the outcome of the battle is
to bombard the adversary with trebuchet and arcuballista projectiles We have adjusted those
things for throwing projectiles for 50 metres ndash contemporary living history festivals seldom
require more powerful siege engines with a longer range They are also rather convenient in
transportation - they can be taken apart and the parts fit on the floor of a mini-bus Thatrsquos
how actually we brought them hererdquo
The final battle
About 4 pm the master of ceremonies announced the last battle of the festival He said that
all the warriors of the festival would cross swords and break spears in the final melee The
3000 spectators began to fill the slope of the hill which became a natural amphitheater
The legend of the final battle was as follows it was a very ordinary event for the troubled
13th century A squad of European soldiers assaulted a Russian frontier guard outpost
located in the steppes of the Volga region
The European soldiers came there with a unit of Mongol warriors (which was a frequent
occasion with Genoan mercenaries from the Crimea) The Mongol warriors brought portable
siege engines to storm the outpost
The soldiers bring an arcuballista which is followed by the trebuchet Perhaps the stone
throwing engine with the help of which the women of Toulouse smashed the head of count
Simon de Montfort the legendary leader of the Crusaders looked very much the same
This unfortunate episode also took place in the 13th
century and to be absolutely precise
on June 25 1218
Having bombarded the outpost with the trebuchet projectiles the Mongols gave the European
foot soldiers the opportunity to attack it while the outpost defenders were still dazed A brief
skirmish and the outpost is takenhellip The Russian warriors retreat to the steppe Another
spell of fighting Only a handful of Russian warriors remainhellip And at the last moment
another Russian unit comes to the aid of the outpost
Irsquod better give the floor to Galina who came to the festival with her 4-year-old son Timothy
ldquoTimothy absolutely believed what he saw I myself felt enthralled ndash everything looked so
real
During the battle when only two Russian warriors remained fighting back to back
surrounded by enemies Tim thought they were about to perish and went to their aid
Photo link httpvkcomphoto7768284_287885078
White as a sheet he breathed out Im coming Hold on And ran to the rescuehellip
I could barely catch him It was hard to calm him down to persuade him it was all make-
believe
When the cavalry came to the rescue I said ldquoLook they are fine now Victoryrdquo You should
have seen the triumph and relief in his eyes
Thats how our long awaited festival ended
The spectators got into their cars and buses and went home ndash some to Samara some to
Togliatti some to Ulyanovskhellip
Photos by Olga Borisenkova Georgy Korobov Olga Nemkova Yulia Timirkhanova
Svetlana Makoveyeva Maria Gomolova Irina Yashina Natalia Kalmykova Alexey
Pleshkov Andrey Surin Ekaterina Orlova Tatiana Besschastnaya Vadim Kozin Evgeny
Krasnikov Alexandra Bunayeva Denis Khramov Nina Gubanova Yuri Chikin Ildar
Hassanov Ivan Yegorov Mikhail Pishchakov Mikhail Puzankov Olesya Strelchenko
Thank you all
Many thanks to the musicians who entertained the spectators They are Yegor Strelnikov
(psaltery Moscow) ldquoMusica Radicumrdquo (folk group Saint Petersburg)
Photo link httpcs304606userapicomv30460642737cah2D-hgjQpRsjpg
Photo link httpcs317423userapicomv31742302020a1HFnxYFD_uS0jpg
ldquoThe Eastrdquo
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Stupino)
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoSuzdalskaya Druzhina (Suzdal Host)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS ldquoTruvorrdquo (Orenburg)
LHS ldquoVityaz (Russian Knight)rdquo (Kazan)
LHS ldquoSlovenerdquo (Novokuibyshevsk)
Association ldquoNORD Rusrdquo (Samara)
ldquoMjollnirrdquo (Samara)
Individual participants
ldquoThe Westrdquo
LHS ldquoAtlit ndash Zamok Palomnika (Atlit - Pilgrimrsquos Castle)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS laquoNovum castrumraquo (Zheleznodorozhny)
LHS ldquoStary Svet (The Old World Company)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoDostoyanie (Heritage)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoFlamandtsy (The Flemings)rdquo (Odintsovo)
Individual participants
Special thanks to the artisans
Association ldquoMir masterov (World of Masters)rdquo (Samara)
ldquoNizhegorodskaya Artel Oruzheinikov (Armourersrsquo Artel)rdquo (Nizhny Novgorod)
Our valiant steeds came from ldquoRusskaya Sloboda (Russian Village)rdquo (Samara) and equestrian
club (Borskoe)
Thank you all guys for war and peace for merry feasts and fair competition
The festival took place on the 19 August 2012 near Stary Booyan in the Krasnoyarsky district
of the Samara Region
Next year our festival will be held again and we expect that our friends from Poland
Ukraine Belarus and Japan will be able to come So if you are interested in the 13th century
re-enactment welcome to Samara ldquoBattle Skill ndash 2013rdquo
Release Date May 11
th 2013
HISTORIC GARDENING
Many re-enactors take the part of the military and from experience I know that this is very
exhilarating and rewarding but throughout history somebody has to stay at home to either
support the war or to keep the home fires burning
The wealthy have always needed gardens for food but they could also afford the luxury of a
pleasant garden to relax in The poor have had to garden simply to exist
What follows is a very brief history of gardening in Britain
If you believe the Bible gardening is the oldest profession except Adam wasnrsquot paid setting
a precedent for low paid gardeners for centuries to come
Most of European gardening is based on the Roman methods and many things are still in use
today Modern gardening tools are the same as the ones the Romans used spades mattocks
rakes and pruning knives One piece of equipment that the Romans did not use however was
the wheelbarrow The Romans used baskets to carry garden produce and materials although
they could use handcarts for bulky and heavy materials
The Romans grew plants in raised beds created topiary by cutting evergreen shrubs into
different shapes and made use of water technologies that would not be used in gardens again
in Europe until the Renaissance
The Romans seem to be responsible for the idea of writing gardening books Several authors
such as Cato Columella Varro and Palladius wrote books on how to set up an estate and run
it profitably including instructions on how to set out plant and maintain a garden
The plants that were grown came from the Mediterranean and from all over the Roman
Empire This included plants for food plants scented resins and oils for perfumery burning
and of course medicinal use Many of the herbal recipes that we still use today were copied
from the Greeks and Romans
Wine was very important to the Romans and vines were grown throughout the Empire
including England Archaeologists discovered a Roman Vineyard at Wollaston in Northants
The grape vines had been planted in trenches faced with stone to reflect the heat to encourage
ripening of the grapes
We are lucky that we have not only the archaeological remains of Roman gardens but also
written and pictorial evidence of them At Pompeii some gardens have Trompe loeil
paintings on the surviving walls depicting non-existent areas of the gardens or of views
looking outside that there were not the space for in reality The virtual world is not just a
modern phenomenon
Archaeological remains stretch across the Roman world including a site
at Piddington close to where I live where the archaeologists found the
remains of planting areas a water cistern and even tree roots One
gardener had broken his spud a long handled tool leaving the metal head
for the archaeologists to find in the future A much larger site is
Fishbourne Palace near Chichester The soil at Fishbourne was mainly
chalk which is not very good for most plants so the Romans dug out
trenches where the hedges were to be planted and filled them with good
topsoil From the remains it has been possible to plant new hedges along
the same lines but of course what we donrsquot know is how tall the edges
where or how the tops were cut
Following the fall of the Roman Empire gardening was mainly kept alive
by the monks who still had access to Roman documents Charlemagne drew up a document
called lsquoThe Capituare de Villisrsquo which sets out how he wants his estates run It includes a list
of plants but it is only a list Unlike us the people of the time were quite aware of the uses of
Pruning the grape vines
the plants The Capitulare includes plants that we now mostly consider decorative such as
the Lily Iris and Rose but they were all grown for practical reasons as much as for
decoration
Walafrid Strabo wrote a book lsquoHortulusrsquo The Little Garden during the ninth century He
tells us in verse how he set out to make a garden firstly by digging up the weeds and then
making raised beds He lists 28 plants and includes medicinal and symbolic information
about them
Albertus Magnus wrote an encyclopaedia on Nature that includes a description of a garden
Flower beds should be made around the edge of the lawn There should be a bench with a tree
for shade and a fountain or basin of water The plants are for pleasure and were not to be
harvested Albertus also includes a description on how to lay turf that involves beating the
turf into the soil using large wooden mallets until the grass barely shows
Medieval gardens continued to grow plants in raised beds but some of them were adapted to
become turf seats planted with roses
Although herbals continue to be compiled the first gardening book written in English has to
wait for a few more centuries
Jon Gardener writing in the late 14C compiled a gardening calendar in verse which is
usually referred to as lsquoThe Feate of Gardeningrsquo Whether he was a real person or is using a
pen name to add authenticity to the writing we cannot be sure Many books say that his poem
is a useful insight into medieval gardening Jon does tell us about grafting plants in great
detail and includes a list of herbs that he grows but unfortunately that is about it
The garden tools were still those used by the Romans including the wooden spade
In Italy Pietro de Crecenzi wrote Liber Ruraliam Commodorum during the early fourteenth
century He refers to Roman authors but also quotes The Arab Avicenna His book follows
the roman estate manuals and offers very sound advice He mentions the use of hot beds
made of dung to produce early crops a practice that would not become common in England
for a few centuries His book has been translated into many languages but unfortunately not
English
With the advent of printing the mass production of books for the general reader becomes
possible In 1563 Thomas Hill published a book aimed at those with a small manor to
maintain and make productive lsquoThe profitable arte of gardening A most briefe and
pleasaunte treatise teaching how to dresse sowe and set a gardenrsquo
The instructions include choosing the site of the garden and examples of decorative knots to
set out using thyme and hyssop Box would not become common as an edging plant until the
mid 1600rsquos Imported plants from America are becoming common although
the herbalist Gerard was often at a loss with their usefulness and grow them
because they were pretty or interesting
This is the first proper book about gardening published in England Under
the pen name of Didymus Montain Hill later published lsquoThe Gardenerrsquos
Labyrinthrsquo in 1577 Both books are based on the work of earlier authors
especially the Roman ones mentioned earlier Today this is often called
plagiarism and frowned on but Hillrsquos intention was to show his own
scholarship and to prove the value of his work Many books on differing
subjects would follow the same reference to antiquity and the classical
authors Hill is not ashamed to name the ancient authors to whom he has
referred and lists them prominently at the front of his book In both books
Hill gives us the sort of practical information that we expect from a gardening book today
but there is also an abundance of myth magic and pure rubbish that has been copied from the
lsquoancient authoritiesrsquo of Rome A practical
tip is killing moles by filling a nut shell with sulphur lighting the sulphur and
throwing the toxic smoke bomb into the mole run The sulphur di oxide gas
would have certainly killed the moles but it is not a method that we can legally
use today There is a large section devoted to the use of the plants
Hill includes a chapter on the weather Here is an appropriate quote referring to
our recent weather
lsquo And the plenty of snow falling in due season of the yeare dooth fatten the
earth (and if the others doe helpe) then dooth it it signifie the plenty of corne
and other fruites of the earthrsquo
Maybe we shall have a good summer in 2013
Ever since Thomas Hill gardening books have been published in great
profusion on every horticultural subject imaginable to instruct gardeners in this peaceful art
But gardens for pleasure were often symbolic of power and wealth The restructuring of the
landscape from a wilderness into a formal layout displays your power over nature If you
want others to see you as the strong hero make sure there is a statue of Hercules in your
garden If you prefer art then maybe a statue of Apollo is more suitable At Stowe Gardens
there is a theme is of political and moral virtue not so far away at Wycombe Park the home
of the Hellfire Club it is more of sex and debauchery
Formal gardens remain in fashion until the English gentlemen returning from their gap years
of the lsquoGrand Tourrsquo when they had visited the cultural ancient sites of Europe decided they
wanted a classical rural idyll an Arcadia of temples and natural lakes populated with gods
nymphs and shepherdesses surrounding their country houses The English Landscape Garden
swept away the formal gardens in favour of an extended lawn The browsing sheep gave an
air of peace and idleness but of course you donrsquot want sheep muck on the lawn in front of
your house so you needed a Ha-Ha to keep them at armrsquos length The sheep kept the grass
trim saving the payment of labourers to scythe it short and they also provided wool and
meat what more could you ask for
But the English love their flowers so it was not so long before the formal terraces returned to
encircle the house and with the growth of the British Empire and the abolition of the window
tax flowers returned with a vengeance The landed gentry and the nouveau riche industrialists
created ever larger gardens bursting to the seams with colourful flowers exotic fruit and an
endless supply of vegetables as growing methods developed to extend the growing season
any new technology being exploited where ever possible
The gardens were powered by glasshouses heated with coal fired boilers and a cheap supply
of manual labour The workers had their own hierarchy ranging from apprentices learning
the trade by scaring birds and washing the pots to the journeymen who moved from garden
to garden as they learned about different horticultural
specialities finally resulting with the prestigious job of Head
Gardener which took years of training - at your own
expense
The working gardenerrsquos lot has never been an easy nor
prosperous one It has always involved heavy physical
labour and with the introduction of the lethal pesticides
during the Victorian period it could be the pathway to an
early death As Kipling would later write
lsquoOur England is a garden and such gardens are not made
By singing--Oh how beautiful and sitting in the shade
While better men than we go out and start their working lives
At grubbing weeds from gravel-paths with broken dinner-knivesrsquo
During WW2 the gardeners of Britain would be digging up these gardens and parks to
produce food supported by the lsquoDig for Victoryrsquo campaign
ldquoDig Dig Dig And your muscles will grow big
Keep on pushing the spade
Donrsquot mind the worms
Just ignore their squirms
And when your back aches laugh with glee
And keep on digginrsquo
Till we give our foes a Wigginrsquo
Dig Dig Dig to Victory
For all the terrors that the front line soldiers suffered if Hitler had succeeded in starving the
country he would have won the war
For many years I have been a professional gardener within the heritage sector originally the
medieval period and during this time I have learned much of the use of plants and gardening
techniques throughout the centuries I now offer displays for historic sites and schools and
talks on gardening from the Romans to the WW2 lsquoDig for Victoryrsquo campaign
Contact the Historic Gardener
Phone 01604 470 651
Email michaelbmikegmailcom
Website wwwhistoricgardenercouk
COME amp MAKE A HISTORICAL COSTUME
with Chalemie in Oxford
13-18 August 2013
Contact Barbara Segal info amp brochure 020 7700 4293
chalemiethorndemoncouk
wwwchalemiecouk
Other courses in Baroque Dance Commedia Singing and
Instrumental Music
Fees pound545 for full board and tuition
(financial help available age immaterial)
THE DEADLY SISTERHOOD BY LEONIE FRIEDA
After her much lauded biography of Catherine dersquo Medici Frieda has shifted her
chronological focus back a few years and broadened it to a cast of eight formidable 15th-
century women Some were related by blood (like the sisters Beatrice and Isabella drsquoEste)
others by marriage (like Lucrezia Tornabuoni mother of Lorenzo and Giuliano dersquoMedici
and her daughter-in-law the Roman aristocrat Clarice Orsini) but all were renowned either
as beauties ndash particularly Lucrezia Borgia and Giulia Farnese ndash political brides (like Isabella
drsquoAragona) or viragos like Caterina Sforza
Friedarsquos skill lies not so much in having researched these eight womenrsquos lives ndash some of
whom have been the subject of recent often revisionist research ndash but in linking them to form
a saga spanning an extraordinarily complex and dynamic period of history in the Italian
peninsula with its patchwork of major and minor city-states and principalities ruled ndash
apparently as Frieda adds ndash by men As Burckhardt first pointed out this was the golden age
of bastards in Italy where men and women born on either side of the marriage vows could
seize political control and ride the crested waves of Fortune This libidinous opportunistic
age ended dramatically in the horrific violence of the Sack of Rome and the years that
followed it ushered in a stricter sense of legitimacy ndash of birth nationality and religion ndash but
many of the women who became influential in it were descended from these extraordinary
15th-century women whose lives are charted so magnificently here
For other great reviews visit
httphistoricalnovelsocietyorg
Jogo do Paursquos conceptualization
An historical and sociological analysis
My name is Luiacutes Preto After completing an undergrad in physical education and two
masters one in sportsrsquo teaching methodologies and another in coaching sciences I am now
34 years old and with 25 years of martial arts experience which includes 16 years of
exposure to Jogo do Pau
First premise
To start off it is important to realize that my understanding of the word fencing is that it refers
to any activity in which an object external to onersquos body is used to perform strikes and
parries Additionally in light of the innumerable and physically distinct fencing weapons
around each weaponrsquos specific physical traits and combat tactics entail that there are
different ldquotypesrdquo of fencing
Overall view on European martial arts
I am going to start this historical and sociological conceptualization of Jogo do Pau by
describing my overall systematization of European fencing arts In this regard I find that
European historical fencing arts can be systematized into 3 main categories according to the
contextual circumstances under which combats took place and its resulting weapons and
tactics
1) Bashing weaponsrsquo battlefield period
As a result of many countriesrsquo efforts to extend their territory such as what took place in
Portugal between the XII and XIV centuries European fencingrsquos first period was centred
around the participation in battlefields In Portugal such activity brought about ldquoextra-
long swordsrdquo that were mostly blunt These ldquoextra-longrdquo swords like the Montante were
at least 15m long so as to enable their users to have the maximum possible reach
Additionally they also had to be significantly thick and thus heavy so as to sustain
strikes from any type of weapon from swords to steal pools Finally on top of having to
face multiple opponents at the same time battlefield combat also entailed facing
opponents who wore both chainmail and body armour Therefore combatants didnrsquot
waste time sharpening their weapons and were forced to rely on powerful bashing striking
techniques
2) Cutting weaponsrsquo duelling period
Later with the creation of firearms long swords began being used for leisure and with
this taking place in fencing schools where fighters did not use much if any body armour
swords became sharper and sparring incorporated softer slashing striking techniques
3) Thrusting weaponsrsquo duelling period
Finally the further development of duelling under an increasingly stricter code of honour
assured that combatants wouldnt have to face heavy weapons such as steal pools which
allowed for the development of thinner swords such as the rapier This new duelling
context and its resulting new weapon promoted the restructuring of single combat tactics
centring it on the fastest of all striking techniques the thrust
My personal opinion is that none of these fencing styles is better than the remaining ones As
martial arts their usefulness depends on the context under which each person is forced to
fight for survival and as recreational leisure activities it simply depends on each personrsquos
personal preference
Now using this overall systematization as reference let us dive into the specific theme of
Jogo do Pau
Jogo do Pau
Jogo do Pau which literally means ldquogame of the staffrdquo is starting to become more well
known internationally and for the most part people view it as a Portuguese staff fencing art
However having researched this topic beyond a standard internet search I disagree with both
these attributes
On being a staff (exclusive) fencing art
Portuguese King D Duarte describes in his XV century book ldquoA ensinanccedila de bem cavalgar
toda a selardquo (available in English under the name ldquoThe art of riding on every saddlerdquo) the
striking techniques that can be performed with swords It so happens that both the strikesrsquo
names and the description of their trajectories correspond to Jogo do Paursquos terminology and
striking angles Furthermore since the Kingrsquos brief description of outnumbered combat
tactics also matches Jogo do Paursquos we consider that Jogo do Pau corresponds to the first
period of battlefield fencing system We believe that these combat skills (techniques and
tactics) were historically performed with both ldquoextra-longrdquo swords and staffs but upon
having swords being replaced in the military by firearms this art ended up being preserved
by civilians through the exclusive use of staffs since these were the only weapons most
people could afford
On being a Portuguese (exclusive) art
Before the more recent development of the combat sport Canne de Combat France also used
to have its own ldquostaff fencingrdquo art It so happens that this French art had exactly the same
name as the ldquoPortuguese artrdquo only in French obviously It was Le Jeux du Baton
My Jogo do Pau instructor Master Nuno Curvello Russo who is regarded as the most
experienced and knowledgeable Jogo do Pau instructor in Portugal lived in France during the
seventies While there he met Maurice Sarry who like Master Russo had dedicated himself
to the extensive study of his countryrsquos traditional fighting art and was highly regarded on a
national level
As these two great Masters got acquainted with one another they started training together
and soon realized their arts were identical regarding their single combat techniques strikes
parries and footwork I specifically pointed out that I am referring to single combat technique
because at the time the French art had become exclusively focused on this type of combat
similarly to what also occurred within the Portuguese urban industrial cities where the
practice of Jogo do Pau was undertaken as a leisure activity and therefore exclusively
focused on single combat
Thus with Jogo do Pau and Jeux du Baton being identical and knowing that European
countries interacted both socially (such as through royal marriages) and commercially it is all
but surprising to realize that they also developed a common standardized combat art Hence
Jogo do Pau corresponds to the preservation of European historical fencing and not merely a
Portuguese specific art
I do not wish to sound even if for just for a second disrespectful towards other European
combat schools of thought such as the German and Italian They are also European Historical
Fencing but simply from a different period and context more specifically from the second
period mentioned at the start of this article
On the parallel between societyrsquos evolution and Jogo do Paursquos motor skills
Double handed weapons
From its very first days mankind has always had the need to hunt for food as well as fight
other human beings in large groups so as to protect and or conquer both assets and territory
Consequently with martial artsrsquo origin and essence residing in the development of effective
skills for outnumbered combat Jogo do Pau was no exception which made it useful to both
civilians and the countryrsquos army
Additionally since people lived in rural environments (where space wasnrsquot lacking) and with
striking arts being highly influenced by reach this art was initially focused on the exclusive
use of long double handed weapons the extra long swords amongst the military and the staffs
amongst civilians
Surely enough some social conflicts did end up being settled through duels but with
peoplersquos standard training being focused on outnumbered combat these duels were fought by
looking to make the best possible use of the commonly trained outnumbered combat skills
Only towards to eighteenth century with the development of industrial cities did Jogo do
Pau begin being practiced as a leisure activity within these few cities Eventually the
connection between these two forms of combat single and outnumbered combat and their
distinct social realities became so strong that the practice of outnumbered combat started
being designated as ldquonorthrsquos gamerdquo where it kept being practitionersrsquo main focus until the
later stages of the twentieth century On the other hand the more recent leisure type practice
groups which focused on the artrsquos single combat recreational version brought about new
techniques and strategies to this type combat and began being called Lisbonrsquos school
From the early 1970rsquos onward Master Nuno Russo originally trained in Master Pedro
Ferreirarsquos Lisbon school routinely travelled to the north of Portugal for long seasons in order
to learn the artrsquos system of outnumbered combat Ultimately Master Russo was able to
combine both systems into one single and unified technical program which to my
knowledge is the only of its kind
Single handed weapons
Nevertheless people living in industrial cities were also confronted by self defence scenarios
Given this and keeping alive the artrsquos original essence Master Nuno Russo picked up on
Master Pedro Ferreirarsquos initial efforts and adopted some more city type weapons the walking
cane and the baton He extensively studied the artrsquos application to these shorter one handed
weapons making his school a very unique and complete system that offers both double and
single handed weapon mastery for both outnumbered and single combat
Currently Master Russorsquos school is called Escola Santo Condestaacutevel in memory of
Portuguese medieval legendary knight Nuno Aacutelvares Pereira (1360-1431) who was officially
declared saint by the current Pope on April 26th
2009
From Jogo do Pau to Lusitanian Fencing
Last but surely not least the previously mentioned elements allow us to conclude that the
artrsquos designation Jogo do Pau is incorrect as this art is not staff exclusive and by no means a
game
This medieval fencing artrsquos designation probably came about as a result of having been
preserved through staffs and additionally having in ancient Portuguese the verb ldquojogarrdquo (to
play) being used to designate the action of throwing something Consequently the skill of
knowing how to swing and kind of throw the staff against an opponent (jogar o pau) paved
the way for the art to be called Jogo do Pau
With the artrsquos name being incorrect and despite being aware of the difficult task that we face
in changing popular culture we decided to do something about it Were this to be a staff
specific fencing art its correct name would have been staff fencing (Esgrima de Pau) but
knowing of its historical and technical connection to medieval weapons we opted to rename
the art as Esgrima Lusitana (Lusitanian Fenicng) which also serves as a well deserved tribute
to our countryrsquos forefathers the brave Lusitanian people whom the Romans only managed to
subdue through treachery
Military amp Flying Machines Show
wwwmilitaryandflyingmachinesorguk
P R E S S R E L E A S E with immediate effect
Welcome Back Sally B The Military amp Flying Machines Team are so excited and pleased to be able to confirm some very special news for the 2013 show at Damyns Hall Aerodrome Due to public demand we are expanding our show to a three day event taking place on 3
rd 4
th and 5
th
August with more attractions more vehicles more flying and more big bangs This year we are delighted to welcome back the fantastic WW2 vintage B-17 Flying Fortress Bomber lsquoSally Brsquo the last remaining airworthy B-17 in Europe It quickly took on mythic proportions and widely circulated stories and photos of B-17s surviving battle damage increased its iconic status The B17 could fly higher than any of its Allied contemporaries and established its place in history dropping more bombs than any other US aircraft in World War II The Sally B has featured in many feature films most notably the blockbuster film Memphis Belle It will again amaze the crowds with low level displays as this truly historic aircraft is put through its paces ldquoSally Brdquo has always in the past performed the most amazing air display at Damyns Hall especially as the aerodrome is fairly small when this almighty warbird flyrsquos past it feels like you can reach out and touch it it is a display that cannot be missed
If Warbirds are of interest to you then you will be in for a big treat at this yearrsquos show with a superb display from the magnificent Spitfire the iconic shape and unmistakeable noise stir the imagination and the emotion of all that watch We also welcome the Hurricane ldquoHurribomberrdquo a first for our show (MORE ON HURRBOMBER) The WW2 fighter trainers ndash the Harvard T6 single-engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces United States Navy Royal Air Force and other air forces of the British Commonwealth during World War II and into the 1950s and the Boeing Stearman the work horses of the training airfield which were used to train many Battle of Britain heroes ndash will also join the line up to entertain the crowds The incomparable Jungmeister will also be displaying demonstrating its flying versatility A rare Messerschmitt 108 another classic WW2 aircraft from the German Luftwaffe The ME108 will also form part of a Living History static display on the ground Many of the aircrafts will be landing as well over the weekend so it is a fabulous rare opportunity to get up close
As well as all this there will be so much more to see whilst your there admiring the sights and sounds in the skies including helicopter pleasure flights along with 300+ military vehicles living history displays live entertainment all day arena activities including big bangs and even bigger vehicles Kidsrsquo activities vintage funfair refreshments stalls ndash there truly is something for everyone and at great value for money
Wersquove got more exciting news coming very soon ndash so watch this space for the next BIG ANNOUNCEMENT
For the latest updates on the show visit wwwmilitaryandflyingmachinesorguk
Military amp Flying
Machines Show
2nd
3rd
amp 4th August
- Over 17000 attendees
- Flying Displays
- Pleasure Flights
- Living History
Displays -
300+ Vehicles -
Live Entertainment -
Arena Activities -
20+ Tanks amp Armoured Vehicles
Live 40rsquos style big
band
Event Information
May
4
th ndash 6
th Bentley Medieval Festival Lewes east Sussex UK
marktime-productionscom
4th ndash 6
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Blenheim Palace UK
httpwwwblenheimpalacecom
5th amp 6
th ldquoRogues amp Outlawsrdquo Sherwood Forest UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
10th
ndash 12th British Quarterstaff Association weekend in Gloucestershire UK
httpquarterstafforgeventshtml
11th
The Mortimer History Society Spring Conference Leominster UK
wwwmortimerhistorysocietyorguk
11th
amp 12th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Ekenas Castle Sweden
httpwwwekenasslottse
May 11th amp 12th A Victorian Celebration Forge Mill Needle Museum Redditch UK
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
May 25th amp 26th Tall Ships rsquo13 Gloucester Historic Docks Ships maritime living history
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
May 26th amp 27th Harewood Medieval Faire Harewood House Leeds 2nd major annual
multi-period medieval festival with 1066 to 1487 timeline
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
26th
ndash 28th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Hedingham Castle UK
httpwwwhedinghamcastlecouk
May 28th
June 1st Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Leeds Castle UK
httpwwwleeds-castlecomlandphp
June
1st amp 2
nd Templecombe Medieval fair Templecombe UK
httpswwwfacebookcomevents300657233387495
8th amp 9
th History Alive Fort Lytton National Park Brisbane Australia
wwwhistoryalivecoau
15th
amp 16th
Gloucester Medieval Play Festival UK
wwwglostheatrecouk
15th
amp 16th
Tatton Park Old Hall Medieval fayre UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
21st ndash 23
rd Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Cardiff Castle Wales
httpwwwcardiffcastlecom
21st ndash 23
rd Times amp Epochs Moscow Russia
httpwwwfacebookcomhistoryfestref=tsampfref=ts
29th
amp 30th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Linlithgow Palace Scotland httpwwwhistoric-scotlandgovukpropertyresultspropertyoverviewhtmPropID=PL_199ampPropName=Linlithgow20Palace
July
5th ndash 7
th LARP Camp Huntley Wood Staffordshire UK
wwwlarpcampcouk
6th amp 7
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Linlithgow Palace Scotland
httpwwwhistoric-scotlandgovukpropertyresultspropertyoverviewhtmPropID=PL_199ampPropName=Linlithgow20Palace
13th
amp 14th
The Battle of Tewkesbury UK
httpwwwtewkesburymedievalfestivalorg
13th
amp 14th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
20th
amp 21st Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
26th
ndash 28th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
27th
amp 28th
Berkeley Skirmish Berkeley Castle Gloucestershire UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
27th
amp 28th
Smugglers Island Appuldurcombe House IOW UK
Email ednash1993hotmailcouk
July 27th amp 28th Hughendenrsquos Victorian Weekend Hughenden Manor Buckinghamshire
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
27th
amp 28th
Slaughterbridge Camlann Life and Legend Camelford Cornwall UK
heburbeckgmaiIc0m
August
2nd
ndash 4th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Blenheim Palace UK
httpwwwblenheimpalacecom
3rd
amp 4th
The Midlands Festival of History UK
httpwwwmid-festcouk
3rd
amp 4th
The Loxwood Joust Loxwood Meadow RH14 0AL UK
wwwloxwoodjoustcouk
9th ndash 11
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
16th
ndash 18th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
17th
amp 18th
Scotlands Festival of History Chatelherault Scotland
wwwscotlandsfestivalofhistorycouk
17th
amp 18th
M5-Multi Period Re-enactment Weekend Spetchley Park Worcs UK
Website ndash wwwm5showcouk
23rd
amp 24th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
25th
amp 26th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hedingham Castle UK
httpwwwhedinghamcastlecouk
25th
amp 26th
The Sheffield Fayre Norfolk Heritage Park Sheffield
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
August 31st amp September 1st On the Home Front 1939-45 Rufford Abbey Country Park
Notts Annual 1940s show wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
September
12th amp 13th Bexbach 1474 Call To Arms
www1474eu
14th
amp 15th
The Battle of Mortimerrsquos Cross Hampton Court Castle Herefordshire
wwwmortimerscrosscouk
September 21st amp 22nd Wimpole at War The Wimpole Estate Cambridgeshire Annual
1940s event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
September 28th amp 29th Sherwood through the ages Sherwood Forest Annual Ancient to
1980s multi-period event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
October
October 5th amp 6th Hughendenrsquos Wartime Weekend Hughenden Manor Bucks Annual
1940s event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
12th
amp 13th
International Events of Historical Crafts (EIAH) Portugal
Email artesanatocomhistoriagmailcom
November
15
th-17
th The Original Re-Enactors Market Ryton on Dunsmore Coventry UK
wwwreenactorsmarketcouk
16th
amp 17th
The National Living History Fair
wwwnlhfcouk
23rd
amp 24th
The Ludlow Medieval Christmas Fair Ludlow Castle Shropshire
httpwwwludlowcastlecompageseventsaspx
Living History Festival ldquoRatnoe Delo (Battle Skill) - 2012rdquo
By Nikolai Chebotarev
3 September 2012
Translated by Inna Drabkina
At last Irsquove got to my computer to tell you about the festival Ratnoe Delo-2012 For us
host living history societies (Legend Russian Village The Flemings) this was the
main event of the year
I am sure that our true friends from Samara and the Krasnoyarsky district where the action
unfolded found it a most pleasurable and interesting event too
Catching my breath after the festival I decided to take up the pen to commemorate the events
of the festival together with our photographers
100 Dyed-in-the-Wool Re-Enactors
The festival focuses on the confrontation of the Russian warriors and the West-European
knights of the 13th century The 13
th century was a dramatic one for the Medieval Rus it was
the age of the Mongol invasion but it was also the age of contact and conflict of the Western
Europe and the principalities of the north-west of Russia
The special appeal of the festival was its ldquoauthenticityrdquo focus In the first place only those
societies that had top-quality historical costumes military equipment household utensils
were admitted to the festival Secondly all these things had to be exact replicas of the 13th
century ones
The photographers couldnrsquot get all the re-enactors in frame
As it turned out it is not easy to gather in one place one hundred dyed-in-the-wool
ldquoauthenticrdquo re-enactors but we coped with the task The geography of the festival
participants ranges from Bryansk in Russia to Yokohama in Japan Yes you heard right
Yokohama
A year ago a Japanese guy Utah Iwasaki came to Russia to see our festival He was
fascinated by the idea of living history and historical re-enactment he told us that in the Land
of the Rising Sun there were no amateur re-enactors only professional actors playing their
parts in public shows This time he is taking to Japan not just photos from the festival but
also a chain mail Halberk - the one in the photo
ldquoIrsquom going to show the chain mail and the photos to my father I think he will be very much
impressed And then Irsquoll show them to my friends and colleagues at work maybe next time
there will be several of us comingrdquo
And who could expect that Utah would meet his compatriots amidst our steppes ldquoThere were
2 boys from Japan They come from a mixed Russian-Japanese family and they live in
Tokyo They came to Samara on a visit to their granddad and thatrsquos how we met at the
festivalrdquo
All the participants were divided into two rivaling partiesndash the East and the West A small
rivulet separated their camps The contest between the parties was the main intrigue of the
festival
The first two days - Friday and Saturday - were the time for the re-enactorsrsquo master classes
seminars and sharing their findings and ideas with each other The participant societies
prepared an extensive program including a master class in long sword and bastard sword
fencing
The wooden models of swords in the hands of the guys are the same as those used for
practicing many years ago
All the fencing movements that Mikhail Manin and Artem Rumyantsev showed were taken
from medieval fencing manuals - fechtbucher
The earliest fencing manual known as Manuscript I33 dates from about the year 1295 and
shows techniques of fencing with a sword and a small round shield (buckler)
It goes without saying that the program on Friday and Saturday was rich - tournaments
maneuvers on rough terrain etc All the participants received a lot of adrenaline and fun
Battering the palisade of the European camp with a ram
Alex Bogatikov a Samara ldquoLegendrdquo novice says This is my first time at the living history
festival and I am really enjoying it a lot of people and a lot of fun Thanks for the nice
impressions of the festival thanks to the guys from other living history societies - I expected
struggle and rivalry at the spear tournament but it turned out to be great fun a real adrenaline
rush All the re-enactors are friends they cheer each other and are very careful not to hurt
their adversaries - its cool guys
And the winners were duly rewarded
Photo link httpvkcomalbums-30578984z=photo-30578984_2882686622Fphotos-
30578984
For the victory of their fighters in an event the factions got points The total score determined
the winner who got the honorary right to raise the banner of the festival on the touristsrsquo day
This time the winner was the East Therefore the right to hoist the flag of the festival on
August19 during the solemn opening ceremony for the tourists passed to the re-enactors of
the Medieval Rus
The very festival field over which the scarlet banner flew seemed to be meant for such
activities The place is just gorgeousrdquo - our spectator Natalia Kuznetsova says ndash ldquoThe
sweet smell of wild strawberries the bridge over the river the undulating hillshellip
Unforgettable
And from the practical point of view the place was ideal too
First of all the federal highway to Ulyanovsk runs next to the festival field and therersquos a
village with a cheerful name of Stary Booyan (which in Russian sounds exactly the same as
lsquoOld Brawlerrsquo) nearby
Secondly the festival meadow is separated from the road and other marks of the modern
civilization by a copse which accounted for the effect of a real time travel
The secrets of the medieval handicrafts
After the opening of the festival a dynamic and rich program unfolded
Potters Maxim and Elena Borisov (society Mir masterov (World of Masters) Samara)
showed everyone who wished so the basics of working with clay Classes turned out to be
very exciting - the potters could not complain about the lack of public interest Their
workshop was thronged
While the enthusiasts at the market were molding clay women of fashion and glamour
gathered in the Western camp Kate Aristova from the Moscow living history club Legend
(full namesake of the Samara host society) spoke about makeup in the Middle Ages
According to her even now in the age of Oriflame and Amway the recipes that originated
eight hundred years ago can be of great interest to modern beauties as they are
environmentally friendly and work miracles with the skin
How to become a sergeant
While the women were buzzing and fussing about their jars of cream and bottles of scent
true men displayed their battle skill
On the eve of the battle Greg a fighter from The Flemings had to prove that he was ready
to become a sergeant
One doesnrsquot get promotion for a song and Greg challenged by experienced combatants had
to fight each of them in turn The task was to remain standing and he coped with it
After the duels ended ldquoThe Flemingsrdquo commander Walter asked the warriorsrsquo opinion of
Greg
I have known Greg for a very long timerdquo raised his voice the Samara Legendrsquos commander
Alexei Romanov ndash ldquoWe fought with him side by side and we also met on the battle-field as
adversaries And I believe that Greg is truly worthy of the rank of sergeant
After the duels and this praise the case was decided The commander of The Flemings with
due ceremony promoted Greg to sergeant
Clash of armour
This was followed by duels (sword ndash buckler sword - shield spears) and finally group
battles
Before the fight opponents egged each other on as best they could
And then rushed into battle
After which there happened something of the sort
Several group fights tough but fair ended in a most amicable way See for yourself
After the fights the spectators spilled out into the field - everyone wanted to be photographed
with the warriors Sometimes the result was pretty funny
Fair maidens prowess and singing arrows
Then came the turn of the womens tournament where fair maidens competed showing their
feminine prowess
To begin with they competed in throwing rolling pins into the target - of course strength and
accuracy were of utmost importance A very useful skill in family life they say And then the
ladies took their husbands battle axes and chopped cabbage with them and in general
displayed their prowess in the skills of ldquokeeping the home fires burningrdquo
Then the archers stepped on the scene The prize was contested by European infantrymen the
Mongol batyrs and of course by Russian warriors
Photo link httpvkcomphoto-30578984_288494144
Moreover women competed alongside with men
In the end the prize went to the well-known local marksman Mikhail Manin
(Novokuibyshevsk) winner of last years tournament
Medieval Jousting contest
Shortly after the tournament the mounted display Medieval Jousting was announced
This was a series of trials in which riders competed in various military disciplines Let me
first introduce the participants
Left to right - Master of the Knights Hospitaller a Mongolian horseman a Russian nobleman
in disgrace and an Arab who would not reveal his face to the audience By the way this is
only half of the participants
The first trial was mounted archery
Master of the Knights Hospitaller Note the speed of the rider And the wooden target he
has to hit is rather smallish
The second trial was ldquoThe Saracenrdquo (This is a spear game the accuracy of lance thrust is
evaluated)
Let me draw your attention to the fact that tournament lances have no heads and this is not
by chance
Just think of the force of the blow a mounted rider strikes when going at full canter
The spearhead passes through the target like a knife through butter Then one of the two
things will surely happen either the lance is stuck and the warrior gets thrown or loses his
lance or ldquoThe Saracen gets wrenched out of the earth Nobody wants it
Trial Three - mounted cutting
Itrsquos interesting that this exercise expressly shows the difference between a sword and a sabre
A sabre due to its characteristic curve of the blade cuts the head of cabbage neatly in two
But the sword chopping blows crush grind the head of cabbage
To some extent the difference is so marked because the sword blades at the festival werenrsquot
honed Honed sword blades also cut very neatly On the other hand a sabre is meant for
slashing blows and weighing less than a sword cuts very efficiently
In the photo you can see the ldquoLegendrdquo posadnik Maxim wearing a red mantle By the way he
won the ridersrsquo competition
Just in case let me explain who posadnik is The word is derived from the word posad
(pronounced as pah-lsquosad) In Russia ldquoposadrdquo was the part of town where most of the
citizens lived There was also a krom (kremlin) or citadel but only the prince with his
household and his host lived there and in the time of an enemy invasion the people flocked
to the citadel seeking protection In short posadnik is the head of the civil authority of the
town
Siege engine and storm
After the horsemenrsquos contest a ten-minute break was declared during which the audience had
a chance to walk around the festival lawn and the participants - to prepare for the impending
battle
According to our idea all the participants able to hold weapons were to meet on the
battlefield in the mass battle
Among them was the team of a medieval siege engine into which Utah Iwasaki seamlessly
blended
Thatrsquos what arcuballista looks like as seen by its aimer
The arcuballista team was under command of Vadim Sinichkin head of the living history
society ldquoSlovenerdquo from Novokuibyshevsk This society built all the siege engines of the
festival
ldquoWe are a small society that is why our only chance to influence the outcome of the battle is
to bombard the adversary with trebuchet and arcuballista projectiles We have adjusted those
things for throwing projectiles for 50 metres ndash contemporary living history festivals seldom
require more powerful siege engines with a longer range They are also rather convenient in
transportation - they can be taken apart and the parts fit on the floor of a mini-bus Thatrsquos
how actually we brought them hererdquo
The final battle
About 4 pm the master of ceremonies announced the last battle of the festival He said that
all the warriors of the festival would cross swords and break spears in the final melee The
3000 spectators began to fill the slope of the hill which became a natural amphitheater
The legend of the final battle was as follows it was a very ordinary event for the troubled
13th century A squad of European soldiers assaulted a Russian frontier guard outpost
located in the steppes of the Volga region
The European soldiers came there with a unit of Mongol warriors (which was a frequent
occasion with Genoan mercenaries from the Crimea) The Mongol warriors brought portable
siege engines to storm the outpost
The soldiers bring an arcuballista which is followed by the trebuchet Perhaps the stone
throwing engine with the help of which the women of Toulouse smashed the head of count
Simon de Montfort the legendary leader of the Crusaders looked very much the same
This unfortunate episode also took place in the 13th
century and to be absolutely precise
on June 25 1218
Having bombarded the outpost with the trebuchet projectiles the Mongols gave the European
foot soldiers the opportunity to attack it while the outpost defenders were still dazed A brief
skirmish and the outpost is takenhellip The Russian warriors retreat to the steppe Another
spell of fighting Only a handful of Russian warriors remainhellip And at the last moment
another Russian unit comes to the aid of the outpost
Irsquod better give the floor to Galina who came to the festival with her 4-year-old son Timothy
ldquoTimothy absolutely believed what he saw I myself felt enthralled ndash everything looked so
real
During the battle when only two Russian warriors remained fighting back to back
surrounded by enemies Tim thought they were about to perish and went to their aid
Photo link httpvkcomphoto7768284_287885078
White as a sheet he breathed out Im coming Hold on And ran to the rescuehellip
I could barely catch him It was hard to calm him down to persuade him it was all make-
believe
When the cavalry came to the rescue I said ldquoLook they are fine now Victoryrdquo You should
have seen the triumph and relief in his eyes
Thats how our long awaited festival ended
The spectators got into their cars and buses and went home ndash some to Samara some to
Togliatti some to Ulyanovskhellip
Photos by Olga Borisenkova Georgy Korobov Olga Nemkova Yulia Timirkhanova
Svetlana Makoveyeva Maria Gomolova Irina Yashina Natalia Kalmykova Alexey
Pleshkov Andrey Surin Ekaterina Orlova Tatiana Besschastnaya Vadim Kozin Evgeny
Krasnikov Alexandra Bunayeva Denis Khramov Nina Gubanova Yuri Chikin Ildar
Hassanov Ivan Yegorov Mikhail Pishchakov Mikhail Puzankov Olesya Strelchenko
Thank you all
Many thanks to the musicians who entertained the spectators They are Yegor Strelnikov
(psaltery Moscow) ldquoMusica Radicumrdquo (folk group Saint Petersburg)
Photo link httpcs304606userapicomv30460642737cah2D-hgjQpRsjpg
Photo link httpcs317423userapicomv31742302020a1HFnxYFD_uS0jpg
ldquoThe Eastrdquo
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Stupino)
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoSuzdalskaya Druzhina (Suzdal Host)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS ldquoTruvorrdquo (Orenburg)
LHS ldquoVityaz (Russian Knight)rdquo (Kazan)
LHS ldquoSlovenerdquo (Novokuibyshevsk)
Association ldquoNORD Rusrdquo (Samara)
ldquoMjollnirrdquo (Samara)
Individual participants
ldquoThe Westrdquo
LHS ldquoAtlit ndash Zamok Palomnika (Atlit - Pilgrimrsquos Castle)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS laquoNovum castrumraquo (Zheleznodorozhny)
LHS ldquoStary Svet (The Old World Company)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoDostoyanie (Heritage)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoFlamandtsy (The Flemings)rdquo (Odintsovo)
Individual participants
Special thanks to the artisans
Association ldquoMir masterov (World of Masters)rdquo (Samara)
ldquoNizhegorodskaya Artel Oruzheinikov (Armourersrsquo Artel)rdquo (Nizhny Novgorod)
Our valiant steeds came from ldquoRusskaya Sloboda (Russian Village)rdquo (Samara) and equestrian
club (Borskoe)
Thank you all guys for war and peace for merry feasts and fair competition
The festival took place on the 19 August 2012 near Stary Booyan in the Krasnoyarsky district
of the Samara Region
Next year our festival will be held again and we expect that our friends from Poland
Ukraine Belarus and Japan will be able to come So if you are interested in the 13th century
re-enactment welcome to Samara ldquoBattle Skill ndash 2013rdquo
Release Date May 11
th 2013
the plants The Capitulare includes plants that we now mostly consider decorative such as
the Lily Iris and Rose but they were all grown for practical reasons as much as for
decoration
Walafrid Strabo wrote a book lsquoHortulusrsquo The Little Garden during the ninth century He
tells us in verse how he set out to make a garden firstly by digging up the weeds and then
making raised beds He lists 28 plants and includes medicinal and symbolic information
about them
Albertus Magnus wrote an encyclopaedia on Nature that includes a description of a garden
Flower beds should be made around the edge of the lawn There should be a bench with a tree
for shade and a fountain or basin of water The plants are for pleasure and were not to be
harvested Albertus also includes a description on how to lay turf that involves beating the
turf into the soil using large wooden mallets until the grass barely shows
Medieval gardens continued to grow plants in raised beds but some of them were adapted to
become turf seats planted with roses
Although herbals continue to be compiled the first gardening book written in English has to
wait for a few more centuries
Jon Gardener writing in the late 14C compiled a gardening calendar in verse which is
usually referred to as lsquoThe Feate of Gardeningrsquo Whether he was a real person or is using a
pen name to add authenticity to the writing we cannot be sure Many books say that his poem
is a useful insight into medieval gardening Jon does tell us about grafting plants in great
detail and includes a list of herbs that he grows but unfortunately that is about it
The garden tools were still those used by the Romans including the wooden spade
In Italy Pietro de Crecenzi wrote Liber Ruraliam Commodorum during the early fourteenth
century He refers to Roman authors but also quotes The Arab Avicenna His book follows
the roman estate manuals and offers very sound advice He mentions the use of hot beds
made of dung to produce early crops a practice that would not become common in England
for a few centuries His book has been translated into many languages but unfortunately not
English
With the advent of printing the mass production of books for the general reader becomes
possible In 1563 Thomas Hill published a book aimed at those with a small manor to
maintain and make productive lsquoThe profitable arte of gardening A most briefe and
pleasaunte treatise teaching how to dresse sowe and set a gardenrsquo
The instructions include choosing the site of the garden and examples of decorative knots to
set out using thyme and hyssop Box would not become common as an edging plant until the
mid 1600rsquos Imported plants from America are becoming common although
the herbalist Gerard was often at a loss with their usefulness and grow them
because they were pretty or interesting
This is the first proper book about gardening published in England Under
the pen name of Didymus Montain Hill later published lsquoThe Gardenerrsquos
Labyrinthrsquo in 1577 Both books are based on the work of earlier authors
especially the Roman ones mentioned earlier Today this is often called
plagiarism and frowned on but Hillrsquos intention was to show his own
scholarship and to prove the value of his work Many books on differing
subjects would follow the same reference to antiquity and the classical
authors Hill is not ashamed to name the ancient authors to whom he has
referred and lists them prominently at the front of his book In both books
Hill gives us the sort of practical information that we expect from a gardening book today
but there is also an abundance of myth magic and pure rubbish that has been copied from the
lsquoancient authoritiesrsquo of Rome A practical
tip is killing moles by filling a nut shell with sulphur lighting the sulphur and
throwing the toxic smoke bomb into the mole run The sulphur di oxide gas
would have certainly killed the moles but it is not a method that we can legally
use today There is a large section devoted to the use of the plants
Hill includes a chapter on the weather Here is an appropriate quote referring to
our recent weather
lsquo And the plenty of snow falling in due season of the yeare dooth fatten the
earth (and if the others doe helpe) then dooth it it signifie the plenty of corne
and other fruites of the earthrsquo
Maybe we shall have a good summer in 2013
Ever since Thomas Hill gardening books have been published in great
profusion on every horticultural subject imaginable to instruct gardeners in this peaceful art
But gardens for pleasure were often symbolic of power and wealth The restructuring of the
landscape from a wilderness into a formal layout displays your power over nature If you
want others to see you as the strong hero make sure there is a statue of Hercules in your
garden If you prefer art then maybe a statue of Apollo is more suitable At Stowe Gardens
there is a theme is of political and moral virtue not so far away at Wycombe Park the home
of the Hellfire Club it is more of sex and debauchery
Formal gardens remain in fashion until the English gentlemen returning from their gap years
of the lsquoGrand Tourrsquo when they had visited the cultural ancient sites of Europe decided they
wanted a classical rural idyll an Arcadia of temples and natural lakes populated with gods
nymphs and shepherdesses surrounding their country houses The English Landscape Garden
swept away the formal gardens in favour of an extended lawn The browsing sheep gave an
air of peace and idleness but of course you donrsquot want sheep muck on the lawn in front of
your house so you needed a Ha-Ha to keep them at armrsquos length The sheep kept the grass
trim saving the payment of labourers to scythe it short and they also provided wool and
meat what more could you ask for
But the English love their flowers so it was not so long before the formal terraces returned to
encircle the house and with the growth of the British Empire and the abolition of the window
tax flowers returned with a vengeance The landed gentry and the nouveau riche industrialists
created ever larger gardens bursting to the seams with colourful flowers exotic fruit and an
endless supply of vegetables as growing methods developed to extend the growing season
any new technology being exploited where ever possible
The gardens were powered by glasshouses heated with coal fired boilers and a cheap supply
of manual labour The workers had their own hierarchy ranging from apprentices learning
the trade by scaring birds and washing the pots to the journeymen who moved from garden
to garden as they learned about different horticultural
specialities finally resulting with the prestigious job of Head
Gardener which took years of training - at your own
expense
The working gardenerrsquos lot has never been an easy nor
prosperous one It has always involved heavy physical
labour and with the introduction of the lethal pesticides
during the Victorian period it could be the pathway to an
early death As Kipling would later write
lsquoOur England is a garden and such gardens are not made
By singing--Oh how beautiful and sitting in the shade
While better men than we go out and start their working lives
At grubbing weeds from gravel-paths with broken dinner-knivesrsquo
During WW2 the gardeners of Britain would be digging up these gardens and parks to
produce food supported by the lsquoDig for Victoryrsquo campaign
ldquoDig Dig Dig And your muscles will grow big
Keep on pushing the spade
Donrsquot mind the worms
Just ignore their squirms
And when your back aches laugh with glee
And keep on digginrsquo
Till we give our foes a Wigginrsquo
Dig Dig Dig to Victory
For all the terrors that the front line soldiers suffered if Hitler had succeeded in starving the
country he would have won the war
For many years I have been a professional gardener within the heritage sector originally the
medieval period and during this time I have learned much of the use of plants and gardening
techniques throughout the centuries I now offer displays for historic sites and schools and
talks on gardening from the Romans to the WW2 lsquoDig for Victoryrsquo campaign
Contact the Historic Gardener
Phone 01604 470 651
Email michaelbmikegmailcom
Website wwwhistoricgardenercouk
COME amp MAKE A HISTORICAL COSTUME
with Chalemie in Oxford
13-18 August 2013
Contact Barbara Segal info amp brochure 020 7700 4293
chalemiethorndemoncouk
wwwchalemiecouk
Other courses in Baroque Dance Commedia Singing and
Instrumental Music
Fees pound545 for full board and tuition
(financial help available age immaterial)
THE DEADLY SISTERHOOD BY LEONIE FRIEDA
After her much lauded biography of Catherine dersquo Medici Frieda has shifted her
chronological focus back a few years and broadened it to a cast of eight formidable 15th-
century women Some were related by blood (like the sisters Beatrice and Isabella drsquoEste)
others by marriage (like Lucrezia Tornabuoni mother of Lorenzo and Giuliano dersquoMedici
and her daughter-in-law the Roman aristocrat Clarice Orsini) but all were renowned either
as beauties ndash particularly Lucrezia Borgia and Giulia Farnese ndash political brides (like Isabella
drsquoAragona) or viragos like Caterina Sforza
Friedarsquos skill lies not so much in having researched these eight womenrsquos lives ndash some of
whom have been the subject of recent often revisionist research ndash but in linking them to form
a saga spanning an extraordinarily complex and dynamic period of history in the Italian
peninsula with its patchwork of major and minor city-states and principalities ruled ndash
apparently as Frieda adds ndash by men As Burckhardt first pointed out this was the golden age
of bastards in Italy where men and women born on either side of the marriage vows could
seize political control and ride the crested waves of Fortune This libidinous opportunistic
age ended dramatically in the horrific violence of the Sack of Rome and the years that
followed it ushered in a stricter sense of legitimacy ndash of birth nationality and religion ndash but
many of the women who became influential in it were descended from these extraordinary
15th-century women whose lives are charted so magnificently here
For other great reviews visit
httphistoricalnovelsocietyorg
Jogo do Paursquos conceptualization
An historical and sociological analysis
My name is Luiacutes Preto After completing an undergrad in physical education and two
masters one in sportsrsquo teaching methodologies and another in coaching sciences I am now
34 years old and with 25 years of martial arts experience which includes 16 years of
exposure to Jogo do Pau
First premise
To start off it is important to realize that my understanding of the word fencing is that it refers
to any activity in which an object external to onersquos body is used to perform strikes and
parries Additionally in light of the innumerable and physically distinct fencing weapons
around each weaponrsquos specific physical traits and combat tactics entail that there are
different ldquotypesrdquo of fencing
Overall view on European martial arts
I am going to start this historical and sociological conceptualization of Jogo do Pau by
describing my overall systematization of European fencing arts In this regard I find that
European historical fencing arts can be systematized into 3 main categories according to the
contextual circumstances under which combats took place and its resulting weapons and
tactics
1) Bashing weaponsrsquo battlefield period
As a result of many countriesrsquo efforts to extend their territory such as what took place in
Portugal between the XII and XIV centuries European fencingrsquos first period was centred
around the participation in battlefields In Portugal such activity brought about ldquoextra-
long swordsrdquo that were mostly blunt These ldquoextra-longrdquo swords like the Montante were
at least 15m long so as to enable their users to have the maximum possible reach
Additionally they also had to be significantly thick and thus heavy so as to sustain
strikes from any type of weapon from swords to steal pools Finally on top of having to
face multiple opponents at the same time battlefield combat also entailed facing
opponents who wore both chainmail and body armour Therefore combatants didnrsquot
waste time sharpening their weapons and were forced to rely on powerful bashing striking
techniques
2) Cutting weaponsrsquo duelling period
Later with the creation of firearms long swords began being used for leisure and with
this taking place in fencing schools where fighters did not use much if any body armour
swords became sharper and sparring incorporated softer slashing striking techniques
3) Thrusting weaponsrsquo duelling period
Finally the further development of duelling under an increasingly stricter code of honour
assured that combatants wouldnt have to face heavy weapons such as steal pools which
allowed for the development of thinner swords such as the rapier This new duelling
context and its resulting new weapon promoted the restructuring of single combat tactics
centring it on the fastest of all striking techniques the thrust
My personal opinion is that none of these fencing styles is better than the remaining ones As
martial arts their usefulness depends on the context under which each person is forced to
fight for survival and as recreational leisure activities it simply depends on each personrsquos
personal preference
Now using this overall systematization as reference let us dive into the specific theme of
Jogo do Pau
Jogo do Pau
Jogo do Pau which literally means ldquogame of the staffrdquo is starting to become more well
known internationally and for the most part people view it as a Portuguese staff fencing art
However having researched this topic beyond a standard internet search I disagree with both
these attributes
On being a staff (exclusive) fencing art
Portuguese King D Duarte describes in his XV century book ldquoA ensinanccedila de bem cavalgar
toda a selardquo (available in English under the name ldquoThe art of riding on every saddlerdquo) the
striking techniques that can be performed with swords It so happens that both the strikesrsquo
names and the description of their trajectories correspond to Jogo do Paursquos terminology and
striking angles Furthermore since the Kingrsquos brief description of outnumbered combat
tactics also matches Jogo do Paursquos we consider that Jogo do Pau corresponds to the first
period of battlefield fencing system We believe that these combat skills (techniques and
tactics) were historically performed with both ldquoextra-longrdquo swords and staffs but upon
having swords being replaced in the military by firearms this art ended up being preserved
by civilians through the exclusive use of staffs since these were the only weapons most
people could afford
On being a Portuguese (exclusive) art
Before the more recent development of the combat sport Canne de Combat France also used
to have its own ldquostaff fencingrdquo art It so happens that this French art had exactly the same
name as the ldquoPortuguese artrdquo only in French obviously It was Le Jeux du Baton
My Jogo do Pau instructor Master Nuno Curvello Russo who is regarded as the most
experienced and knowledgeable Jogo do Pau instructor in Portugal lived in France during the
seventies While there he met Maurice Sarry who like Master Russo had dedicated himself
to the extensive study of his countryrsquos traditional fighting art and was highly regarded on a
national level
As these two great Masters got acquainted with one another they started training together
and soon realized their arts were identical regarding their single combat techniques strikes
parries and footwork I specifically pointed out that I am referring to single combat technique
because at the time the French art had become exclusively focused on this type of combat
similarly to what also occurred within the Portuguese urban industrial cities where the
practice of Jogo do Pau was undertaken as a leisure activity and therefore exclusively
focused on single combat
Thus with Jogo do Pau and Jeux du Baton being identical and knowing that European
countries interacted both socially (such as through royal marriages) and commercially it is all
but surprising to realize that they also developed a common standardized combat art Hence
Jogo do Pau corresponds to the preservation of European historical fencing and not merely a
Portuguese specific art
I do not wish to sound even if for just for a second disrespectful towards other European
combat schools of thought such as the German and Italian They are also European Historical
Fencing but simply from a different period and context more specifically from the second
period mentioned at the start of this article
On the parallel between societyrsquos evolution and Jogo do Paursquos motor skills
Double handed weapons
From its very first days mankind has always had the need to hunt for food as well as fight
other human beings in large groups so as to protect and or conquer both assets and territory
Consequently with martial artsrsquo origin and essence residing in the development of effective
skills for outnumbered combat Jogo do Pau was no exception which made it useful to both
civilians and the countryrsquos army
Additionally since people lived in rural environments (where space wasnrsquot lacking) and with
striking arts being highly influenced by reach this art was initially focused on the exclusive
use of long double handed weapons the extra long swords amongst the military and the staffs
amongst civilians
Surely enough some social conflicts did end up being settled through duels but with
peoplersquos standard training being focused on outnumbered combat these duels were fought by
looking to make the best possible use of the commonly trained outnumbered combat skills
Only towards to eighteenth century with the development of industrial cities did Jogo do
Pau begin being practiced as a leisure activity within these few cities Eventually the
connection between these two forms of combat single and outnumbered combat and their
distinct social realities became so strong that the practice of outnumbered combat started
being designated as ldquonorthrsquos gamerdquo where it kept being practitionersrsquo main focus until the
later stages of the twentieth century On the other hand the more recent leisure type practice
groups which focused on the artrsquos single combat recreational version brought about new
techniques and strategies to this type combat and began being called Lisbonrsquos school
From the early 1970rsquos onward Master Nuno Russo originally trained in Master Pedro
Ferreirarsquos Lisbon school routinely travelled to the north of Portugal for long seasons in order
to learn the artrsquos system of outnumbered combat Ultimately Master Russo was able to
combine both systems into one single and unified technical program which to my
knowledge is the only of its kind
Single handed weapons
Nevertheless people living in industrial cities were also confronted by self defence scenarios
Given this and keeping alive the artrsquos original essence Master Nuno Russo picked up on
Master Pedro Ferreirarsquos initial efforts and adopted some more city type weapons the walking
cane and the baton He extensively studied the artrsquos application to these shorter one handed
weapons making his school a very unique and complete system that offers both double and
single handed weapon mastery for both outnumbered and single combat
Currently Master Russorsquos school is called Escola Santo Condestaacutevel in memory of
Portuguese medieval legendary knight Nuno Aacutelvares Pereira (1360-1431) who was officially
declared saint by the current Pope on April 26th
2009
From Jogo do Pau to Lusitanian Fencing
Last but surely not least the previously mentioned elements allow us to conclude that the
artrsquos designation Jogo do Pau is incorrect as this art is not staff exclusive and by no means a
game
This medieval fencing artrsquos designation probably came about as a result of having been
preserved through staffs and additionally having in ancient Portuguese the verb ldquojogarrdquo (to
play) being used to designate the action of throwing something Consequently the skill of
knowing how to swing and kind of throw the staff against an opponent (jogar o pau) paved
the way for the art to be called Jogo do Pau
With the artrsquos name being incorrect and despite being aware of the difficult task that we face
in changing popular culture we decided to do something about it Were this to be a staff
specific fencing art its correct name would have been staff fencing (Esgrima de Pau) but
knowing of its historical and technical connection to medieval weapons we opted to rename
the art as Esgrima Lusitana (Lusitanian Fenicng) which also serves as a well deserved tribute
to our countryrsquos forefathers the brave Lusitanian people whom the Romans only managed to
subdue through treachery
Military amp Flying Machines Show
wwwmilitaryandflyingmachinesorguk
P R E S S R E L E A S E with immediate effect
Welcome Back Sally B The Military amp Flying Machines Team are so excited and pleased to be able to confirm some very special news for the 2013 show at Damyns Hall Aerodrome Due to public demand we are expanding our show to a three day event taking place on 3
rd 4
th and 5
th
August with more attractions more vehicles more flying and more big bangs This year we are delighted to welcome back the fantastic WW2 vintage B-17 Flying Fortress Bomber lsquoSally Brsquo the last remaining airworthy B-17 in Europe It quickly took on mythic proportions and widely circulated stories and photos of B-17s surviving battle damage increased its iconic status The B17 could fly higher than any of its Allied contemporaries and established its place in history dropping more bombs than any other US aircraft in World War II The Sally B has featured in many feature films most notably the blockbuster film Memphis Belle It will again amaze the crowds with low level displays as this truly historic aircraft is put through its paces ldquoSally Brdquo has always in the past performed the most amazing air display at Damyns Hall especially as the aerodrome is fairly small when this almighty warbird flyrsquos past it feels like you can reach out and touch it it is a display that cannot be missed
If Warbirds are of interest to you then you will be in for a big treat at this yearrsquos show with a superb display from the magnificent Spitfire the iconic shape and unmistakeable noise stir the imagination and the emotion of all that watch We also welcome the Hurricane ldquoHurribomberrdquo a first for our show (MORE ON HURRBOMBER) The WW2 fighter trainers ndash the Harvard T6 single-engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces United States Navy Royal Air Force and other air forces of the British Commonwealth during World War II and into the 1950s and the Boeing Stearman the work horses of the training airfield which were used to train many Battle of Britain heroes ndash will also join the line up to entertain the crowds The incomparable Jungmeister will also be displaying demonstrating its flying versatility A rare Messerschmitt 108 another classic WW2 aircraft from the German Luftwaffe The ME108 will also form part of a Living History static display on the ground Many of the aircrafts will be landing as well over the weekend so it is a fabulous rare opportunity to get up close
As well as all this there will be so much more to see whilst your there admiring the sights and sounds in the skies including helicopter pleasure flights along with 300+ military vehicles living history displays live entertainment all day arena activities including big bangs and even bigger vehicles Kidsrsquo activities vintage funfair refreshments stalls ndash there truly is something for everyone and at great value for money
Wersquove got more exciting news coming very soon ndash so watch this space for the next BIG ANNOUNCEMENT
For the latest updates on the show visit wwwmilitaryandflyingmachinesorguk
Military amp Flying
Machines Show
2nd
3rd
amp 4th August
- Over 17000 attendees
- Flying Displays
- Pleasure Flights
- Living History
Displays -
300+ Vehicles -
Live Entertainment -
Arena Activities -
20+ Tanks amp Armoured Vehicles
Live 40rsquos style big
band
Event Information
May
4
th ndash 6
th Bentley Medieval Festival Lewes east Sussex UK
marktime-productionscom
4th ndash 6
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Blenheim Palace UK
httpwwwblenheimpalacecom
5th amp 6
th ldquoRogues amp Outlawsrdquo Sherwood Forest UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
10th
ndash 12th British Quarterstaff Association weekend in Gloucestershire UK
httpquarterstafforgeventshtml
11th
The Mortimer History Society Spring Conference Leominster UK
wwwmortimerhistorysocietyorguk
11th
amp 12th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Ekenas Castle Sweden
httpwwwekenasslottse
May 11th amp 12th A Victorian Celebration Forge Mill Needle Museum Redditch UK
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
May 25th amp 26th Tall Ships rsquo13 Gloucester Historic Docks Ships maritime living history
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
May 26th amp 27th Harewood Medieval Faire Harewood House Leeds 2nd major annual
multi-period medieval festival with 1066 to 1487 timeline
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
26th
ndash 28th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Hedingham Castle UK
httpwwwhedinghamcastlecouk
May 28th
June 1st Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Leeds Castle UK
httpwwwleeds-castlecomlandphp
June
1st amp 2
nd Templecombe Medieval fair Templecombe UK
httpswwwfacebookcomevents300657233387495
8th amp 9
th History Alive Fort Lytton National Park Brisbane Australia
wwwhistoryalivecoau
15th
amp 16th
Gloucester Medieval Play Festival UK
wwwglostheatrecouk
15th
amp 16th
Tatton Park Old Hall Medieval fayre UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
21st ndash 23
rd Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Cardiff Castle Wales
httpwwwcardiffcastlecom
21st ndash 23
rd Times amp Epochs Moscow Russia
httpwwwfacebookcomhistoryfestref=tsampfref=ts
29th
amp 30th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Linlithgow Palace Scotland httpwwwhistoric-scotlandgovukpropertyresultspropertyoverviewhtmPropID=PL_199ampPropName=Linlithgow20Palace
July
5th ndash 7
th LARP Camp Huntley Wood Staffordshire UK
wwwlarpcampcouk
6th amp 7
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Linlithgow Palace Scotland
httpwwwhistoric-scotlandgovukpropertyresultspropertyoverviewhtmPropID=PL_199ampPropName=Linlithgow20Palace
13th
amp 14th
The Battle of Tewkesbury UK
httpwwwtewkesburymedievalfestivalorg
13th
amp 14th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
20th
amp 21st Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
26th
ndash 28th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
27th
amp 28th
Berkeley Skirmish Berkeley Castle Gloucestershire UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
27th
amp 28th
Smugglers Island Appuldurcombe House IOW UK
Email ednash1993hotmailcouk
July 27th amp 28th Hughendenrsquos Victorian Weekend Hughenden Manor Buckinghamshire
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
27th
amp 28th
Slaughterbridge Camlann Life and Legend Camelford Cornwall UK
heburbeckgmaiIc0m
August
2nd
ndash 4th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Blenheim Palace UK
httpwwwblenheimpalacecom
3rd
amp 4th
The Midlands Festival of History UK
httpwwwmid-festcouk
3rd
amp 4th
The Loxwood Joust Loxwood Meadow RH14 0AL UK
wwwloxwoodjoustcouk
9th ndash 11
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
16th
ndash 18th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
17th
amp 18th
Scotlands Festival of History Chatelherault Scotland
wwwscotlandsfestivalofhistorycouk
17th
amp 18th
M5-Multi Period Re-enactment Weekend Spetchley Park Worcs UK
Website ndash wwwm5showcouk
23rd
amp 24th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
25th
amp 26th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hedingham Castle UK
httpwwwhedinghamcastlecouk
25th
amp 26th
The Sheffield Fayre Norfolk Heritage Park Sheffield
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
August 31st amp September 1st On the Home Front 1939-45 Rufford Abbey Country Park
Notts Annual 1940s show wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
September
12th amp 13th Bexbach 1474 Call To Arms
www1474eu
14th
amp 15th
The Battle of Mortimerrsquos Cross Hampton Court Castle Herefordshire
wwwmortimerscrosscouk
September 21st amp 22nd Wimpole at War The Wimpole Estate Cambridgeshire Annual
1940s event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
September 28th amp 29th Sherwood through the ages Sherwood Forest Annual Ancient to
1980s multi-period event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
October
October 5th amp 6th Hughendenrsquos Wartime Weekend Hughenden Manor Bucks Annual
1940s event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
12th
amp 13th
International Events of Historical Crafts (EIAH) Portugal
Email artesanatocomhistoriagmailcom
November
15
th-17
th The Original Re-Enactors Market Ryton on Dunsmore Coventry UK
wwwreenactorsmarketcouk
16th
amp 17th
The National Living History Fair
wwwnlhfcouk
23rd
amp 24th
The Ludlow Medieval Christmas Fair Ludlow Castle Shropshire
httpwwwludlowcastlecompageseventsaspx
Living History Festival ldquoRatnoe Delo (Battle Skill) - 2012rdquo
By Nikolai Chebotarev
3 September 2012
Translated by Inna Drabkina
At last Irsquove got to my computer to tell you about the festival Ratnoe Delo-2012 For us
host living history societies (Legend Russian Village The Flemings) this was the
main event of the year
I am sure that our true friends from Samara and the Krasnoyarsky district where the action
unfolded found it a most pleasurable and interesting event too
Catching my breath after the festival I decided to take up the pen to commemorate the events
of the festival together with our photographers
100 Dyed-in-the-Wool Re-Enactors
The festival focuses on the confrontation of the Russian warriors and the West-European
knights of the 13th century The 13
th century was a dramatic one for the Medieval Rus it was
the age of the Mongol invasion but it was also the age of contact and conflict of the Western
Europe and the principalities of the north-west of Russia
The special appeal of the festival was its ldquoauthenticityrdquo focus In the first place only those
societies that had top-quality historical costumes military equipment household utensils
were admitted to the festival Secondly all these things had to be exact replicas of the 13th
century ones
The photographers couldnrsquot get all the re-enactors in frame
As it turned out it is not easy to gather in one place one hundred dyed-in-the-wool
ldquoauthenticrdquo re-enactors but we coped with the task The geography of the festival
participants ranges from Bryansk in Russia to Yokohama in Japan Yes you heard right
Yokohama
A year ago a Japanese guy Utah Iwasaki came to Russia to see our festival He was
fascinated by the idea of living history and historical re-enactment he told us that in the Land
of the Rising Sun there were no amateur re-enactors only professional actors playing their
parts in public shows This time he is taking to Japan not just photos from the festival but
also a chain mail Halberk - the one in the photo
ldquoIrsquom going to show the chain mail and the photos to my father I think he will be very much
impressed And then Irsquoll show them to my friends and colleagues at work maybe next time
there will be several of us comingrdquo
And who could expect that Utah would meet his compatriots amidst our steppes ldquoThere were
2 boys from Japan They come from a mixed Russian-Japanese family and they live in
Tokyo They came to Samara on a visit to their granddad and thatrsquos how we met at the
festivalrdquo
All the participants were divided into two rivaling partiesndash the East and the West A small
rivulet separated their camps The contest between the parties was the main intrigue of the
festival
The first two days - Friday and Saturday - were the time for the re-enactorsrsquo master classes
seminars and sharing their findings and ideas with each other The participant societies
prepared an extensive program including a master class in long sword and bastard sword
fencing
The wooden models of swords in the hands of the guys are the same as those used for
practicing many years ago
All the fencing movements that Mikhail Manin and Artem Rumyantsev showed were taken
from medieval fencing manuals - fechtbucher
The earliest fencing manual known as Manuscript I33 dates from about the year 1295 and
shows techniques of fencing with a sword and a small round shield (buckler)
It goes without saying that the program on Friday and Saturday was rich - tournaments
maneuvers on rough terrain etc All the participants received a lot of adrenaline and fun
Battering the palisade of the European camp with a ram
Alex Bogatikov a Samara ldquoLegendrdquo novice says This is my first time at the living history
festival and I am really enjoying it a lot of people and a lot of fun Thanks for the nice
impressions of the festival thanks to the guys from other living history societies - I expected
struggle and rivalry at the spear tournament but it turned out to be great fun a real adrenaline
rush All the re-enactors are friends they cheer each other and are very careful not to hurt
their adversaries - its cool guys
And the winners were duly rewarded
Photo link httpvkcomalbums-30578984z=photo-30578984_2882686622Fphotos-
30578984
For the victory of their fighters in an event the factions got points The total score determined
the winner who got the honorary right to raise the banner of the festival on the touristsrsquo day
This time the winner was the East Therefore the right to hoist the flag of the festival on
August19 during the solemn opening ceremony for the tourists passed to the re-enactors of
the Medieval Rus
The very festival field over which the scarlet banner flew seemed to be meant for such
activities The place is just gorgeousrdquo - our spectator Natalia Kuznetsova says ndash ldquoThe
sweet smell of wild strawberries the bridge over the river the undulating hillshellip
Unforgettable
And from the practical point of view the place was ideal too
First of all the federal highway to Ulyanovsk runs next to the festival field and therersquos a
village with a cheerful name of Stary Booyan (which in Russian sounds exactly the same as
lsquoOld Brawlerrsquo) nearby
Secondly the festival meadow is separated from the road and other marks of the modern
civilization by a copse which accounted for the effect of a real time travel
The secrets of the medieval handicrafts
After the opening of the festival a dynamic and rich program unfolded
Potters Maxim and Elena Borisov (society Mir masterov (World of Masters) Samara)
showed everyone who wished so the basics of working with clay Classes turned out to be
very exciting - the potters could not complain about the lack of public interest Their
workshop was thronged
While the enthusiasts at the market were molding clay women of fashion and glamour
gathered in the Western camp Kate Aristova from the Moscow living history club Legend
(full namesake of the Samara host society) spoke about makeup in the Middle Ages
According to her even now in the age of Oriflame and Amway the recipes that originated
eight hundred years ago can be of great interest to modern beauties as they are
environmentally friendly and work miracles with the skin
How to become a sergeant
While the women were buzzing and fussing about their jars of cream and bottles of scent
true men displayed their battle skill
On the eve of the battle Greg a fighter from The Flemings had to prove that he was ready
to become a sergeant
One doesnrsquot get promotion for a song and Greg challenged by experienced combatants had
to fight each of them in turn The task was to remain standing and he coped with it
After the duels ended ldquoThe Flemingsrdquo commander Walter asked the warriorsrsquo opinion of
Greg
I have known Greg for a very long timerdquo raised his voice the Samara Legendrsquos commander
Alexei Romanov ndash ldquoWe fought with him side by side and we also met on the battle-field as
adversaries And I believe that Greg is truly worthy of the rank of sergeant
After the duels and this praise the case was decided The commander of The Flemings with
due ceremony promoted Greg to sergeant
Clash of armour
This was followed by duels (sword ndash buckler sword - shield spears) and finally group
battles
Before the fight opponents egged each other on as best they could
And then rushed into battle
After which there happened something of the sort
Several group fights tough but fair ended in a most amicable way See for yourself
After the fights the spectators spilled out into the field - everyone wanted to be photographed
with the warriors Sometimes the result was pretty funny
Fair maidens prowess and singing arrows
Then came the turn of the womens tournament where fair maidens competed showing their
feminine prowess
To begin with they competed in throwing rolling pins into the target - of course strength and
accuracy were of utmost importance A very useful skill in family life they say And then the
ladies took their husbands battle axes and chopped cabbage with them and in general
displayed their prowess in the skills of ldquokeeping the home fires burningrdquo
Then the archers stepped on the scene The prize was contested by European infantrymen the
Mongol batyrs and of course by Russian warriors
Photo link httpvkcomphoto-30578984_288494144
Moreover women competed alongside with men
In the end the prize went to the well-known local marksman Mikhail Manin
(Novokuibyshevsk) winner of last years tournament
Medieval Jousting contest
Shortly after the tournament the mounted display Medieval Jousting was announced
This was a series of trials in which riders competed in various military disciplines Let me
first introduce the participants
Left to right - Master of the Knights Hospitaller a Mongolian horseman a Russian nobleman
in disgrace and an Arab who would not reveal his face to the audience By the way this is
only half of the participants
The first trial was mounted archery
Master of the Knights Hospitaller Note the speed of the rider And the wooden target he
has to hit is rather smallish
The second trial was ldquoThe Saracenrdquo (This is a spear game the accuracy of lance thrust is
evaluated)
Let me draw your attention to the fact that tournament lances have no heads and this is not
by chance
Just think of the force of the blow a mounted rider strikes when going at full canter
The spearhead passes through the target like a knife through butter Then one of the two
things will surely happen either the lance is stuck and the warrior gets thrown or loses his
lance or ldquoThe Saracen gets wrenched out of the earth Nobody wants it
Trial Three - mounted cutting
Itrsquos interesting that this exercise expressly shows the difference between a sword and a sabre
A sabre due to its characteristic curve of the blade cuts the head of cabbage neatly in two
But the sword chopping blows crush grind the head of cabbage
To some extent the difference is so marked because the sword blades at the festival werenrsquot
honed Honed sword blades also cut very neatly On the other hand a sabre is meant for
slashing blows and weighing less than a sword cuts very efficiently
In the photo you can see the ldquoLegendrdquo posadnik Maxim wearing a red mantle By the way he
won the ridersrsquo competition
Just in case let me explain who posadnik is The word is derived from the word posad
(pronounced as pah-lsquosad) In Russia ldquoposadrdquo was the part of town where most of the
citizens lived There was also a krom (kremlin) or citadel but only the prince with his
household and his host lived there and in the time of an enemy invasion the people flocked
to the citadel seeking protection In short posadnik is the head of the civil authority of the
town
Siege engine and storm
After the horsemenrsquos contest a ten-minute break was declared during which the audience had
a chance to walk around the festival lawn and the participants - to prepare for the impending
battle
According to our idea all the participants able to hold weapons were to meet on the
battlefield in the mass battle
Among them was the team of a medieval siege engine into which Utah Iwasaki seamlessly
blended
Thatrsquos what arcuballista looks like as seen by its aimer
The arcuballista team was under command of Vadim Sinichkin head of the living history
society ldquoSlovenerdquo from Novokuibyshevsk This society built all the siege engines of the
festival
ldquoWe are a small society that is why our only chance to influence the outcome of the battle is
to bombard the adversary with trebuchet and arcuballista projectiles We have adjusted those
things for throwing projectiles for 50 metres ndash contemporary living history festivals seldom
require more powerful siege engines with a longer range They are also rather convenient in
transportation - they can be taken apart and the parts fit on the floor of a mini-bus Thatrsquos
how actually we brought them hererdquo
The final battle
About 4 pm the master of ceremonies announced the last battle of the festival He said that
all the warriors of the festival would cross swords and break spears in the final melee The
3000 spectators began to fill the slope of the hill which became a natural amphitheater
The legend of the final battle was as follows it was a very ordinary event for the troubled
13th century A squad of European soldiers assaulted a Russian frontier guard outpost
located in the steppes of the Volga region
The European soldiers came there with a unit of Mongol warriors (which was a frequent
occasion with Genoan mercenaries from the Crimea) The Mongol warriors brought portable
siege engines to storm the outpost
The soldiers bring an arcuballista which is followed by the trebuchet Perhaps the stone
throwing engine with the help of which the women of Toulouse smashed the head of count
Simon de Montfort the legendary leader of the Crusaders looked very much the same
This unfortunate episode also took place in the 13th
century and to be absolutely precise
on June 25 1218
Having bombarded the outpost with the trebuchet projectiles the Mongols gave the European
foot soldiers the opportunity to attack it while the outpost defenders were still dazed A brief
skirmish and the outpost is takenhellip The Russian warriors retreat to the steppe Another
spell of fighting Only a handful of Russian warriors remainhellip And at the last moment
another Russian unit comes to the aid of the outpost
Irsquod better give the floor to Galina who came to the festival with her 4-year-old son Timothy
ldquoTimothy absolutely believed what he saw I myself felt enthralled ndash everything looked so
real
During the battle when only two Russian warriors remained fighting back to back
surrounded by enemies Tim thought they were about to perish and went to their aid
Photo link httpvkcomphoto7768284_287885078
White as a sheet he breathed out Im coming Hold on And ran to the rescuehellip
I could barely catch him It was hard to calm him down to persuade him it was all make-
believe
When the cavalry came to the rescue I said ldquoLook they are fine now Victoryrdquo You should
have seen the triumph and relief in his eyes
Thats how our long awaited festival ended
The spectators got into their cars and buses and went home ndash some to Samara some to
Togliatti some to Ulyanovskhellip
Photos by Olga Borisenkova Georgy Korobov Olga Nemkova Yulia Timirkhanova
Svetlana Makoveyeva Maria Gomolova Irina Yashina Natalia Kalmykova Alexey
Pleshkov Andrey Surin Ekaterina Orlova Tatiana Besschastnaya Vadim Kozin Evgeny
Krasnikov Alexandra Bunayeva Denis Khramov Nina Gubanova Yuri Chikin Ildar
Hassanov Ivan Yegorov Mikhail Pishchakov Mikhail Puzankov Olesya Strelchenko
Thank you all
Many thanks to the musicians who entertained the spectators They are Yegor Strelnikov
(psaltery Moscow) ldquoMusica Radicumrdquo (folk group Saint Petersburg)
Photo link httpcs304606userapicomv30460642737cah2D-hgjQpRsjpg
Photo link httpcs317423userapicomv31742302020a1HFnxYFD_uS0jpg
ldquoThe Eastrdquo
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Stupino)
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoSuzdalskaya Druzhina (Suzdal Host)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS ldquoTruvorrdquo (Orenburg)
LHS ldquoVityaz (Russian Knight)rdquo (Kazan)
LHS ldquoSlovenerdquo (Novokuibyshevsk)
Association ldquoNORD Rusrdquo (Samara)
ldquoMjollnirrdquo (Samara)
Individual participants
ldquoThe Westrdquo
LHS ldquoAtlit ndash Zamok Palomnika (Atlit - Pilgrimrsquos Castle)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS laquoNovum castrumraquo (Zheleznodorozhny)
LHS ldquoStary Svet (The Old World Company)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoDostoyanie (Heritage)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoFlamandtsy (The Flemings)rdquo (Odintsovo)
Individual participants
Special thanks to the artisans
Association ldquoMir masterov (World of Masters)rdquo (Samara)
ldquoNizhegorodskaya Artel Oruzheinikov (Armourersrsquo Artel)rdquo (Nizhny Novgorod)
Our valiant steeds came from ldquoRusskaya Sloboda (Russian Village)rdquo (Samara) and equestrian
club (Borskoe)
Thank you all guys for war and peace for merry feasts and fair competition
The festival took place on the 19 August 2012 near Stary Booyan in the Krasnoyarsky district
of the Samara Region
Next year our festival will be held again and we expect that our friends from Poland
Ukraine Belarus and Japan will be able to come So if you are interested in the 13th century
re-enactment welcome to Samara ldquoBattle Skill ndash 2013rdquo
Release Date May 11
th 2013
tip is killing moles by filling a nut shell with sulphur lighting the sulphur and
throwing the toxic smoke bomb into the mole run The sulphur di oxide gas
would have certainly killed the moles but it is not a method that we can legally
use today There is a large section devoted to the use of the plants
Hill includes a chapter on the weather Here is an appropriate quote referring to
our recent weather
lsquo And the plenty of snow falling in due season of the yeare dooth fatten the
earth (and if the others doe helpe) then dooth it it signifie the plenty of corne
and other fruites of the earthrsquo
Maybe we shall have a good summer in 2013
Ever since Thomas Hill gardening books have been published in great
profusion on every horticultural subject imaginable to instruct gardeners in this peaceful art
But gardens for pleasure were often symbolic of power and wealth The restructuring of the
landscape from a wilderness into a formal layout displays your power over nature If you
want others to see you as the strong hero make sure there is a statue of Hercules in your
garden If you prefer art then maybe a statue of Apollo is more suitable At Stowe Gardens
there is a theme is of political and moral virtue not so far away at Wycombe Park the home
of the Hellfire Club it is more of sex and debauchery
Formal gardens remain in fashion until the English gentlemen returning from their gap years
of the lsquoGrand Tourrsquo when they had visited the cultural ancient sites of Europe decided they
wanted a classical rural idyll an Arcadia of temples and natural lakes populated with gods
nymphs and shepherdesses surrounding their country houses The English Landscape Garden
swept away the formal gardens in favour of an extended lawn The browsing sheep gave an
air of peace and idleness but of course you donrsquot want sheep muck on the lawn in front of
your house so you needed a Ha-Ha to keep them at armrsquos length The sheep kept the grass
trim saving the payment of labourers to scythe it short and they also provided wool and
meat what more could you ask for
But the English love their flowers so it was not so long before the formal terraces returned to
encircle the house and with the growth of the British Empire and the abolition of the window
tax flowers returned with a vengeance The landed gentry and the nouveau riche industrialists
created ever larger gardens bursting to the seams with colourful flowers exotic fruit and an
endless supply of vegetables as growing methods developed to extend the growing season
any new technology being exploited where ever possible
The gardens were powered by glasshouses heated with coal fired boilers and a cheap supply
of manual labour The workers had their own hierarchy ranging from apprentices learning
the trade by scaring birds and washing the pots to the journeymen who moved from garden
to garden as they learned about different horticultural
specialities finally resulting with the prestigious job of Head
Gardener which took years of training - at your own
expense
The working gardenerrsquos lot has never been an easy nor
prosperous one It has always involved heavy physical
labour and with the introduction of the lethal pesticides
during the Victorian period it could be the pathway to an
early death As Kipling would later write
lsquoOur England is a garden and such gardens are not made
By singing--Oh how beautiful and sitting in the shade
While better men than we go out and start their working lives
At grubbing weeds from gravel-paths with broken dinner-knivesrsquo
During WW2 the gardeners of Britain would be digging up these gardens and parks to
produce food supported by the lsquoDig for Victoryrsquo campaign
ldquoDig Dig Dig And your muscles will grow big
Keep on pushing the spade
Donrsquot mind the worms
Just ignore their squirms
And when your back aches laugh with glee
And keep on digginrsquo
Till we give our foes a Wigginrsquo
Dig Dig Dig to Victory
For all the terrors that the front line soldiers suffered if Hitler had succeeded in starving the
country he would have won the war
For many years I have been a professional gardener within the heritage sector originally the
medieval period and during this time I have learned much of the use of plants and gardening
techniques throughout the centuries I now offer displays for historic sites and schools and
talks on gardening from the Romans to the WW2 lsquoDig for Victoryrsquo campaign
Contact the Historic Gardener
Phone 01604 470 651
Email michaelbmikegmailcom
Website wwwhistoricgardenercouk
COME amp MAKE A HISTORICAL COSTUME
with Chalemie in Oxford
13-18 August 2013
Contact Barbara Segal info amp brochure 020 7700 4293
chalemiethorndemoncouk
wwwchalemiecouk
Other courses in Baroque Dance Commedia Singing and
Instrumental Music
Fees pound545 for full board and tuition
(financial help available age immaterial)
THE DEADLY SISTERHOOD BY LEONIE FRIEDA
After her much lauded biography of Catherine dersquo Medici Frieda has shifted her
chronological focus back a few years and broadened it to a cast of eight formidable 15th-
century women Some were related by blood (like the sisters Beatrice and Isabella drsquoEste)
others by marriage (like Lucrezia Tornabuoni mother of Lorenzo and Giuliano dersquoMedici
and her daughter-in-law the Roman aristocrat Clarice Orsini) but all were renowned either
as beauties ndash particularly Lucrezia Borgia and Giulia Farnese ndash political brides (like Isabella
drsquoAragona) or viragos like Caterina Sforza
Friedarsquos skill lies not so much in having researched these eight womenrsquos lives ndash some of
whom have been the subject of recent often revisionist research ndash but in linking them to form
a saga spanning an extraordinarily complex and dynamic period of history in the Italian
peninsula with its patchwork of major and minor city-states and principalities ruled ndash
apparently as Frieda adds ndash by men As Burckhardt first pointed out this was the golden age
of bastards in Italy where men and women born on either side of the marriage vows could
seize political control and ride the crested waves of Fortune This libidinous opportunistic
age ended dramatically in the horrific violence of the Sack of Rome and the years that
followed it ushered in a stricter sense of legitimacy ndash of birth nationality and religion ndash but
many of the women who became influential in it were descended from these extraordinary
15th-century women whose lives are charted so magnificently here
For other great reviews visit
httphistoricalnovelsocietyorg
Jogo do Paursquos conceptualization
An historical and sociological analysis
My name is Luiacutes Preto After completing an undergrad in physical education and two
masters one in sportsrsquo teaching methodologies and another in coaching sciences I am now
34 years old and with 25 years of martial arts experience which includes 16 years of
exposure to Jogo do Pau
First premise
To start off it is important to realize that my understanding of the word fencing is that it refers
to any activity in which an object external to onersquos body is used to perform strikes and
parries Additionally in light of the innumerable and physically distinct fencing weapons
around each weaponrsquos specific physical traits and combat tactics entail that there are
different ldquotypesrdquo of fencing
Overall view on European martial arts
I am going to start this historical and sociological conceptualization of Jogo do Pau by
describing my overall systematization of European fencing arts In this regard I find that
European historical fencing arts can be systematized into 3 main categories according to the
contextual circumstances under which combats took place and its resulting weapons and
tactics
1) Bashing weaponsrsquo battlefield period
As a result of many countriesrsquo efforts to extend their territory such as what took place in
Portugal between the XII and XIV centuries European fencingrsquos first period was centred
around the participation in battlefields In Portugal such activity brought about ldquoextra-
long swordsrdquo that were mostly blunt These ldquoextra-longrdquo swords like the Montante were
at least 15m long so as to enable their users to have the maximum possible reach
Additionally they also had to be significantly thick and thus heavy so as to sustain
strikes from any type of weapon from swords to steal pools Finally on top of having to
face multiple opponents at the same time battlefield combat also entailed facing
opponents who wore both chainmail and body armour Therefore combatants didnrsquot
waste time sharpening their weapons and were forced to rely on powerful bashing striking
techniques
2) Cutting weaponsrsquo duelling period
Later with the creation of firearms long swords began being used for leisure and with
this taking place in fencing schools where fighters did not use much if any body armour
swords became sharper and sparring incorporated softer slashing striking techniques
3) Thrusting weaponsrsquo duelling period
Finally the further development of duelling under an increasingly stricter code of honour
assured that combatants wouldnt have to face heavy weapons such as steal pools which
allowed for the development of thinner swords such as the rapier This new duelling
context and its resulting new weapon promoted the restructuring of single combat tactics
centring it on the fastest of all striking techniques the thrust
My personal opinion is that none of these fencing styles is better than the remaining ones As
martial arts their usefulness depends on the context under which each person is forced to
fight for survival and as recreational leisure activities it simply depends on each personrsquos
personal preference
Now using this overall systematization as reference let us dive into the specific theme of
Jogo do Pau
Jogo do Pau
Jogo do Pau which literally means ldquogame of the staffrdquo is starting to become more well
known internationally and for the most part people view it as a Portuguese staff fencing art
However having researched this topic beyond a standard internet search I disagree with both
these attributes
On being a staff (exclusive) fencing art
Portuguese King D Duarte describes in his XV century book ldquoA ensinanccedila de bem cavalgar
toda a selardquo (available in English under the name ldquoThe art of riding on every saddlerdquo) the
striking techniques that can be performed with swords It so happens that both the strikesrsquo
names and the description of their trajectories correspond to Jogo do Paursquos terminology and
striking angles Furthermore since the Kingrsquos brief description of outnumbered combat
tactics also matches Jogo do Paursquos we consider that Jogo do Pau corresponds to the first
period of battlefield fencing system We believe that these combat skills (techniques and
tactics) were historically performed with both ldquoextra-longrdquo swords and staffs but upon
having swords being replaced in the military by firearms this art ended up being preserved
by civilians through the exclusive use of staffs since these were the only weapons most
people could afford
On being a Portuguese (exclusive) art
Before the more recent development of the combat sport Canne de Combat France also used
to have its own ldquostaff fencingrdquo art It so happens that this French art had exactly the same
name as the ldquoPortuguese artrdquo only in French obviously It was Le Jeux du Baton
My Jogo do Pau instructor Master Nuno Curvello Russo who is regarded as the most
experienced and knowledgeable Jogo do Pau instructor in Portugal lived in France during the
seventies While there he met Maurice Sarry who like Master Russo had dedicated himself
to the extensive study of his countryrsquos traditional fighting art and was highly regarded on a
national level
As these two great Masters got acquainted with one another they started training together
and soon realized their arts were identical regarding their single combat techniques strikes
parries and footwork I specifically pointed out that I am referring to single combat technique
because at the time the French art had become exclusively focused on this type of combat
similarly to what also occurred within the Portuguese urban industrial cities where the
practice of Jogo do Pau was undertaken as a leisure activity and therefore exclusively
focused on single combat
Thus with Jogo do Pau and Jeux du Baton being identical and knowing that European
countries interacted both socially (such as through royal marriages) and commercially it is all
but surprising to realize that they also developed a common standardized combat art Hence
Jogo do Pau corresponds to the preservation of European historical fencing and not merely a
Portuguese specific art
I do not wish to sound even if for just for a second disrespectful towards other European
combat schools of thought such as the German and Italian They are also European Historical
Fencing but simply from a different period and context more specifically from the second
period mentioned at the start of this article
On the parallel between societyrsquos evolution and Jogo do Paursquos motor skills
Double handed weapons
From its very first days mankind has always had the need to hunt for food as well as fight
other human beings in large groups so as to protect and or conquer both assets and territory
Consequently with martial artsrsquo origin and essence residing in the development of effective
skills for outnumbered combat Jogo do Pau was no exception which made it useful to both
civilians and the countryrsquos army
Additionally since people lived in rural environments (where space wasnrsquot lacking) and with
striking arts being highly influenced by reach this art was initially focused on the exclusive
use of long double handed weapons the extra long swords amongst the military and the staffs
amongst civilians
Surely enough some social conflicts did end up being settled through duels but with
peoplersquos standard training being focused on outnumbered combat these duels were fought by
looking to make the best possible use of the commonly trained outnumbered combat skills
Only towards to eighteenth century with the development of industrial cities did Jogo do
Pau begin being practiced as a leisure activity within these few cities Eventually the
connection between these two forms of combat single and outnumbered combat and their
distinct social realities became so strong that the practice of outnumbered combat started
being designated as ldquonorthrsquos gamerdquo where it kept being practitionersrsquo main focus until the
later stages of the twentieth century On the other hand the more recent leisure type practice
groups which focused on the artrsquos single combat recreational version brought about new
techniques and strategies to this type combat and began being called Lisbonrsquos school
From the early 1970rsquos onward Master Nuno Russo originally trained in Master Pedro
Ferreirarsquos Lisbon school routinely travelled to the north of Portugal for long seasons in order
to learn the artrsquos system of outnumbered combat Ultimately Master Russo was able to
combine both systems into one single and unified technical program which to my
knowledge is the only of its kind
Single handed weapons
Nevertheless people living in industrial cities were also confronted by self defence scenarios
Given this and keeping alive the artrsquos original essence Master Nuno Russo picked up on
Master Pedro Ferreirarsquos initial efforts and adopted some more city type weapons the walking
cane and the baton He extensively studied the artrsquos application to these shorter one handed
weapons making his school a very unique and complete system that offers both double and
single handed weapon mastery for both outnumbered and single combat
Currently Master Russorsquos school is called Escola Santo Condestaacutevel in memory of
Portuguese medieval legendary knight Nuno Aacutelvares Pereira (1360-1431) who was officially
declared saint by the current Pope on April 26th
2009
From Jogo do Pau to Lusitanian Fencing
Last but surely not least the previously mentioned elements allow us to conclude that the
artrsquos designation Jogo do Pau is incorrect as this art is not staff exclusive and by no means a
game
This medieval fencing artrsquos designation probably came about as a result of having been
preserved through staffs and additionally having in ancient Portuguese the verb ldquojogarrdquo (to
play) being used to designate the action of throwing something Consequently the skill of
knowing how to swing and kind of throw the staff against an opponent (jogar o pau) paved
the way for the art to be called Jogo do Pau
With the artrsquos name being incorrect and despite being aware of the difficult task that we face
in changing popular culture we decided to do something about it Were this to be a staff
specific fencing art its correct name would have been staff fencing (Esgrima de Pau) but
knowing of its historical and technical connection to medieval weapons we opted to rename
the art as Esgrima Lusitana (Lusitanian Fenicng) which also serves as a well deserved tribute
to our countryrsquos forefathers the brave Lusitanian people whom the Romans only managed to
subdue through treachery
Military amp Flying Machines Show
wwwmilitaryandflyingmachinesorguk
P R E S S R E L E A S E with immediate effect
Welcome Back Sally B The Military amp Flying Machines Team are so excited and pleased to be able to confirm some very special news for the 2013 show at Damyns Hall Aerodrome Due to public demand we are expanding our show to a three day event taking place on 3
rd 4
th and 5
th
August with more attractions more vehicles more flying and more big bangs This year we are delighted to welcome back the fantastic WW2 vintage B-17 Flying Fortress Bomber lsquoSally Brsquo the last remaining airworthy B-17 in Europe It quickly took on mythic proportions and widely circulated stories and photos of B-17s surviving battle damage increased its iconic status The B17 could fly higher than any of its Allied contemporaries and established its place in history dropping more bombs than any other US aircraft in World War II The Sally B has featured in many feature films most notably the blockbuster film Memphis Belle It will again amaze the crowds with low level displays as this truly historic aircraft is put through its paces ldquoSally Brdquo has always in the past performed the most amazing air display at Damyns Hall especially as the aerodrome is fairly small when this almighty warbird flyrsquos past it feels like you can reach out and touch it it is a display that cannot be missed
If Warbirds are of interest to you then you will be in for a big treat at this yearrsquos show with a superb display from the magnificent Spitfire the iconic shape and unmistakeable noise stir the imagination and the emotion of all that watch We also welcome the Hurricane ldquoHurribomberrdquo a first for our show (MORE ON HURRBOMBER) The WW2 fighter trainers ndash the Harvard T6 single-engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces United States Navy Royal Air Force and other air forces of the British Commonwealth during World War II and into the 1950s and the Boeing Stearman the work horses of the training airfield which were used to train many Battle of Britain heroes ndash will also join the line up to entertain the crowds The incomparable Jungmeister will also be displaying demonstrating its flying versatility A rare Messerschmitt 108 another classic WW2 aircraft from the German Luftwaffe The ME108 will also form part of a Living History static display on the ground Many of the aircrafts will be landing as well over the weekend so it is a fabulous rare opportunity to get up close
As well as all this there will be so much more to see whilst your there admiring the sights and sounds in the skies including helicopter pleasure flights along with 300+ military vehicles living history displays live entertainment all day arena activities including big bangs and even bigger vehicles Kidsrsquo activities vintage funfair refreshments stalls ndash there truly is something for everyone and at great value for money
Wersquove got more exciting news coming very soon ndash so watch this space for the next BIG ANNOUNCEMENT
For the latest updates on the show visit wwwmilitaryandflyingmachinesorguk
Military amp Flying
Machines Show
2nd
3rd
amp 4th August
- Over 17000 attendees
- Flying Displays
- Pleasure Flights
- Living History
Displays -
300+ Vehicles -
Live Entertainment -
Arena Activities -
20+ Tanks amp Armoured Vehicles
Live 40rsquos style big
band
Event Information
May
4
th ndash 6
th Bentley Medieval Festival Lewes east Sussex UK
marktime-productionscom
4th ndash 6
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Blenheim Palace UK
httpwwwblenheimpalacecom
5th amp 6
th ldquoRogues amp Outlawsrdquo Sherwood Forest UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
10th
ndash 12th British Quarterstaff Association weekend in Gloucestershire UK
httpquarterstafforgeventshtml
11th
The Mortimer History Society Spring Conference Leominster UK
wwwmortimerhistorysocietyorguk
11th
amp 12th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Ekenas Castle Sweden
httpwwwekenasslottse
May 11th amp 12th A Victorian Celebration Forge Mill Needle Museum Redditch UK
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
May 25th amp 26th Tall Ships rsquo13 Gloucester Historic Docks Ships maritime living history
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
May 26th amp 27th Harewood Medieval Faire Harewood House Leeds 2nd major annual
multi-period medieval festival with 1066 to 1487 timeline
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
26th
ndash 28th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Hedingham Castle UK
httpwwwhedinghamcastlecouk
May 28th
June 1st Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Leeds Castle UK
httpwwwleeds-castlecomlandphp
June
1st amp 2
nd Templecombe Medieval fair Templecombe UK
httpswwwfacebookcomevents300657233387495
8th amp 9
th History Alive Fort Lytton National Park Brisbane Australia
wwwhistoryalivecoau
15th
amp 16th
Gloucester Medieval Play Festival UK
wwwglostheatrecouk
15th
amp 16th
Tatton Park Old Hall Medieval fayre UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
21st ndash 23
rd Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Cardiff Castle Wales
httpwwwcardiffcastlecom
21st ndash 23
rd Times amp Epochs Moscow Russia
httpwwwfacebookcomhistoryfestref=tsampfref=ts
29th
amp 30th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Linlithgow Palace Scotland httpwwwhistoric-scotlandgovukpropertyresultspropertyoverviewhtmPropID=PL_199ampPropName=Linlithgow20Palace
July
5th ndash 7
th LARP Camp Huntley Wood Staffordshire UK
wwwlarpcampcouk
6th amp 7
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Linlithgow Palace Scotland
httpwwwhistoric-scotlandgovukpropertyresultspropertyoverviewhtmPropID=PL_199ampPropName=Linlithgow20Palace
13th
amp 14th
The Battle of Tewkesbury UK
httpwwwtewkesburymedievalfestivalorg
13th
amp 14th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
20th
amp 21st Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
26th
ndash 28th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
27th
amp 28th
Berkeley Skirmish Berkeley Castle Gloucestershire UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
27th
amp 28th
Smugglers Island Appuldurcombe House IOW UK
Email ednash1993hotmailcouk
July 27th amp 28th Hughendenrsquos Victorian Weekend Hughenden Manor Buckinghamshire
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
27th
amp 28th
Slaughterbridge Camlann Life and Legend Camelford Cornwall UK
heburbeckgmaiIc0m
August
2nd
ndash 4th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Blenheim Palace UK
httpwwwblenheimpalacecom
3rd
amp 4th
The Midlands Festival of History UK
httpwwwmid-festcouk
3rd
amp 4th
The Loxwood Joust Loxwood Meadow RH14 0AL UK
wwwloxwoodjoustcouk
9th ndash 11
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
16th
ndash 18th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
17th
amp 18th
Scotlands Festival of History Chatelherault Scotland
wwwscotlandsfestivalofhistorycouk
17th
amp 18th
M5-Multi Period Re-enactment Weekend Spetchley Park Worcs UK
Website ndash wwwm5showcouk
23rd
amp 24th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
25th
amp 26th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hedingham Castle UK
httpwwwhedinghamcastlecouk
25th
amp 26th
The Sheffield Fayre Norfolk Heritage Park Sheffield
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
August 31st amp September 1st On the Home Front 1939-45 Rufford Abbey Country Park
Notts Annual 1940s show wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
September
12th amp 13th Bexbach 1474 Call To Arms
www1474eu
14th
amp 15th
The Battle of Mortimerrsquos Cross Hampton Court Castle Herefordshire
wwwmortimerscrosscouk
September 21st amp 22nd Wimpole at War The Wimpole Estate Cambridgeshire Annual
1940s event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
September 28th amp 29th Sherwood through the ages Sherwood Forest Annual Ancient to
1980s multi-period event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
October
October 5th amp 6th Hughendenrsquos Wartime Weekend Hughenden Manor Bucks Annual
1940s event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
12th
amp 13th
International Events of Historical Crafts (EIAH) Portugal
Email artesanatocomhistoriagmailcom
November
15
th-17
th The Original Re-Enactors Market Ryton on Dunsmore Coventry UK
wwwreenactorsmarketcouk
16th
amp 17th
The National Living History Fair
wwwnlhfcouk
23rd
amp 24th
The Ludlow Medieval Christmas Fair Ludlow Castle Shropshire
httpwwwludlowcastlecompageseventsaspx
Living History Festival ldquoRatnoe Delo (Battle Skill) - 2012rdquo
By Nikolai Chebotarev
3 September 2012
Translated by Inna Drabkina
At last Irsquove got to my computer to tell you about the festival Ratnoe Delo-2012 For us
host living history societies (Legend Russian Village The Flemings) this was the
main event of the year
I am sure that our true friends from Samara and the Krasnoyarsky district where the action
unfolded found it a most pleasurable and interesting event too
Catching my breath after the festival I decided to take up the pen to commemorate the events
of the festival together with our photographers
100 Dyed-in-the-Wool Re-Enactors
The festival focuses on the confrontation of the Russian warriors and the West-European
knights of the 13th century The 13
th century was a dramatic one for the Medieval Rus it was
the age of the Mongol invasion but it was also the age of contact and conflict of the Western
Europe and the principalities of the north-west of Russia
The special appeal of the festival was its ldquoauthenticityrdquo focus In the first place only those
societies that had top-quality historical costumes military equipment household utensils
were admitted to the festival Secondly all these things had to be exact replicas of the 13th
century ones
The photographers couldnrsquot get all the re-enactors in frame
As it turned out it is not easy to gather in one place one hundred dyed-in-the-wool
ldquoauthenticrdquo re-enactors but we coped with the task The geography of the festival
participants ranges from Bryansk in Russia to Yokohama in Japan Yes you heard right
Yokohama
A year ago a Japanese guy Utah Iwasaki came to Russia to see our festival He was
fascinated by the idea of living history and historical re-enactment he told us that in the Land
of the Rising Sun there were no amateur re-enactors only professional actors playing their
parts in public shows This time he is taking to Japan not just photos from the festival but
also a chain mail Halberk - the one in the photo
ldquoIrsquom going to show the chain mail and the photos to my father I think he will be very much
impressed And then Irsquoll show them to my friends and colleagues at work maybe next time
there will be several of us comingrdquo
And who could expect that Utah would meet his compatriots amidst our steppes ldquoThere were
2 boys from Japan They come from a mixed Russian-Japanese family and they live in
Tokyo They came to Samara on a visit to their granddad and thatrsquos how we met at the
festivalrdquo
All the participants were divided into two rivaling partiesndash the East and the West A small
rivulet separated their camps The contest between the parties was the main intrigue of the
festival
The first two days - Friday and Saturday - were the time for the re-enactorsrsquo master classes
seminars and sharing their findings and ideas with each other The participant societies
prepared an extensive program including a master class in long sword and bastard sword
fencing
The wooden models of swords in the hands of the guys are the same as those used for
practicing many years ago
All the fencing movements that Mikhail Manin and Artem Rumyantsev showed were taken
from medieval fencing manuals - fechtbucher
The earliest fencing manual known as Manuscript I33 dates from about the year 1295 and
shows techniques of fencing with a sword and a small round shield (buckler)
It goes without saying that the program on Friday and Saturday was rich - tournaments
maneuvers on rough terrain etc All the participants received a lot of adrenaline and fun
Battering the palisade of the European camp with a ram
Alex Bogatikov a Samara ldquoLegendrdquo novice says This is my first time at the living history
festival and I am really enjoying it a lot of people and a lot of fun Thanks for the nice
impressions of the festival thanks to the guys from other living history societies - I expected
struggle and rivalry at the spear tournament but it turned out to be great fun a real adrenaline
rush All the re-enactors are friends they cheer each other and are very careful not to hurt
their adversaries - its cool guys
And the winners were duly rewarded
Photo link httpvkcomalbums-30578984z=photo-30578984_2882686622Fphotos-
30578984
For the victory of their fighters in an event the factions got points The total score determined
the winner who got the honorary right to raise the banner of the festival on the touristsrsquo day
This time the winner was the East Therefore the right to hoist the flag of the festival on
August19 during the solemn opening ceremony for the tourists passed to the re-enactors of
the Medieval Rus
The very festival field over which the scarlet banner flew seemed to be meant for such
activities The place is just gorgeousrdquo - our spectator Natalia Kuznetsova says ndash ldquoThe
sweet smell of wild strawberries the bridge over the river the undulating hillshellip
Unforgettable
And from the practical point of view the place was ideal too
First of all the federal highway to Ulyanovsk runs next to the festival field and therersquos a
village with a cheerful name of Stary Booyan (which in Russian sounds exactly the same as
lsquoOld Brawlerrsquo) nearby
Secondly the festival meadow is separated from the road and other marks of the modern
civilization by a copse which accounted for the effect of a real time travel
The secrets of the medieval handicrafts
After the opening of the festival a dynamic and rich program unfolded
Potters Maxim and Elena Borisov (society Mir masterov (World of Masters) Samara)
showed everyone who wished so the basics of working with clay Classes turned out to be
very exciting - the potters could not complain about the lack of public interest Their
workshop was thronged
While the enthusiasts at the market were molding clay women of fashion and glamour
gathered in the Western camp Kate Aristova from the Moscow living history club Legend
(full namesake of the Samara host society) spoke about makeup in the Middle Ages
According to her even now in the age of Oriflame and Amway the recipes that originated
eight hundred years ago can be of great interest to modern beauties as they are
environmentally friendly and work miracles with the skin
How to become a sergeant
While the women were buzzing and fussing about their jars of cream and bottles of scent
true men displayed their battle skill
On the eve of the battle Greg a fighter from The Flemings had to prove that he was ready
to become a sergeant
One doesnrsquot get promotion for a song and Greg challenged by experienced combatants had
to fight each of them in turn The task was to remain standing and he coped with it
After the duels ended ldquoThe Flemingsrdquo commander Walter asked the warriorsrsquo opinion of
Greg
I have known Greg for a very long timerdquo raised his voice the Samara Legendrsquos commander
Alexei Romanov ndash ldquoWe fought with him side by side and we also met on the battle-field as
adversaries And I believe that Greg is truly worthy of the rank of sergeant
After the duels and this praise the case was decided The commander of The Flemings with
due ceremony promoted Greg to sergeant
Clash of armour
This was followed by duels (sword ndash buckler sword - shield spears) and finally group
battles
Before the fight opponents egged each other on as best they could
And then rushed into battle
After which there happened something of the sort
Several group fights tough but fair ended in a most amicable way See for yourself
After the fights the spectators spilled out into the field - everyone wanted to be photographed
with the warriors Sometimes the result was pretty funny
Fair maidens prowess and singing arrows
Then came the turn of the womens tournament where fair maidens competed showing their
feminine prowess
To begin with they competed in throwing rolling pins into the target - of course strength and
accuracy were of utmost importance A very useful skill in family life they say And then the
ladies took their husbands battle axes and chopped cabbage with them and in general
displayed their prowess in the skills of ldquokeeping the home fires burningrdquo
Then the archers stepped on the scene The prize was contested by European infantrymen the
Mongol batyrs and of course by Russian warriors
Photo link httpvkcomphoto-30578984_288494144
Moreover women competed alongside with men
In the end the prize went to the well-known local marksman Mikhail Manin
(Novokuibyshevsk) winner of last years tournament
Medieval Jousting contest
Shortly after the tournament the mounted display Medieval Jousting was announced
This was a series of trials in which riders competed in various military disciplines Let me
first introduce the participants
Left to right - Master of the Knights Hospitaller a Mongolian horseman a Russian nobleman
in disgrace and an Arab who would not reveal his face to the audience By the way this is
only half of the participants
The first trial was mounted archery
Master of the Knights Hospitaller Note the speed of the rider And the wooden target he
has to hit is rather smallish
The second trial was ldquoThe Saracenrdquo (This is a spear game the accuracy of lance thrust is
evaluated)
Let me draw your attention to the fact that tournament lances have no heads and this is not
by chance
Just think of the force of the blow a mounted rider strikes when going at full canter
The spearhead passes through the target like a knife through butter Then one of the two
things will surely happen either the lance is stuck and the warrior gets thrown or loses his
lance or ldquoThe Saracen gets wrenched out of the earth Nobody wants it
Trial Three - mounted cutting
Itrsquos interesting that this exercise expressly shows the difference between a sword and a sabre
A sabre due to its characteristic curve of the blade cuts the head of cabbage neatly in two
But the sword chopping blows crush grind the head of cabbage
To some extent the difference is so marked because the sword blades at the festival werenrsquot
honed Honed sword blades also cut very neatly On the other hand a sabre is meant for
slashing blows and weighing less than a sword cuts very efficiently
In the photo you can see the ldquoLegendrdquo posadnik Maxim wearing a red mantle By the way he
won the ridersrsquo competition
Just in case let me explain who posadnik is The word is derived from the word posad
(pronounced as pah-lsquosad) In Russia ldquoposadrdquo was the part of town where most of the
citizens lived There was also a krom (kremlin) or citadel but only the prince with his
household and his host lived there and in the time of an enemy invasion the people flocked
to the citadel seeking protection In short posadnik is the head of the civil authority of the
town
Siege engine and storm
After the horsemenrsquos contest a ten-minute break was declared during which the audience had
a chance to walk around the festival lawn and the participants - to prepare for the impending
battle
According to our idea all the participants able to hold weapons were to meet on the
battlefield in the mass battle
Among them was the team of a medieval siege engine into which Utah Iwasaki seamlessly
blended
Thatrsquos what arcuballista looks like as seen by its aimer
The arcuballista team was under command of Vadim Sinichkin head of the living history
society ldquoSlovenerdquo from Novokuibyshevsk This society built all the siege engines of the
festival
ldquoWe are a small society that is why our only chance to influence the outcome of the battle is
to bombard the adversary with trebuchet and arcuballista projectiles We have adjusted those
things for throwing projectiles for 50 metres ndash contemporary living history festivals seldom
require more powerful siege engines with a longer range They are also rather convenient in
transportation - they can be taken apart and the parts fit on the floor of a mini-bus Thatrsquos
how actually we brought them hererdquo
The final battle
About 4 pm the master of ceremonies announced the last battle of the festival He said that
all the warriors of the festival would cross swords and break spears in the final melee The
3000 spectators began to fill the slope of the hill which became a natural amphitheater
The legend of the final battle was as follows it was a very ordinary event for the troubled
13th century A squad of European soldiers assaulted a Russian frontier guard outpost
located in the steppes of the Volga region
The European soldiers came there with a unit of Mongol warriors (which was a frequent
occasion with Genoan mercenaries from the Crimea) The Mongol warriors brought portable
siege engines to storm the outpost
The soldiers bring an arcuballista which is followed by the trebuchet Perhaps the stone
throwing engine with the help of which the women of Toulouse smashed the head of count
Simon de Montfort the legendary leader of the Crusaders looked very much the same
This unfortunate episode also took place in the 13th
century and to be absolutely precise
on June 25 1218
Having bombarded the outpost with the trebuchet projectiles the Mongols gave the European
foot soldiers the opportunity to attack it while the outpost defenders were still dazed A brief
skirmish and the outpost is takenhellip The Russian warriors retreat to the steppe Another
spell of fighting Only a handful of Russian warriors remainhellip And at the last moment
another Russian unit comes to the aid of the outpost
Irsquod better give the floor to Galina who came to the festival with her 4-year-old son Timothy
ldquoTimothy absolutely believed what he saw I myself felt enthralled ndash everything looked so
real
During the battle when only two Russian warriors remained fighting back to back
surrounded by enemies Tim thought they were about to perish and went to their aid
Photo link httpvkcomphoto7768284_287885078
White as a sheet he breathed out Im coming Hold on And ran to the rescuehellip
I could barely catch him It was hard to calm him down to persuade him it was all make-
believe
When the cavalry came to the rescue I said ldquoLook they are fine now Victoryrdquo You should
have seen the triumph and relief in his eyes
Thats how our long awaited festival ended
The spectators got into their cars and buses and went home ndash some to Samara some to
Togliatti some to Ulyanovskhellip
Photos by Olga Borisenkova Georgy Korobov Olga Nemkova Yulia Timirkhanova
Svetlana Makoveyeva Maria Gomolova Irina Yashina Natalia Kalmykova Alexey
Pleshkov Andrey Surin Ekaterina Orlova Tatiana Besschastnaya Vadim Kozin Evgeny
Krasnikov Alexandra Bunayeva Denis Khramov Nina Gubanova Yuri Chikin Ildar
Hassanov Ivan Yegorov Mikhail Pishchakov Mikhail Puzankov Olesya Strelchenko
Thank you all
Many thanks to the musicians who entertained the spectators They are Yegor Strelnikov
(psaltery Moscow) ldquoMusica Radicumrdquo (folk group Saint Petersburg)
Photo link httpcs304606userapicomv30460642737cah2D-hgjQpRsjpg
Photo link httpcs317423userapicomv31742302020a1HFnxYFD_uS0jpg
ldquoThe Eastrdquo
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Stupino)
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoSuzdalskaya Druzhina (Suzdal Host)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS ldquoTruvorrdquo (Orenburg)
LHS ldquoVityaz (Russian Knight)rdquo (Kazan)
LHS ldquoSlovenerdquo (Novokuibyshevsk)
Association ldquoNORD Rusrdquo (Samara)
ldquoMjollnirrdquo (Samara)
Individual participants
ldquoThe Westrdquo
LHS ldquoAtlit ndash Zamok Palomnika (Atlit - Pilgrimrsquos Castle)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS laquoNovum castrumraquo (Zheleznodorozhny)
LHS ldquoStary Svet (The Old World Company)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoDostoyanie (Heritage)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoFlamandtsy (The Flemings)rdquo (Odintsovo)
Individual participants
Special thanks to the artisans
Association ldquoMir masterov (World of Masters)rdquo (Samara)
ldquoNizhegorodskaya Artel Oruzheinikov (Armourersrsquo Artel)rdquo (Nizhny Novgorod)
Our valiant steeds came from ldquoRusskaya Sloboda (Russian Village)rdquo (Samara) and equestrian
club (Borskoe)
Thank you all guys for war and peace for merry feasts and fair competition
The festival took place on the 19 August 2012 near Stary Booyan in the Krasnoyarsky district
of the Samara Region
Next year our festival will be held again and we expect that our friends from Poland
Ukraine Belarus and Japan will be able to come So if you are interested in the 13th century
re-enactment welcome to Samara ldquoBattle Skill ndash 2013rdquo
Release Date May 11
th 2013
lsquoOur England is a garden and such gardens are not made
By singing--Oh how beautiful and sitting in the shade
While better men than we go out and start their working lives
At grubbing weeds from gravel-paths with broken dinner-knivesrsquo
During WW2 the gardeners of Britain would be digging up these gardens and parks to
produce food supported by the lsquoDig for Victoryrsquo campaign
ldquoDig Dig Dig And your muscles will grow big
Keep on pushing the spade
Donrsquot mind the worms
Just ignore their squirms
And when your back aches laugh with glee
And keep on digginrsquo
Till we give our foes a Wigginrsquo
Dig Dig Dig to Victory
For all the terrors that the front line soldiers suffered if Hitler had succeeded in starving the
country he would have won the war
For many years I have been a professional gardener within the heritage sector originally the
medieval period and during this time I have learned much of the use of plants and gardening
techniques throughout the centuries I now offer displays for historic sites and schools and
talks on gardening from the Romans to the WW2 lsquoDig for Victoryrsquo campaign
Contact the Historic Gardener
Phone 01604 470 651
Email michaelbmikegmailcom
Website wwwhistoricgardenercouk
COME amp MAKE A HISTORICAL COSTUME
with Chalemie in Oxford
13-18 August 2013
Contact Barbara Segal info amp brochure 020 7700 4293
chalemiethorndemoncouk
wwwchalemiecouk
Other courses in Baroque Dance Commedia Singing and
Instrumental Music
Fees pound545 for full board and tuition
(financial help available age immaterial)
THE DEADLY SISTERHOOD BY LEONIE FRIEDA
After her much lauded biography of Catherine dersquo Medici Frieda has shifted her
chronological focus back a few years and broadened it to a cast of eight formidable 15th-
century women Some were related by blood (like the sisters Beatrice and Isabella drsquoEste)
others by marriage (like Lucrezia Tornabuoni mother of Lorenzo and Giuliano dersquoMedici
and her daughter-in-law the Roman aristocrat Clarice Orsini) but all were renowned either
as beauties ndash particularly Lucrezia Borgia and Giulia Farnese ndash political brides (like Isabella
drsquoAragona) or viragos like Caterina Sforza
Friedarsquos skill lies not so much in having researched these eight womenrsquos lives ndash some of
whom have been the subject of recent often revisionist research ndash but in linking them to form
a saga spanning an extraordinarily complex and dynamic period of history in the Italian
peninsula with its patchwork of major and minor city-states and principalities ruled ndash
apparently as Frieda adds ndash by men As Burckhardt first pointed out this was the golden age
of bastards in Italy where men and women born on either side of the marriage vows could
seize political control and ride the crested waves of Fortune This libidinous opportunistic
age ended dramatically in the horrific violence of the Sack of Rome and the years that
followed it ushered in a stricter sense of legitimacy ndash of birth nationality and religion ndash but
many of the women who became influential in it were descended from these extraordinary
15th-century women whose lives are charted so magnificently here
For other great reviews visit
httphistoricalnovelsocietyorg
Jogo do Paursquos conceptualization
An historical and sociological analysis
My name is Luiacutes Preto After completing an undergrad in physical education and two
masters one in sportsrsquo teaching methodologies and another in coaching sciences I am now
34 years old and with 25 years of martial arts experience which includes 16 years of
exposure to Jogo do Pau
First premise
To start off it is important to realize that my understanding of the word fencing is that it refers
to any activity in which an object external to onersquos body is used to perform strikes and
parries Additionally in light of the innumerable and physically distinct fencing weapons
around each weaponrsquos specific physical traits and combat tactics entail that there are
different ldquotypesrdquo of fencing
Overall view on European martial arts
I am going to start this historical and sociological conceptualization of Jogo do Pau by
describing my overall systematization of European fencing arts In this regard I find that
European historical fencing arts can be systematized into 3 main categories according to the
contextual circumstances under which combats took place and its resulting weapons and
tactics
1) Bashing weaponsrsquo battlefield period
As a result of many countriesrsquo efforts to extend their territory such as what took place in
Portugal between the XII and XIV centuries European fencingrsquos first period was centred
around the participation in battlefields In Portugal such activity brought about ldquoextra-
long swordsrdquo that were mostly blunt These ldquoextra-longrdquo swords like the Montante were
at least 15m long so as to enable their users to have the maximum possible reach
Additionally they also had to be significantly thick and thus heavy so as to sustain
strikes from any type of weapon from swords to steal pools Finally on top of having to
face multiple opponents at the same time battlefield combat also entailed facing
opponents who wore both chainmail and body armour Therefore combatants didnrsquot
waste time sharpening their weapons and were forced to rely on powerful bashing striking
techniques
2) Cutting weaponsrsquo duelling period
Later with the creation of firearms long swords began being used for leisure and with
this taking place in fencing schools where fighters did not use much if any body armour
swords became sharper and sparring incorporated softer slashing striking techniques
3) Thrusting weaponsrsquo duelling period
Finally the further development of duelling under an increasingly stricter code of honour
assured that combatants wouldnt have to face heavy weapons such as steal pools which
allowed for the development of thinner swords such as the rapier This new duelling
context and its resulting new weapon promoted the restructuring of single combat tactics
centring it on the fastest of all striking techniques the thrust
My personal opinion is that none of these fencing styles is better than the remaining ones As
martial arts their usefulness depends on the context under which each person is forced to
fight for survival and as recreational leisure activities it simply depends on each personrsquos
personal preference
Now using this overall systematization as reference let us dive into the specific theme of
Jogo do Pau
Jogo do Pau
Jogo do Pau which literally means ldquogame of the staffrdquo is starting to become more well
known internationally and for the most part people view it as a Portuguese staff fencing art
However having researched this topic beyond a standard internet search I disagree with both
these attributes
On being a staff (exclusive) fencing art
Portuguese King D Duarte describes in his XV century book ldquoA ensinanccedila de bem cavalgar
toda a selardquo (available in English under the name ldquoThe art of riding on every saddlerdquo) the
striking techniques that can be performed with swords It so happens that both the strikesrsquo
names and the description of their trajectories correspond to Jogo do Paursquos terminology and
striking angles Furthermore since the Kingrsquos brief description of outnumbered combat
tactics also matches Jogo do Paursquos we consider that Jogo do Pau corresponds to the first
period of battlefield fencing system We believe that these combat skills (techniques and
tactics) were historically performed with both ldquoextra-longrdquo swords and staffs but upon
having swords being replaced in the military by firearms this art ended up being preserved
by civilians through the exclusive use of staffs since these were the only weapons most
people could afford
On being a Portuguese (exclusive) art
Before the more recent development of the combat sport Canne de Combat France also used
to have its own ldquostaff fencingrdquo art It so happens that this French art had exactly the same
name as the ldquoPortuguese artrdquo only in French obviously It was Le Jeux du Baton
My Jogo do Pau instructor Master Nuno Curvello Russo who is regarded as the most
experienced and knowledgeable Jogo do Pau instructor in Portugal lived in France during the
seventies While there he met Maurice Sarry who like Master Russo had dedicated himself
to the extensive study of his countryrsquos traditional fighting art and was highly regarded on a
national level
As these two great Masters got acquainted with one another they started training together
and soon realized their arts were identical regarding their single combat techniques strikes
parries and footwork I specifically pointed out that I am referring to single combat technique
because at the time the French art had become exclusively focused on this type of combat
similarly to what also occurred within the Portuguese urban industrial cities where the
practice of Jogo do Pau was undertaken as a leisure activity and therefore exclusively
focused on single combat
Thus with Jogo do Pau and Jeux du Baton being identical and knowing that European
countries interacted both socially (such as through royal marriages) and commercially it is all
but surprising to realize that they also developed a common standardized combat art Hence
Jogo do Pau corresponds to the preservation of European historical fencing and not merely a
Portuguese specific art
I do not wish to sound even if for just for a second disrespectful towards other European
combat schools of thought such as the German and Italian They are also European Historical
Fencing but simply from a different period and context more specifically from the second
period mentioned at the start of this article
On the parallel between societyrsquos evolution and Jogo do Paursquos motor skills
Double handed weapons
From its very first days mankind has always had the need to hunt for food as well as fight
other human beings in large groups so as to protect and or conquer both assets and territory
Consequently with martial artsrsquo origin and essence residing in the development of effective
skills for outnumbered combat Jogo do Pau was no exception which made it useful to both
civilians and the countryrsquos army
Additionally since people lived in rural environments (where space wasnrsquot lacking) and with
striking arts being highly influenced by reach this art was initially focused on the exclusive
use of long double handed weapons the extra long swords amongst the military and the staffs
amongst civilians
Surely enough some social conflicts did end up being settled through duels but with
peoplersquos standard training being focused on outnumbered combat these duels were fought by
looking to make the best possible use of the commonly trained outnumbered combat skills
Only towards to eighteenth century with the development of industrial cities did Jogo do
Pau begin being practiced as a leisure activity within these few cities Eventually the
connection between these two forms of combat single and outnumbered combat and their
distinct social realities became so strong that the practice of outnumbered combat started
being designated as ldquonorthrsquos gamerdquo where it kept being practitionersrsquo main focus until the
later stages of the twentieth century On the other hand the more recent leisure type practice
groups which focused on the artrsquos single combat recreational version brought about new
techniques and strategies to this type combat and began being called Lisbonrsquos school
From the early 1970rsquos onward Master Nuno Russo originally trained in Master Pedro
Ferreirarsquos Lisbon school routinely travelled to the north of Portugal for long seasons in order
to learn the artrsquos system of outnumbered combat Ultimately Master Russo was able to
combine both systems into one single and unified technical program which to my
knowledge is the only of its kind
Single handed weapons
Nevertheless people living in industrial cities were also confronted by self defence scenarios
Given this and keeping alive the artrsquos original essence Master Nuno Russo picked up on
Master Pedro Ferreirarsquos initial efforts and adopted some more city type weapons the walking
cane and the baton He extensively studied the artrsquos application to these shorter one handed
weapons making his school a very unique and complete system that offers both double and
single handed weapon mastery for both outnumbered and single combat
Currently Master Russorsquos school is called Escola Santo Condestaacutevel in memory of
Portuguese medieval legendary knight Nuno Aacutelvares Pereira (1360-1431) who was officially
declared saint by the current Pope on April 26th
2009
From Jogo do Pau to Lusitanian Fencing
Last but surely not least the previously mentioned elements allow us to conclude that the
artrsquos designation Jogo do Pau is incorrect as this art is not staff exclusive and by no means a
game
This medieval fencing artrsquos designation probably came about as a result of having been
preserved through staffs and additionally having in ancient Portuguese the verb ldquojogarrdquo (to
play) being used to designate the action of throwing something Consequently the skill of
knowing how to swing and kind of throw the staff against an opponent (jogar o pau) paved
the way for the art to be called Jogo do Pau
With the artrsquos name being incorrect and despite being aware of the difficult task that we face
in changing popular culture we decided to do something about it Were this to be a staff
specific fencing art its correct name would have been staff fencing (Esgrima de Pau) but
knowing of its historical and technical connection to medieval weapons we opted to rename
the art as Esgrima Lusitana (Lusitanian Fenicng) which also serves as a well deserved tribute
to our countryrsquos forefathers the brave Lusitanian people whom the Romans only managed to
subdue through treachery
Military amp Flying Machines Show
wwwmilitaryandflyingmachinesorguk
P R E S S R E L E A S E with immediate effect
Welcome Back Sally B The Military amp Flying Machines Team are so excited and pleased to be able to confirm some very special news for the 2013 show at Damyns Hall Aerodrome Due to public demand we are expanding our show to a three day event taking place on 3
rd 4
th and 5
th
August with more attractions more vehicles more flying and more big bangs This year we are delighted to welcome back the fantastic WW2 vintage B-17 Flying Fortress Bomber lsquoSally Brsquo the last remaining airworthy B-17 in Europe It quickly took on mythic proportions and widely circulated stories and photos of B-17s surviving battle damage increased its iconic status The B17 could fly higher than any of its Allied contemporaries and established its place in history dropping more bombs than any other US aircraft in World War II The Sally B has featured in many feature films most notably the blockbuster film Memphis Belle It will again amaze the crowds with low level displays as this truly historic aircraft is put through its paces ldquoSally Brdquo has always in the past performed the most amazing air display at Damyns Hall especially as the aerodrome is fairly small when this almighty warbird flyrsquos past it feels like you can reach out and touch it it is a display that cannot be missed
If Warbirds are of interest to you then you will be in for a big treat at this yearrsquos show with a superb display from the magnificent Spitfire the iconic shape and unmistakeable noise stir the imagination and the emotion of all that watch We also welcome the Hurricane ldquoHurribomberrdquo a first for our show (MORE ON HURRBOMBER) The WW2 fighter trainers ndash the Harvard T6 single-engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces United States Navy Royal Air Force and other air forces of the British Commonwealth during World War II and into the 1950s and the Boeing Stearman the work horses of the training airfield which were used to train many Battle of Britain heroes ndash will also join the line up to entertain the crowds The incomparable Jungmeister will also be displaying demonstrating its flying versatility A rare Messerschmitt 108 another classic WW2 aircraft from the German Luftwaffe The ME108 will also form part of a Living History static display on the ground Many of the aircrafts will be landing as well over the weekend so it is a fabulous rare opportunity to get up close
As well as all this there will be so much more to see whilst your there admiring the sights and sounds in the skies including helicopter pleasure flights along with 300+ military vehicles living history displays live entertainment all day arena activities including big bangs and even bigger vehicles Kidsrsquo activities vintage funfair refreshments stalls ndash there truly is something for everyone and at great value for money
Wersquove got more exciting news coming very soon ndash so watch this space for the next BIG ANNOUNCEMENT
For the latest updates on the show visit wwwmilitaryandflyingmachinesorguk
Military amp Flying
Machines Show
2nd
3rd
amp 4th August
- Over 17000 attendees
- Flying Displays
- Pleasure Flights
- Living History
Displays -
300+ Vehicles -
Live Entertainment -
Arena Activities -
20+ Tanks amp Armoured Vehicles
Live 40rsquos style big
band
Event Information
May
4
th ndash 6
th Bentley Medieval Festival Lewes east Sussex UK
marktime-productionscom
4th ndash 6
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Blenheim Palace UK
httpwwwblenheimpalacecom
5th amp 6
th ldquoRogues amp Outlawsrdquo Sherwood Forest UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
10th
ndash 12th British Quarterstaff Association weekend in Gloucestershire UK
httpquarterstafforgeventshtml
11th
The Mortimer History Society Spring Conference Leominster UK
wwwmortimerhistorysocietyorguk
11th
amp 12th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Ekenas Castle Sweden
httpwwwekenasslottse
May 11th amp 12th A Victorian Celebration Forge Mill Needle Museum Redditch UK
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
May 25th amp 26th Tall Ships rsquo13 Gloucester Historic Docks Ships maritime living history
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
May 26th amp 27th Harewood Medieval Faire Harewood House Leeds 2nd major annual
multi-period medieval festival with 1066 to 1487 timeline
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
26th
ndash 28th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Hedingham Castle UK
httpwwwhedinghamcastlecouk
May 28th
June 1st Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Leeds Castle UK
httpwwwleeds-castlecomlandphp
June
1st amp 2
nd Templecombe Medieval fair Templecombe UK
httpswwwfacebookcomevents300657233387495
8th amp 9
th History Alive Fort Lytton National Park Brisbane Australia
wwwhistoryalivecoau
15th
amp 16th
Gloucester Medieval Play Festival UK
wwwglostheatrecouk
15th
amp 16th
Tatton Park Old Hall Medieval fayre UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
21st ndash 23
rd Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Cardiff Castle Wales
httpwwwcardiffcastlecom
21st ndash 23
rd Times amp Epochs Moscow Russia
httpwwwfacebookcomhistoryfestref=tsampfref=ts
29th
amp 30th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Linlithgow Palace Scotland httpwwwhistoric-scotlandgovukpropertyresultspropertyoverviewhtmPropID=PL_199ampPropName=Linlithgow20Palace
July
5th ndash 7
th LARP Camp Huntley Wood Staffordshire UK
wwwlarpcampcouk
6th amp 7
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Linlithgow Palace Scotland
httpwwwhistoric-scotlandgovukpropertyresultspropertyoverviewhtmPropID=PL_199ampPropName=Linlithgow20Palace
13th
amp 14th
The Battle of Tewkesbury UK
httpwwwtewkesburymedievalfestivalorg
13th
amp 14th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
20th
amp 21st Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
26th
ndash 28th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
27th
amp 28th
Berkeley Skirmish Berkeley Castle Gloucestershire UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
27th
amp 28th
Smugglers Island Appuldurcombe House IOW UK
Email ednash1993hotmailcouk
July 27th amp 28th Hughendenrsquos Victorian Weekend Hughenden Manor Buckinghamshire
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
27th
amp 28th
Slaughterbridge Camlann Life and Legend Camelford Cornwall UK
heburbeckgmaiIc0m
August
2nd
ndash 4th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Blenheim Palace UK
httpwwwblenheimpalacecom
3rd
amp 4th
The Midlands Festival of History UK
httpwwwmid-festcouk
3rd
amp 4th
The Loxwood Joust Loxwood Meadow RH14 0AL UK
wwwloxwoodjoustcouk
9th ndash 11
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
16th
ndash 18th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
17th
amp 18th
Scotlands Festival of History Chatelherault Scotland
wwwscotlandsfestivalofhistorycouk
17th
amp 18th
M5-Multi Period Re-enactment Weekend Spetchley Park Worcs UK
Website ndash wwwm5showcouk
23rd
amp 24th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
25th
amp 26th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hedingham Castle UK
httpwwwhedinghamcastlecouk
25th
amp 26th
The Sheffield Fayre Norfolk Heritage Park Sheffield
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
August 31st amp September 1st On the Home Front 1939-45 Rufford Abbey Country Park
Notts Annual 1940s show wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
September
12th amp 13th Bexbach 1474 Call To Arms
www1474eu
14th
amp 15th
The Battle of Mortimerrsquos Cross Hampton Court Castle Herefordshire
wwwmortimerscrosscouk
September 21st amp 22nd Wimpole at War The Wimpole Estate Cambridgeshire Annual
1940s event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
September 28th amp 29th Sherwood through the ages Sherwood Forest Annual Ancient to
1980s multi-period event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
October
October 5th amp 6th Hughendenrsquos Wartime Weekend Hughenden Manor Bucks Annual
1940s event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
12th
amp 13th
International Events of Historical Crafts (EIAH) Portugal
Email artesanatocomhistoriagmailcom
November
15
th-17
th The Original Re-Enactors Market Ryton on Dunsmore Coventry UK
wwwreenactorsmarketcouk
16th
amp 17th
The National Living History Fair
wwwnlhfcouk
23rd
amp 24th
The Ludlow Medieval Christmas Fair Ludlow Castle Shropshire
httpwwwludlowcastlecompageseventsaspx
Living History Festival ldquoRatnoe Delo (Battle Skill) - 2012rdquo
By Nikolai Chebotarev
3 September 2012
Translated by Inna Drabkina
At last Irsquove got to my computer to tell you about the festival Ratnoe Delo-2012 For us
host living history societies (Legend Russian Village The Flemings) this was the
main event of the year
I am sure that our true friends from Samara and the Krasnoyarsky district where the action
unfolded found it a most pleasurable and interesting event too
Catching my breath after the festival I decided to take up the pen to commemorate the events
of the festival together with our photographers
100 Dyed-in-the-Wool Re-Enactors
The festival focuses on the confrontation of the Russian warriors and the West-European
knights of the 13th century The 13
th century was a dramatic one for the Medieval Rus it was
the age of the Mongol invasion but it was also the age of contact and conflict of the Western
Europe and the principalities of the north-west of Russia
The special appeal of the festival was its ldquoauthenticityrdquo focus In the first place only those
societies that had top-quality historical costumes military equipment household utensils
were admitted to the festival Secondly all these things had to be exact replicas of the 13th
century ones
The photographers couldnrsquot get all the re-enactors in frame
As it turned out it is not easy to gather in one place one hundred dyed-in-the-wool
ldquoauthenticrdquo re-enactors but we coped with the task The geography of the festival
participants ranges from Bryansk in Russia to Yokohama in Japan Yes you heard right
Yokohama
A year ago a Japanese guy Utah Iwasaki came to Russia to see our festival He was
fascinated by the idea of living history and historical re-enactment he told us that in the Land
of the Rising Sun there were no amateur re-enactors only professional actors playing their
parts in public shows This time he is taking to Japan not just photos from the festival but
also a chain mail Halberk - the one in the photo
ldquoIrsquom going to show the chain mail and the photos to my father I think he will be very much
impressed And then Irsquoll show them to my friends and colleagues at work maybe next time
there will be several of us comingrdquo
And who could expect that Utah would meet his compatriots amidst our steppes ldquoThere were
2 boys from Japan They come from a mixed Russian-Japanese family and they live in
Tokyo They came to Samara on a visit to their granddad and thatrsquos how we met at the
festivalrdquo
All the participants were divided into two rivaling partiesndash the East and the West A small
rivulet separated their camps The contest between the parties was the main intrigue of the
festival
The first two days - Friday and Saturday - were the time for the re-enactorsrsquo master classes
seminars and sharing their findings and ideas with each other The participant societies
prepared an extensive program including a master class in long sword and bastard sword
fencing
The wooden models of swords in the hands of the guys are the same as those used for
practicing many years ago
All the fencing movements that Mikhail Manin and Artem Rumyantsev showed were taken
from medieval fencing manuals - fechtbucher
The earliest fencing manual known as Manuscript I33 dates from about the year 1295 and
shows techniques of fencing with a sword and a small round shield (buckler)
It goes without saying that the program on Friday and Saturday was rich - tournaments
maneuvers on rough terrain etc All the participants received a lot of adrenaline and fun
Battering the palisade of the European camp with a ram
Alex Bogatikov a Samara ldquoLegendrdquo novice says This is my first time at the living history
festival and I am really enjoying it a lot of people and a lot of fun Thanks for the nice
impressions of the festival thanks to the guys from other living history societies - I expected
struggle and rivalry at the spear tournament but it turned out to be great fun a real adrenaline
rush All the re-enactors are friends they cheer each other and are very careful not to hurt
their adversaries - its cool guys
And the winners were duly rewarded
Photo link httpvkcomalbums-30578984z=photo-30578984_2882686622Fphotos-
30578984
For the victory of their fighters in an event the factions got points The total score determined
the winner who got the honorary right to raise the banner of the festival on the touristsrsquo day
This time the winner was the East Therefore the right to hoist the flag of the festival on
August19 during the solemn opening ceremony for the tourists passed to the re-enactors of
the Medieval Rus
The very festival field over which the scarlet banner flew seemed to be meant for such
activities The place is just gorgeousrdquo - our spectator Natalia Kuznetsova says ndash ldquoThe
sweet smell of wild strawberries the bridge over the river the undulating hillshellip
Unforgettable
And from the practical point of view the place was ideal too
First of all the federal highway to Ulyanovsk runs next to the festival field and therersquos a
village with a cheerful name of Stary Booyan (which in Russian sounds exactly the same as
lsquoOld Brawlerrsquo) nearby
Secondly the festival meadow is separated from the road and other marks of the modern
civilization by a copse which accounted for the effect of a real time travel
The secrets of the medieval handicrafts
After the opening of the festival a dynamic and rich program unfolded
Potters Maxim and Elena Borisov (society Mir masterov (World of Masters) Samara)
showed everyone who wished so the basics of working with clay Classes turned out to be
very exciting - the potters could not complain about the lack of public interest Their
workshop was thronged
While the enthusiasts at the market were molding clay women of fashion and glamour
gathered in the Western camp Kate Aristova from the Moscow living history club Legend
(full namesake of the Samara host society) spoke about makeup in the Middle Ages
According to her even now in the age of Oriflame and Amway the recipes that originated
eight hundred years ago can be of great interest to modern beauties as they are
environmentally friendly and work miracles with the skin
How to become a sergeant
While the women were buzzing and fussing about their jars of cream and bottles of scent
true men displayed their battle skill
On the eve of the battle Greg a fighter from The Flemings had to prove that he was ready
to become a sergeant
One doesnrsquot get promotion for a song and Greg challenged by experienced combatants had
to fight each of them in turn The task was to remain standing and he coped with it
After the duels ended ldquoThe Flemingsrdquo commander Walter asked the warriorsrsquo opinion of
Greg
I have known Greg for a very long timerdquo raised his voice the Samara Legendrsquos commander
Alexei Romanov ndash ldquoWe fought with him side by side and we also met on the battle-field as
adversaries And I believe that Greg is truly worthy of the rank of sergeant
After the duels and this praise the case was decided The commander of The Flemings with
due ceremony promoted Greg to sergeant
Clash of armour
This was followed by duels (sword ndash buckler sword - shield spears) and finally group
battles
Before the fight opponents egged each other on as best they could
And then rushed into battle
After which there happened something of the sort
Several group fights tough but fair ended in a most amicable way See for yourself
After the fights the spectators spilled out into the field - everyone wanted to be photographed
with the warriors Sometimes the result was pretty funny
Fair maidens prowess and singing arrows
Then came the turn of the womens tournament where fair maidens competed showing their
feminine prowess
To begin with they competed in throwing rolling pins into the target - of course strength and
accuracy were of utmost importance A very useful skill in family life they say And then the
ladies took their husbands battle axes and chopped cabbage with them and in general
displayed their prowess in the skills of ldquokeeping the home fires burningrdquo
Then the archers stepped on the scene The prize was contested by European infantrymen the
Mongol batyrs and of course by Russian warriors
Photo link httpvkcomphoto-30578984_288494144
Moreover women competed alongside with men
In the end the prize went to the well-known local marksman Mikhail Manin
(Novokuibyshevsk) winner of last years tournament
Medieval Jousting contest
Shortly after the tournament the mounted display Medieval Jousting was announced
This was a series of trials in which riders competed in various military disciplines Let me
first introduce the participants
Left to right - Master of the Knights Hospitaller a Mongolian horseman a Russian nobleman
in disgrace and an Arab who would not reveal his face to the audience By the way this is
only half of the participants
The first trial was mounted archery
Master of the Knights Hospitaller Note the speed of the rider And the wooden target he
has to hit is rather smallish
The second trial was ldquoThe Saracenrdquo (This is a spear game the accuracy of lance thrust is
evaluated)
Let me draw your attention to the fact that tournament lances have no heads and this is not
by chance
Just think of the force of the blow a mounted rider strikes when going at full canter
The spearhead passes through the target like a knife through butter Then one of the two
things will surely happen either the lance is stuck and the warrior gets thrown or loses his
lance or ldquoThe Saracen gets wrenched out of the earth Nobody wants it
Trial Three - mounted cutting
Itrsquos interesting that this exercise expressly shows the difference between a sword and a sabre
A sabre due to its characteristic curve of the blade cuts the head of cabbage neatly in two
But the sword chopping blows crush grind the head of cabbage
To some extent the difference is so marked because the sword blades at the festival werenrsquot
honed Honed sword blades also cut very neatly On the other hand a sabre is meant for
slashing blows and weighing less than a sword cuts very efficiently
In the photo you can see the ldquoLegendrdquo posadnik Maxim wearing a red mantle By the way he
won the ridersrsquo competition
Just in case let me explain who posadnik is The word is derived from the word posad
(pronounced as pah-lsquosad) In Russia ldquoposadrdquo was the part of town where most of the
citizens lived There was also a krom (kremlin) or citadel but only the prince with his
household and his host lived there and in the time of an enemy invasion the people flocked
to the citadel seeking protection In short posadnik is the head of the civil authority of the
town
Siege engine and storm
After the horsemenrsquos contest a ten-minute break was declared during which the audience had
a chance to walk around the festival lawn and the participants - to prepare for the impending
battle
According to our idea all the participants able to hold weapons were to meet on the
battlefield in the mass battle
Among them was the team of a medieval siege engine into which Utah Iwasaki seamlessly
blended
Thatrsquos what arcuballista looks like as seen by its aimer
The arcuballista team was under command of Vadim Sinichkin head of the living history
society ldquoSlovenerdquo from Novokuibyshevsk This society built all the siege engines of the
festival
ldquoWe are a small society that is why our only chance to influence the outcome of the battle is
to bombard the adversary with trebuchet and arcuballista projectiles We have adjusted those
things for throwing projectiles for 50 metres ndash contemporary living history festivals seldom
require more powerful siege engines with a longer range They are also rather convenient in
transportation - they can be taken apart and the parts fit on the floor of a mini-bus Thatrsquos
how actually we brought them hererdquo
The final battle
About 4 pm the master of ceremonies announced the last battle of the festival He said that
all the warriors of the festival would cross swords and break spears in the final melee The
3000 spectators began to fill the slope of the hill which became a natural amphitheater
The legend of the final battle was as follows it was a very ordinary event for the troubled
13th century A squad of European soldiers assaulted a Russian frontier guard outpost
located in the steppes of the Volga region
The European soldiers came there with a unit of Mongol warriors (which was a frequent
occasion with Genoan mercenaries from the Crimea) The Mongol warriors brought portable
siege engines to storm the outpost
The soldiers bring an arcuballista which is followed by the trebuchet Perhaps the stone
throwing engine with the help of which the women of Toulouse smashed the head of count
Simon de Montfort the legendary leader of the Crusaders looked very much the same
This unfortunate episode also took place in the 13th
century and to be absolutely precise
on June 25 1218
Having bombarded the outpost with the trebuchet projectiles the Mongols gave the European
foot soldiers the opportunity to attack it while the outpost defenders were still dazed A brief
skirmish and the outpost is takenhellip The Russian warriors retreat to the steppe Another
spell of fighting Only a handful of Russian warriors remainhellip And at the last moment
another Russian unit comes to the aid of the outpost
Irsquod better give the floor to Galina who came to the festival with her 4-year-old son Timothy
ldquoTimothy absolutely believed what he saw I myself felt enthralled ndash everything looked so
real
During the battle when only two Russian warriors remained fighting back to back
surrounded by enemies Tim thought they were about to perish and went to their aid
Photo link httpvkcomphoto7768284_287885078
White as a sheet he breathed out Im coming Hold on And ran to the rescuehellip
I could barely catch him It was hard to calm him down to persuade him it was all make-
believe
When the cavalry came to the rescue I said ldquoLook they are fine now Victoryrdquo You should
have seen the triumph and relief in his eyes
Thats how our long awaited festival ended
The spectators got into their cars and buses and went home ndash some to Samara some to
Togliatti some to Ulyanovskhellip
Photos by Olga Borisenkova Georgy Korobov Olga Nemkova Yulia Timirkhanova
Svetlana Makoveyeva Maria Gomolova Irina Yashina Natalia Kalmykova Alexey
Pleshkov Andrey Surin Ekaterina Orlova Tatiana Besschastnaya Vadim Kozin Evgeny
Krasnikov Alexandra Bunayeva Denis Khramov Nina Gubanova Yuri Chikin Ildar
Hassanov Ivan Yegorov Mikhail Pishchakov Mikhail Puzankov Olesya Strelchenko
Thank you all
Many thanks to the musicians who entertained the spectators They are Yegor Strelnikov
(psaltery Moscow) ldquoMusica Radicumrdquo (folk group Saint Petersburg)
Photo link httpcs304606userapicomv30460642737cah2D-hgjQpRsjpg
Photo link httpcs317423userapicomv31742302020a1HFnxYFD_uS0jpg
ldquoThe Eastrdquo
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Stupino)
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoSuzdalskaya Druzhina (Suzdal Host)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS ldquoTruvorrdquo (Orenburg)
LHS ldquoVityaz (Russian Knight)rdquo (Kazan)
LHS ldquoSlovenerdquo (Novokuibyshevsk)
Association ldquoNORD Rusrdquo (Samara)
ldquoMjollnirrdquo (Samara)
Individual participants
ldquoThe Westrdquo
LHS ldquoAtlit ndash Zamok Palomnika (Atlit - Pilgrimrsquos Castle)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS laquoNovum castrumraquo (Zheleznodorozhny)
LHS ldquoStary Svet (The Old World Company)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoDostoyanie (Heritage)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoFlamandtsy (The Flemings)rdquo (Odintsovo)
Individual participants
Special thanks to the artisans
Association ldquoMir masterov (World of Masters)rdquo (Samara)
ldquoNizhegorodskaya Artel Oruzheinikov (Armourersrsquo Artel)rdquo (Nizhny Novgorod)
Our valiant steeds came from ldquoRusskaya Sloboda (Russian Village)rdquo (Samara) and equestrian
club (Borskoe)
Thank you all guys for war and peace for merry feasts and fair competition
The festival took place on the 19 August 2012 near Stary Booyan in the Krasnoyarsky district
of the Samara Region
Next year our festival will be held again and we expect that our friends from Poland
Ukraine Belarus and Japan will be able to come So if you are interested in the 13th century
re-enactment welcome to Samara ldquoBattle Skill ndash 2013rdquo
Release Date May 11
th 2013
THE DEADLY SISTERHOOD BY LEONIE FRIEDA
After her much lauded biography of Catherine dersquo Medici Frieda has shifted her
chronological focus back a few years and broadened it to a cast of eight formidable 15th-
century women Some were related by blood (like the sisters Beatrice and Isabella drsquoEste)
others by marriage (like Lucrezia Tornabuoni mother of Lorenzo and Giuliano dersquoMedici
and her daughter-in-law the Roman aristocrat Clarice Orsini) but all were renowned either
as beauties ndash particularly Lucrezia Borgia and Giulia Farnese ndash political brides (like Isabella
drsquoAragona) or viragos like Caterina Sforza
Friedarsquos skill lies not so much in having researched these eight womenrsquos lives ndash some of
whom have been the subject of recent often revisionist research ndash but in linking them to form
a saga spanning an extraordinarily complex and dynamic period of history in the Italian
peninsula with its patchwork of major and minor city-states and principalities ruled ndash
apparently as Frieda adds ndash by men As Burckhardt first pointed out this was the golden age
of bastards in Italy where men and women born on either side of the marriage vows could
seize political control and ride the crested waves of Fortune This libidinous opportunistic
age ended dramatically in the horrific violence of the Sack of Rome and the years that
followed it ushered in a stricter sense of legitimacy ndash of birth nationality and religion ndash but
many of the women who became influential in it were descended from these extraordinary
15th-century women whose lives are charted so magnificently here
For other great reviews visit
httphistoricalnovelsocietyorg
Jogo do Paursquos conceptualization
An historical and sociological analysis
My name is Luiacutes Preto After completing an undergrad in physical education and two
masters one in sportsrsquo teaching methodologies and another in coaching sciences I am now
34 years old and with 25 years of martial arts experience which includes 16 years of
exposure to Jogo do Pau
First premise
To start off it is important to realize that my understanding of the word fencing is that it refers
to any activity in which an object external to onersquos body is used to perform strikes and
parries Additionally in light of the innumerable and physically distinct fencing weapons
around each weaponrsquos specific physical traits and combat tactics entail that there are
different ldquotypesrdquo of fencing
Overall view on European martial arts
I am going to start this historical and sociological conceptualization of Jogo do Pau by
describing my overall systematization of European fencing arts In this regard I find that
European historical fencing arts can be systematized into 3 main categories according to the
contextual circumstances under which combats took place and its resulting weapons and
tactics
1) Bashing weaponsrsquo battlefield period
As a result of many countriesrsquo efforts to extend their territory such as what took place in
Portugal between the XII and XIV centuries European fencingrsquos first period was centred
around the participation in battlefields In Portugal such activity brought about ldquoextra-
long swordsrdquo that were mostly blunt These ldquoextra-longrdquo swords like the Montante were
at least 15m long so as to enable their users to have the maximum possible reach
Additionally they also had to be significantly thick and thus heavy so as to sustain
strikes from any type of weapon from swords to steal pools Finally on top of having to
face multiple opponents at the same time battlefield combat also entailed facing
opponents who wore both chainmail and body armour Therefore combatants didnrsquot
waste time sharpening their weapons and were forced to rely on powerful bashing striking
techniques
2) Cutting weaponsrsquo duelling period
Later with the creation of firearms long swords began being used for leisure and with
this taking place in fencing schools where fighters did not use much if any body armour
swords became sharper and sparring incorporated softer slashing striking techniques
3) Thrusting weaponsrsquo duelling period
Finally the further development of duelling under an increasingly stricter code of honour
assured that combatants wouldnt have to face heavy weapons such as steal pools which
allowed for the development of thinner swords such as the rapier This new duelling
context and its resulting new weapon promoted the restructuring of single combat tactics
centring it on the fastest of all striking techniques the thrust
My personal opinion is that none of these fencing styles is better than the remaining ones As
martial arts their usefulness depends on the context under which each person is forced to
fight for survival and as recreational leisure activities it simply depends on each personrsquos
personal preference
Now using this overall systematization as reference let us dive into the specific theme of
Jogo do Pau
Jogo do Pau
Jogo do Pau which literally means ldquogame of the staffrdquo is starting to become more well
known internationally and for the most part people view it as a Portuguese staff fencing art
However having researched this topic beyond a standard internet search I disagree with both
these attributes
On being a staff (exclusive) fencing art
Portuguese King D Duarte describes in his XV century book ldquoA ensinanccedila de bem cavalgar
toda a selardquo (available in English under the name ldquoThe art of riding on every saddlerdquo) the
striking techniques that can be performed with swords It so happens that both the strikesrsquo
names and the description of their trajectories correspond to Jogo do Paursquos terminology and
striking angles Furthermore since the Kingrsquos brief description of outnumbered combat
tactics also matches Jogo do Paursquos we consider that Jogo do Pau corresponds to the first
period of battlefield fencing system We believe that these combat skills (techniques and
tactics) were historically performed with both ldquoextra-longrdquo swords and staffs but upon
having swords being replaced in the military by firearms this art ended up being preserved
by civilians through the exclusive use of staffs since these were the only weapons most
people could afford
On being a Portuguese (exclusive) art
Before the more recent development of the combat sport Canne de Combat France also used
to have its own ldquostaff fencingrdquo art It so happens that this French art had exactly the same
name as the ldquoPortuguese artrdquo only in French obviously It was Le Jeux du Baton
My Jogo do Pau instructor Master Nuno Curvello Russo who is regarded as the most
experienced and knowledgeable Jogo do Pau instructor in Portugal lived in France during the
seventies While there he met Maurice Sarry who like Master Russo had dedicated himself
to the extensive study of his countryrsquos traditional fighting art and was highly regarded on a
national level
As these two great Masters got acquainted with one another they started training together
and soon realized their arts were identical regarding their single combat techniques strikes
parries and footwork I specifically pointed out that I am referring to single combat technique
because at the time the French art had become exclusively focused on this type of combat
similarly to what also occurred within the Portuguese urban industrial cities where the
practice of Jogo do Pau was undertaken as a leisure activity and therefore exclusively
focused on single combat
Thus with Jogo do Pau and Jeux du Baton being identical and knowing that European
countries interacted both socially (such as through royal marriages) and commercially it is all
but surprising to realize that they also developed a common standardized combat art Hence
Jogo do Pau corresponds to the preservation of European historical fencing and not merely a
Portuguese specific art
I do not wish to sound even if for just for a second disrespectful towards other European
combat schools of thought such as the German and Italian They are also European Historical
Fencing but simply from a different period and context more specifically from the second
period mentioned at the start of this article
On the parallel between societyrsquos evolution and Jogo do Paursquos motor skills
Double handed weapons
From its very first days mankind has always had the need to hunt for food as well as fight
other human beings in large groups so as to protect and or conquer both assets and territory
Consequently with martial artsrsquo origin and essence residing in the development of effective
skills for outnumbered combat Jogo do Pau was no exception which made it useful to both
civilians and the countryrsquos army
Additionally since people lived in rural environments (where space wasnrsquot lacking) and with
striking arts being highly influenced by reach this art was initially focused on the exclusive
use of long double handed weapons the extra long swords amongst the military and the staffs
amongst civilians
Surely enough some social conflicts did end up being settled through duels but with
peoplersquos standard training being focused on outnumbered combat these duels were fought by
looking to make the best possible use of the commonly trained outnumbered combat skills
Only towards to eighteenth century with the development of industrial cities did Jogo do
Pau begin being practiced as a leisure activity within these few cities Eventually the
connection between these two forms of combat single and outnumbered combat and their
distinct social realities became so strong that the practice of outnumbered combat started
being designated as ldquonorthrsquos gamerdquo where it kept being practitionersrsquo main focus until the
later stages of the twentieth century On the other hand the more recent leisure type practice
groups which focused on the artrsquos single combat recreational version brought about new
techniques and strategies to this type combat and began being called Lisbonrsquos school
From the early 1970rsquos onward Master Nuno Russo originally trained in Master Pedro
Ferreirarsquos Lisbon school routinely travelled to the north of Portugal for long seasons in order
to learn the artrsquos system of outnumbered combat Ultimately Master Russo was able to
combine both systems into one single and unified technical program which to my
knowledge is the only of its kind
Single handed weapons
Nevertheless people living in industrial cities were also confronted by self defence scenarios
Given this and keeping alive the artrsquos original essence Master Nuno Russo picked up on
Master Pedro Ferreirarsquos initial efforts and adopted some more city type weapons the walking
cane and the baton He extensively studied the artrsquos application to these shorter one handed
weapons making his school a very unique and complete system that offers both double and
single handed weapon mastery for both outnumbered and single combat
Currently Master Russorsquos school is called Escola Santo Condestaacutevel in memory of
Portuguese medieval legendary knight Nuno Aacutelvares Pereira (1360-1431) who was officially
declared saint by the current Pope on April 26th
2009
From Jogo do Pau to Lusitanian Fencing
Last but surely not least the previously mentioned elements allow us to conclude that the
artrsquos designation Jogo do Pau is incorrect as this art is not staff exclusive and by no means a
game
This medieval fencing artrsquos designation probably came about as a result of having been
preserved through staffs and additionally having in ancient Portuguese the verb ldquojogarrdquo (to
play) being used to designate the action of throwing something Consequently the skill of
knowing how to swing and kind of throw the staff against an opponent (jogar o pau) paved
the way for the art to be called Jogo do Pau
With the artrsquos name being incorrect and despite being aware of the difficult task that we face
in changing popular culture we decided to do something about it Were this to be a staff
specific fencing art its correct name would have been staff fencing (Esgrima de Pau) but
knowing of its historical and technical connection to medieval weapons we opted to rename
the art as Esgrima Lusitana (Lusitanian Fenicng) which also serves as a well deserved tribute
to our countryrsquos forefathers the brave Lusitanian people whom the Romans only managed to
subdue through treachery
Military amp Flying Machines Show
wwwmilitaryandflyingmachinesorguk
P R E S S R E L E A S E with immediate effect
Welcome Back Sally B The Military amp Flying Machines Team are so excited and pleased to be able to confirm some very special news for the 2013 show at Damyns Hall Aerodrome Due to public demand we are expanding our show to a three day event taking place on 3
rd 4
th and 5
th
August with more attractions more vehicles more flying and more big bangs This year we are delighted to welcome back the fantastic WW2 vintage B-17 Flying Fortress Bomber lsquoSally Brsquo the last remaining airworthy B-17 in Europe It quickly took on mythic proportions and widely circulated stories and photos of B-17s surviving battle damage increased its iconic status The B17 could fly higher than any of its Allied contemporaries and established its place in history dropping more bombs than any other US aircraft in World War II The Sally B has featured in many feature films most notably the blockbuster film Memphis Belle It will again amaze the crowds with low level displays as this truly historic aircraft is put through its paces ldquoSally Brdquo has always in the past performed the most amazing air display at Damyns Hall especially as the aerodrome is fairly small when this almighty warbird flyrsquos past it feels like you can reach out and touch it it is a display that cannot be missed
If Warbirds are of interest to you then you will be in for a big treat at this yearrsquos show with a superb display from the magnificent Spitfire the iconic shape and unmistakeable noise stir the imagination and the emotion of all that watch We also welcome the Hurricane ldquoHurribomberrdquo a first for our show (MORE ON HURRBOMBER) The WW2 fighter trainers ndash the Harvard T6 single-engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces United States Navy Royal Air Force and other air forces of the British Commonwealth during World War II and into the 1950s and the Boeing Stearman the work horses of the training airfield which were used to train many Battle of Britain heroes ndash will also join the line up to entertain the crowds The incomparable Jungmeister will also be displaying demonstrating its flying versatility A rare Messerschmitt 108 another classic WW2 aircraft from the German Luftwaffe The ME108 will also form part of a Living History static display on the ground Many of the aircrafts will be landing as well over the weekend so it is a fabulous rare opportunity to get up close
As well as all this there will be so much more to see whilst your there admiring the sights and sounds in the skies including helicopter pleasure flights along with 300+ military vehicles living history displays live entertainment all day arena activities including big bangs and even bigger vehicles Kidsrsquo activities vintage funfair refreshments stalls ndash there truly is something for everyone and at great value for money
Wersquove got more exciting news coming very soon ndash so watch this space for the next BIG ANNOUNCEMENT
For the latest updates on the show visit wwwmilitaryandflyingmachinesorguk
Military amp Flying
Machines Show
2nd
3rd
amp 4th August
- Over 17000 attendees
- Flying Displays
- Pleasure Flights
- Living History
Displays -
300+ Vehicles -
Live Entertainment -
Arena Activities -
20+ Tanks amp Armoured Vehicles
Live 40rsquos style big
band
Event Information
May
4
th ndash 6
th Bentley Medieval Festival Lewes east Sussex UK
marktime-productionscom
4th ndash 6
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Blenheim Palace UK
httpwwwblenheimpalacecom
5th amp 6
th ldquoRogues amp Outlawsrdquo Sherwood Forest UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
10th
ndash 12th British Quarterstaff Association weekend in Gloucestershire UK
httpquarterstafforgeventshtml
11th
The Mortimer History Society Spring Conference Leominster UK
wwwmortimerhistorysocietyorguk
11th
amp 12th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Ekenas Castle Sweden
httpwwwekenasslottse
May 11th amp 12th A Victorian Celebration Forge Mill Needle Museum Redditch UK
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
May 25th amp 26th Tall Ships rsquo13 Gloucester Historic Docks Ships maritime living history
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
May 26th amp 27th Harewood Medieval Faire Harewood House Leeds 2nd major annual
multi-period medieval festival with 1066 to 1487 timeline
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
26th
ndash 28th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Hedingham Castle UK
httpwwwhedinghamcastlecouk
May 28th
June 1st Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Leeds Castle UK
httpwwwleeds-castlecomlandphp
June
1st amp 2
nd Templecombe Medieval fair Templecombe UK
httpswwwfacebookcomevents300657233387495
8th amp 9
th History Alive Fort Lytton National Park Brisbane Australia
wwwhistoryalivecoau
15th
amp 16th
Gloucester Medieval Play Festival UK
wwwglostheatrecouk
15th
amp 16th
Tatton Park Old Hall Medieval fayre UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
21st ndash 23
rd Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Cardiff Castle Wales
httpwwwcardiffcastlecom
21st ndash 23
rd Times amp Epochs Moscow Russia
httpwwwfacebookcomhistoryfestref=tsampfref=ts
29th
amp 30th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Linlithgow Palace Scotland httpwwwhistoric-scotlandgovukpropertyresultspropertyoverviewhtmPropID=PL_199ampPropName=Linlithgow20Palace
July
5th ndash 7
th LARP Camp Huntley Wood Staffordshire UK
wwwlarpcampcouk
6th amp 7
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Linlithgow Palace Scotland
httpwwwhistoric-scotlandgovukpropertyresultspropertyoverviewhtmPropID=PL_199ampPropName=Linlithgow20Palace
13th
amp 14th
The Battle of Tewkesbury UK
httpwwwtewkesburymedievalfestivalorg
13th
amp 14th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
20th
amp 21st Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
26th
ndash 28th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
27th
amp 28th
Berkeley Skirmish Berkeley Castle Gloucestershire UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
27th
amp 28th
Smugglers Island Appuldurcombe House IOW UK
Email ednash1993hotmailcouk
July 27th amp 28th Hughendenrsquos Victorian Weekend Hughenden Manor Buckinghamshire
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
27th
amp 28th
Slaughterbridge Camlann Life and Legend Camelford Cornwall UK
heburbeckgmaiIc0m
August
2nd
ndash 4th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Blenheim Palace UK
httpwwwblenheimpalacecom
3rd
amp 4th
The Midlands Festival of History UK
httpwwwmid-festcouk
3rd
amp 4th
The Loxwood Joust Loxwood Meadow RH14 0AL UK
wwwloxwoodjoustcouk
9th ndash 11
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
16th
ndash 18th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
17th
amp 18th
Scotlands Festival of History Chatelherault Scotland
wwwscotlandsfestivalofhistorycouk
17th
amp 18th
M5-Multi Period Re-enactment Weekend Spetchley Park Worcs UK
Website ndash wwwm5showcouk
23rd
amp 24th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
25th
amp 26th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hedingham Castle UK
httpwwwhedinghamcastlecouk
25th
amp 26th
The Sheffield Fayre Norfolk Heritage Park Sheffield
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
August 31st amp September 1st On the Home Front 1939-45 Rufford Abbey Country Park
Notts Annual 1940s show wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
September
12th amp 13th Bexbach 1474 Call To Arms
www1474eu
14th
amp 15th
The Battle of Mortimerrsquos Cross Hampton Court Castle Herefordshire
wwwmortimerscrosscouk
September 21st amp 22nd Wimpole at War The Wimpole Estate Cambridgeshire Annual
1940s event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
September 28th amp 29th Sherwood through the ages Sherwood Forest Annual Ancient to
1980s multi-period event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
October
October 5th amp 6th Hughendenrsquos Wartime Weekend Hughenden Manor Bucks Annual
1940s event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
12th
amp 13th
International Events of Historical Crafts (EIAH) Portugal
Email artesanatocomhistoriagmailcom
November
15
th-17
th The Original Re-Enactors Market Ryton on Dunsmore Coventry UK
wwwreenactorsmarketcouk
16th
amp 17th
The National Living History Fair
wwwnlhfcouk
23rd
amp 24th
The Ludlow Medieval Christmas Fair Ludlow Castle Shropshire
httpwwwludlowcastlecompageseventsaspx
Living History Festival ldquoRatnoe Delo (Battle Skill) - 2012rdquo
By Nikolai Chebotarev
3 September 2012
Translated by Inna Drabkina
At last Irsquove got to my computer to tell you about the festival Ratnoe Delo-2012 For us
host living history societies (Legend Russian Village The Flemings) this was the
main event of the year
I am sure that our true friends from Samara and the Krasnoyarsky district where the action
unfolded found it a most pleasurable and interesting event too
Catching my breath after the festival I decided to take up the pen to commemorate the events
of the festival together with our photographers
100 Dyed-in-the-Wool Re-Enactors
The festival focuses on the confrontation of the Russian warriors and the West-European
knights of the 13th century The 13
th century was a dramatic one for the Medieval Rus it was
the age of the Mongol invasion but it was also the age of contact and conflict of the Western
Europe and the principalities of the north-west of Russia
The special appeal of the festival was its ldquoauthenticityrdquo focus In the first place only those
societies that had top-quality historical costumes military equipment household utensils
were admitted to the festival Secondly all these things had to be exact replicas of the 13th
century ones
The photographers couldnrsquot get all the re-enactors in frame
As it turned out it is not easy to gather in one place one hundred dyed-in-the-wool
ldquoauthenticrdquo re-enactors but we coped with the task The geography of the festival
participants ranges from Bryansk in Russia to Yokohama in Japan Yes you heard right
Yokohama
A year ago a Japanese guy Utah Iwasaki came to Russia to see our festival He was
fascinated by the idea of living history and historical re-enactment he told us that in the Land
of the Rising Sun there were no amateur re-enactors only professional actors playing their
parts in public shows This time he is taking to Japan not just photos from the festival but
also a chain mail Halberk - the one in the photo
ldquoIrsquom going to show the chain mail and the photos to my father I think he will be very much
impressed And then Irsquoll show them to my friends and colleagues at work maybe next time
there will be several of us comingrdquo
And who could expect that Utah would meet his compatriots amidst our steppes ldquoThere were
2 boys from Japan They come from a mixed Russian-Japanese family and they live in
Tokyo They came to Samara on a visit to their granddad and thatrsquos how we met at the
festivalrdquo
All the participants were divided into two rivaling partiesndash the East and the West A small
rivulet separated their camps The contest between the parties was the main intrigue of the
festival
The first two days - Friday and Saturday - were the time for the re-enactorsrsquo master classes
seminars and sharing their findings and ideas with each other The participant societies
prepared an extensive program including a master class in long sword and bastard sword
fencing
The wooden models of swords in the hands of the guys are the same as those used for
practicing many years ago
All the fencing movements that Mikhail Manin and Artem Rumyantsev showed were taken
from medieval fencing manuals - fechtbucher
The earliest fencing manual known as Manuscript I33 dates from about the year 1295 and
shows techniques of fencing with a sword and a small round shield (buckler)
It goes without saying that the program on Friday and Saturday was rich - tournaments
maneuvers on rough terrain etc All the participants received a lot of adrenaline and fun
Battering the palisade of the European camp with a ram
Alex Bogatikov a Samara ldquoLegendrdquo novice says This is my first time at the living history
festival and I am really enjoying it a lot of people and a lot of fun Thanks for the nice
impressions of the festival thanks to the guys from other living history societies - I expected
struggle and rivalry at the spear tournament but it turned out to be great fun a real adrenaline
rush All the re-enactors are friends they cheer each other and are very careful not to hurt
their adversaries - its cool guys
And the winners were duly rewarded
Photo link httpvkcomalbums-30578984z=photo-30578984_2882686622Fphotos-
30578984
For the victory of their fighters in an event the factions got points The total score determined
the winner who got the honorary right to raise the banner of the festival on the touristsrsquo day
This time the winner was the East Therefore the right to hoist the flag of the festival on
August19 during the solemn opening ceremony for the tourists passed to the re-enactors of
the Medieval Rus
The very festival field over which the scarlet banner flew seemed to be meant for such
activities The place is just gorgeousrdquo - our spectator Natalia Kuznetsova says ndash ldquoThe
sweet smell of wild strawberries the bridge over the river the undulating hillshellip
Unforgettable
And from the practical point of view the place was ideal too
First of all the federal highway to Ulyanovsk runs next to the festival field and therersquos a
village with a cheerful name of Stary Booyan (which in Russian sounds exactly the same as
lsquoOld Brawlerrsquo) nearby
Secondly the festival meadow is separated from the road and other marks of the modern
civilization by a copse which accounted for the effect of a real time travel
The secrets of the medieval handicrafts
After the opening of the festival a dynamic and rich program unfolded
Potters Maxim and Elena Borisov (society Mir masterov (World of Masters) Samara)
showed everyone who wished so the basics of working with clay Classes turned out to be
very exciting - the potters could not complain about the lack of public interest Their
workshop was thronged
While the enthusiasts at the market were molding clay women of fashion and glamour
gathered in the Western camp Kate Aristova from the Moscow living history club Legend
(full namesake of the Samara host society) spoke about makeup in the Middle Ages
According to her even now in the age of Oriflame and Amway the recipes that originated
eight hundred years ago can be of great interest to modern beauties as they are
environmentally friendly and work miracles with the skin
How to become a sergeant
While the women were buzzing and fussing about their jars of cream and bottles of scent
true men displayed their battle skill
On the eve of the battle Greg a fighter from The Flemings had to prove that he was ready
to become a sergeant
One doesnrsquot get promotion for a song and Greg challenged by experienced combatants had
to fight each of them in turn The task was to remain standing and he coped with it
After the duels ended ldquoThe Flemingsrdquo commander Walter asked the warriorsrsquo opinion of
Greg
I have known Greg for a very long timerdquo raised his voice the Samara Legendrsquos commander
Alexei Romanov ndash ldquoWe fought with him side by side and we also met on the battle-field as
adversaries And I believe that Greg is truly worthy of the rank of sergeant
After the duels and this praise the case was decided The commander of The Flemings with
due ceremony promoted Greg to sergeant
Clash of armour
This was followed by duels (sword ndash buckler sword - shield spears) and finally group
battles
Before the fight opponents egged each other on as best they could
And then rushed into battle
After which there happened something of the sort
Several group fights tough but fair ended in a most amicable way See for yourself
After the fights the spectators spilled out into the field - everyone wanted to be photographed
with the warriors Sometimes the result was pretty funny
Fair maidens prowess and singing arrows
Then came the turn of the womens tournament where fair maidens competed showing their
feminine prowess
To begin with they competed in throwing rolling pins into the target - of course strength and
accuracy were of utmost importance A very useful skill in family life they say And then the
ladies took their husbands battle axes and chopped cabbage with them and in general
displayed their prowess in the skills of ldquokeeping the home fires burningrdquo
Then the archers stepped on the scene The prize was contested by European infantrymen the
Mongol batyrs and of course by Russian warriors
Photo link httpvkcomphoto-30578984_288494144
Moreover women competed alongside with men
In the end the prize went to the well-known local marksman Mikhail Manin
(Novokuibyshevsk) winner of last years tournament
Medieval Jousting contest
Shortly after the tournament the mounted display Medieval Jousting was announced
This was a series of trials in which riders competed in various military disciplines Let me
first introduce the participants
Left to right - Master of the Knights Hospitaller a Mongolian horseman a Russian nobleman
in disgrace and an Arab who would not reveal his face to the audience By the way this is
only half of the participants
The first trial was mounted archery
Master of the Knights Hospitaller Note the speed of the rider And the wooden target he
has to hit is rather smallish
The second trial was ldquoThe Saracenrdquo (This is a spear game the accuracy of lance thrust is
evaluated)
Let me draw your attention to the fact that tournament lances have no heads and this is not
by chance
Just think of the force of the blow a mounted rider strikes when going at full canter
The spearhead passes through the target like a knife through butter Then one of the two
things will surely happen either the lance is stuck and the warrior gets thrown or loses his
lance or ldquoThe Saracen gets wrenched out of the earth Nobody wants it
Trial Three - mounted cutting
Itrsquos interesting that this exercise expressly shows the difference between a sword and a sabre
A sabre due to its characteristic curve of the blade cuts the head of cabbage neatly in two
But the sword chopping blows crush grind the head of cabbage
To some extent the difference is so marked because the sword blades at the festival werenrsquot
honed Honed sword blades also cut very neatly On the other hand a sabre is meant for
slashing blows and weighing less than a sword cuts very efficiently
In the photo you can see the ldquoLegendrdquo posadnik Maxim wearing a red mantle By the way he
won the ridersrsquo competition
Just in case let me explain who posadnik is The word is derived from the word posad
(pronounced as pah-lsquosad) In Russia ldquoposadrdquo was the part of town where most of the
citizens lived There was also a krom (kremlin) or citadel but only the prince with his
household and his host lived there and in the time of an enemy invasion the people flocked
to the citadel seeking protection In short posadnik is the head of the civil authority of the
town
Siege engine and storm
After the horsemenrsquos contest a ten-minute break was declared during which the audience had
a chance to walk around the festival lawn and the participants - to prepare for the impending
battle
According to our idea all the participants able to hold weapons were to meet on the
battlefield in the mass battle
Among them was the team of a medieval siege engine into which Utah Iwasaki seamlessly
blended
Thatrsquos what arcuballista looks like as seen by its aimer
The arcuballista team was under command of Vadim Sinichkin head of the living history
society ldquoSlovenerdquo from Novokuibyshevsk This society built all the siege engines of the
festival
ldquoWe are a small society that is why our only chance to influence the outcome of the battle is
to bombard the adversary with trebuchet and arcuballista projectiles We have adjusted those
things for throwing projectiles for 50 metres ndash contemporary living history festivals seldom
require more powerful siege engines with a longer range They are also rather convenient in
transportation - they can be taken apart and the parts fit on the floor of a mini-bus Thatrsquos
how actually we brought them hererdquo
The final battle
About 4 pm the master of ceremonies announced the last battle of the festival He said that
all the warriors of the festival would cross swords and break spears in the final melee The
3000 spectators began to fill the slope of the hill which became a natural amphitheater
The legend of the final battle was as follows it was a very ordinary event for the troubled
13th century A squad of European soldiers assaulted a Russian frontier guard outpost
located in the steppes of the Volga region
The European soldiers came there with a unit of Mongol warriors (which was a frequent
occasion with Genoan mercenaries from the Crimea) The Mongol warriors brought portable
siege engines to storm the outpost
The soldiers bring an arcuballista which is followed by the trebuchet Perhaps the stone
throwing engine with the help of which the women of Toulouse smashed the head of count
Simon de Montfort the legendary leader of the Crusaders looked very much the same
This unfortunate episode also took place in the 13th
century and to be absolutely precise
on June 25 1218
Having bombarded the outpost with the trebuchet projectiles the Mongols gave the European
foot soldiers the opportunity to attack it while the outpost defenders were still dazed A brief
skirmish and the outpost is takenhellip The Russian warriors retreat to the steppe Another
spell of fighting Only a handful of Russian warriors remainhellip And at the last moment
another Russian unit comes to the aid of the outpost
Irsquod better give the floor to Galina who came to the festival with her 4-year-old son Timothy
ldquoTimothy absolutely believed what he saw I myself felt enthralled ndash everything looked so
real
During the battle when only two Russian warriors remained fighting back to back
surrounded by enemies Tim thought they were about to perish and went to their aid
Photo link httpvkcomphoto7768284_287885078
White as a sheet he breathed out Im coming Hold on And ran to the rescuehellip
I could barely catch him It was hard to calm him down to persuade him it was all make-
believe
When the cavalry came to the rescue I said ldquoLook they are fine now Victoryrdquo You should
have seen the triumph and relief in his eyes
Thats how our long awaited festival ended
The spectators got into their cars and buses and went home ndash some to Samara some to
Togliatti some to Ulyanovskhellip
Photos by Olga Borisenkova Georgy Korobov Olga Nemkova Yulia Timirkhanova
Svetlana Makoveyeva Maria Gomolova Irina Yashina Natalia Kalmykova Alexey
Pleshkov Andrey Surin Ekaterina Orlova Tatiana Besschastnaya Vadim Kozin Evgeny
Krasnikov Alexandra Bunayeva Denis Khramov Nina Gubanova Yuri Chikin Ildar
Hassanov Ivan Yegorov Mikhail Pishchakov Mikhail Puzankov Olesya Strelchenko
Thank you all
Many thanks to the musicians who entertained the spectators They are Yegor Strelnikov
(psaltery Moscow) ldquoMusica Radicumrdquo (folk group Saint Petersburg)
Photo link httpcs304606userapicomv30460642737cah2D-hgjQpRsjpg
Photo link httpcs317423userapicomv31742302020a1HFnxYFD_uS0jpg
ldquoThe Eastrdquo
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Stupino)
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoSuzdalskaya Druzhina (Suzdal Host)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS ldquoTruvorrdquo (Orenburg)
LHS ldquoVityaz (Russian Knight)rdquo (Kazan)
LHS ldquoSlovenerdquo (Novokuibyshevsk)
Association ldquoNORD Rusrdquo (Samara)
ldquoMjollnirrdquo (Samara)
Individual participants
ldquoThe Westrdquo
LHS ldquoAtlit ndash Zamok Palomnika (Atlit - Pilgrimrsquos Castle)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS laquoNovum castrumraquo (Zheleznodorozhny)
LHS ldquoStary Svet (The Old World Company)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoDostoyanie (Heritage)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoFlamandtsy (The Flemings)rdquo (Odintsovo)
Individual participants
Special thanks to the artisans
Association ldquoMir masterov (World of Masters)rdquo (Samara)
ldquoNizhegorodskaya Artel Oruzheinikov (Armourersrsquo Artel)rdquo (Nizhny Novgorod)
Our valiant steeds came from ldquoRusskaya Sloboda (Russian Village)rdquo (Samara) and equestrian
club (Borskoe)
Thank you all guys for war and peace for merry feasts and fair competition
The festival took place on the 19 August 2012 near Stary Booyan in the Krasnoyarsky district
of the Samara Region
Next year our festival will be held again and we expect that our friends from Poland
Ukraine Belarus and Japan will be able to come So if you are interested in the 13th century
re-enactment welcome to Samara ldquoBattle Skill ndash 2013rdquo
Release Date May 11
th 2013
Jogo do Paursquos conceptualization
An historical and sociological analysis
My name is Luiacutes Preto After completing an undergrad in physical education and two
masters one in sportsrsquo teaching methodologies and another in coaching sciences I am now
34 years old and with 25 years of martial arts experience which includes 16 years of
exposure to Jogo do Pau
First premise
To start off it is important to realize that my understanding of the word fencing is that it refers
to any activity in which an object external to onersquos body is used to perform strikes and
parries Additionally in light of the innumerable and physically distinct fencing weapons
around each weaponrsquos specific physical traits and combat tactics entail that there are
different ldquotypesrdquo of fencing
Overall view on European martial arts
I am going to start this historical and sociological conceptualization of Jogo do Pau by
describing my overall systematization of European fencing arts In this regard I find that
European historical fencing arts can be systematized into 3 main categories according to the
contextual circumstances under which combats took place and its resulting weapons and
tactics
1) Bashing weaponsrsquo battlefield period
As a result of many countriesrsquo efforts to extend their territory such as what took place in
Portugal between the XII and XIV centuries European fencingrsquos first period was centred
around the participation in battlefields In Portugal such activity brought about ldquoextra-
long swordsrdquo that were mostly blunt These ldquoextra-longrdquo swords like the Montante were
at least 15m long so as to enable their users to have the maximum possible reach
Additionally they also had to be significantly thick and thus heavy so as to sustain
strikes from any type of weapon from swords to steal pools Finally on top of having to
face multiple opponents at the same time battlefield combat also entailed facing
opponents who wore both chainmail and body armour Therefore combatants didnrsquot
waste time sharpening their weapons and were forced to rely on powerful bashing striking
techniques
2) Cutting weaponsrsquo duelling period
Later with the creation of firearms long swords began being used for leisure and with
this taking place in fencing schools where fighters did not use much if any body armour
swords became sharper and sparring incorporated softer slashing striking techniques
3) Thrusting weaponsrsquo duelling period
Finally the further development of duelling under an increasingly stricter code of honour
assured that combatants wouldnt have to face heavy weapons such as steal pools which
allowed for the development of thinner swords such as the rapier This new duelling
context and its resulting new weapon promoted the restructuring of single combat tactics
centring it on the fastest of all striking techniques the thrust
My personal opinion is that none of these fencing styles is better than the remaining ones As
martial arts their usefulness depends on the context under which each person is forced to
fight for survival and as recreational leisure activities it simply depends on each personrsquos
personal preference
Now using this overall systematization as reference let us dive into the specific theme of
Jogo do Pau
Jogo do Pau
Jogo do Pau which literally means ldquogame of the staffrdquo is starting to become more well
known internationally and for the most part people view it as a Portuguese staff fencing art
However having researched this topic beyond a standard internet search I disagree with both
these attributes
On being a staff (exclusive) fencing art
Portuguese King D Duarte describes in his XV century book ldquoA ensinanccedila de bem cavalgar
toda a selardquo (available in English under the name ldquoThe art of riding on every saddlerdquo) the
striking techniques that can be performed with swords It so happens that both the strikesrsquo
names and the description of their trajectories correspond to Jogo do Paursquos terminology and
striking angles Furthermore since the Kingrsquos brief description of outnumbered combat
tactics also matches Jogo do Paursquos we consider that Jogo do Pau corresponds to the first
period of battlefield fencing system We believe that these combat skills (techniques and
tactics) were historically performed with both ldquoextra-longrdquo swords and staffs but upon
having swords being replaced in the military by firearms this art ended up being preserved
by civilians through the exclusive use of staffs since these were the only weapons most
people could afford
On being a Portuguese (exclusive) art
Before the more recent development of the combat sport Canne de Combat France also used
to have its own ldquostaff fencingrdquo art It so happens that this French art had exactly the same
name as the ldquoPortuguese artrdquo only in French obviously It was Le Jeux du Baton
My Jogo do Pau instructor Master Nuno Curvello Russo who is regarded as the most
experienced and knowledgeable Jogo do Pau instructor in Portugal lived in France during the
seventies While there he met Maurice Sarry who like Master Russo had dedicated himself
to the extensive study of his countryrsquos traditional fighting art and was highly regarded on a
national level
As these two great Masters got acquainted with one another they started training together
and soon realized their arts were identical regarding their single combat techniques strikes
parries and footwork I specifically pointed out that I am referring to single combat technique
because at the time the French art had become exclusively focused on this type of combat
similarly to what also occurred within the Portuguese urban industrial cities where the
practice of Jogo do Pau was undertaken as a leisure activity and therefore exclusively
focused on single combat
Thus with Jogo do Pau and Jeux du Baton being identical and knowing that European
countries interacted both socially (such as through royal marriages) and commercially it is all
but surprising to realize that they also developed a common standardized combat art Hence
Jogo do Pau corresponds to the preservation of European historical fencing and not merely a
Portuguese specific art
I do not wish to sound even if for just for a second disrespectful towards other European
combat schools of thought such as the German and Italian They are also European Historical
Fencing but simply from a different period and context more specifically from the second
period mentioned at the start of this article
On the parallel between societyrsquos evolution and Jogo do Paursquos motor skills
Double handed weapons
From its very first days mankind has always had the need to hunt for food as well as fight
other human beings in large groups so as to protect and or conquer both assets and territory
Consequently with martial artsrsquo origin and essence residing in the development of effective
skills for outnumbered combat Jogo do Pau was no exception which made it useful to both
civilians and the countryrsquos army
Additionally since people lived in rural environments (where space wasnrsquot lacking) and with
striking arts being highly influenced by reach this art was initially focused on the exclusive
use of long double handed weapons the extra long swords amongst the military and the staffs
amongst civilians
Surely enough some social conflicts did end up being settled through duels but with
peoplersquos standard training being focused on outnumbered combat these duels were fought by
looking to make the best possible use of the commonly trained outnumbered combat skills
Only towards to eighteenth century with the development of industrial cities did Jogo do
Pau begin being practiced as a leisure activity within these few cities Eventually the
connection between these two forms of combat single and outnumbered combat and their
distinct social realities became so strong that the practice of outnumbered combat started
being designated as ldquonorthrsquos gamerdquo where it kept being practitionersrsquo main focus until the
later stages of the twentieth century On the other hand the more recent leisure type practice
groups which focused on the artrsquos single combat recreational version brought about new
techniques and strategies to this type combat and began being called Lisbonrsquos school
From the early 1970rsquos onward Master Nuno Russo originally trained in Master Pedro
Ferreirarsquos Lisbon school routinely travelled to the north of Portugal for long seasons in order
to learn the artrsquos system of outnumbered combat Ultimately Master Russo was able to
combine both systems into one single and unified technical program which to my
knowledge is the only of its kind
Single handed weapons
Nevertheless people living in industrial cities were also confronted by self defence scenarios
Given this and keeping alive the artrsquos original essence Master Nuno Russo picked up on
Master Pedro Ferreirarsquos initial efforts and adopted some more city type weapons the walking
cane and the baton He extensively studied the artrsquos application to these shorter one handed
weapons making his school a very unique and complete system that offers both double and
single handed weapon mastery for both outnumbered and single combat
Currently Master Russorsquos school is called Escola Santo Condestaacutevel in memory of
Portuguese medieval legendary knight Nuno Aacutelvares Pereira (1360-1431) who was officially
declared saint by the current Pope on April 26th
2009
From Jogo do Pau to Lusitanian Fencing
Last but surely not least the previously mentioned elements allow us to conclude that the
artrsquos designation Jogo do Pau is incorrect as this art is not staff exclusive and by no means a
game
This medieval fencing artrsquos designation probably came about as a result of having been
preserved through staffs and additionally having in ancient Portuguese the verb ldquojogarrdquo (to
play) being used to designate the action of throwing something Consequently the skill of
knowing how to swing and kind of throw the staff against an opponent (jogar o pau) paved
the way for the art to be called Jogo do Pau
With the artrsquos name being incorrect and despite being aware of the difficult task that we face
in changing popular culture we decided to do something about it Were this to be a staff
specific fencing art its correct name would have been staff fencing (Esgrima de Pau) but
knowing of its historical and technical connection to medieval weapons we opted to rename
the art as Esgrima Lusitana (Lusitanian Fenicng) which also serves as a well deserved tribute
to our countryrsquos forefathers the brave Lusitanian people whom the Romans only managed to
subdue through treachery
Military amp Flying Machines Show
wwwmilitaryandflyingmachinesorguk
P R E S S R E L E A S E with immediate effect
Welcome Back Sally B The Military amp Flying Machines Team are so excited and pleased to be able to confirm some very special news for the 2013 show at Damyns Hall Aerodrome Due to public demand we are expanding our show to a three day event taking place on 3
rd 4
th and 5
th
August with more attractions more vehicles more flying and more big bangs This year we are delighted to welcome back the fantastic WW2 vintage B-17 Flying Fortress Bomber lsquoSally Brsquo the last remaining airworthy B-17 in Europe It quickly took on mythic proportions and widely circulated stories and photos of B-17s surviving battle damage increased its iconic status The B17 could fly higher than any of its Allied contemporaries and established its place in history dropping more bombs than any other US aircraft in World War II The Sally B has featured in many feature films most notably the blockbuster film Memphis Belle It will again amaze the crowds with low level displays as this truly historic aircraft is put through its paces ldquoSally Brdquo has always in the past performed the most amazing air display at Damyns Hall especially as the aerodrome is fairly small when this almighty warbird flyrsquos past it feels like you can reach out and touch it it is a display that cannot be missed
If Warbirds are of interest to you then you will be in for a big treat at this yearrsquos show with a superb display from the magnificent Spitfire the iconic shape and unmistakeable noise stir the imagination and the emotion of all that watch We also welcome the Hurricane ldquoHurribomberrdquo a first for our show (MORE ON HURRBOMBER) The WW2 fighter trainers ndash the Harvard T6 single-engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces United States Navy Royal Air Force and other air forces of the British Commonwealth during World War II and into the 1950s and the Boeing Stearman the work horses of the training airfield which were used to train many Battle of Britain heroes ndash will also join the line up to entertain the crowds The incomparable Jungmeister will also be displaying demonstrating its flying versatility A rare Messerschmitt 108 another classic WW2 aircraft from the German Luftwaffe The ME108 will also form part of a Living History static display on the ground Many of the aircrafts will be landing as well over the weekend so it is a fabulous rare opportunity to get up close
As well as all this there will be so much more to see whilst your there admiring the sights and sounds in the skies including helicopter pleasure flights along with 300+ military vehicles living history displays live entertainment all day arena activities including big bangs and even bigger vehicles Kidsrsquo activities vintage funfair refreshments stalls ndash there truly is something for everyone and at great value for money
Wersquove got more exciting news coming very soon ndash so watch this space for the next BIG ANNOUNCEMENT
For the latest updates on the show visit wwwmilitaryandflyingmachinesorguk
Military amp Flying
Machines Show
2nd
3rd
amp 4th August
- Over 17000 attendees
- Flying Displays
- Pleasure Flights
- Living History
Displays -
300+ Vehicles -
Live Entertainment -
Arena Activities -
20+ Tanks amp Armoured Vehicles
Live 40rsquos style big
band
Event Information
May
4
th ndash 6
th Bentley Medieval Festival Lewes east Sussex UK
marktime-productionscom
4th ndash 6
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Blenheim Palace UK
httpwwwblenheimpalacecom
5th amp 6
th ldquoRogues amp Outlawsrdquo Sherwood Forest UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
10th
ndash 12th British Quarterstaff Association weekend in Gloucestershire UK
httpquarterstafforgeventshtml
11th
The Mortimer History Society Spring Conference Leominster UK
wwwmortimerhistorysocietyorguk
11th
amp 12th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Ekenas Castle Sweden
httpwwwekenasslottse
May 11th amp 12th A Victorian Celebration Forge Mill Needle Museum Redditch UK
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
May 25th amp 26th Tall Ships rsquo13 Gloucester Historic Docks Ships maritime living history
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
May 26th amp 27th Harewood Medieval Faire Harewood House Leeds 2nd major annual
multi-period medieval festival with 1066 to 1487 timeline
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
26th
ndash 28th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Hedingham Castle UK
httpwwwhedinghamcastlecouk
May 28th
June 1st Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Leeds Castle UK
httpwwwleeds-castlecomlandphp
June
1st amp 2
nd Templecombe Medieval fair Templecombe UK
httpswwwfacebookcomevents300657233387495
8th amp 9
th History Alive Fort Lytton National Park Brisbane Australia
wwwhistoryalivecoau
15th
amp 16th
Gloucester Medieval Play Festival UK
wwwglostheatrecouk
15th
amp 16th
Tatton Park Old Hall Medieval fayre UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
21st ndash 23
rd Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Cardiff Castle Wales
httpwwwcardiffcastlecom
21st ndash 23
rd Times amp Epochs Moscow Russia
httpwwwfacebookcomhistoryfestref=tsampfref=ts
29th
amp 30th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Linlithgow Palace Scotland httpwwwhistoric-scotlandgovukpropertyresultspropertyoverviewhtmPropID=PL_199ampPropName=Linlithgow20Palace
July
5th ndash 7
th LARP Camp Huntley Wood Staffordshire UK
wwwlarpcampcouk
6th amp 7
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Linlithgow Palace Scotland
httpwwwhistoric-scotlandgovukpropertyresultspropertyoverviewhtmPropID=PL_199ampPropName=Linlithgow20Palace
13th
amp 14th
The Battle of Tewkesbury UK
httpwwwtewkesburymedievalfestivalorg
13th
amp 14th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
20th
amp 21st Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
26th
ndash 28th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
27th
amp 28th
Berkeley Skirmish Berkeley Castle Gloucestershire UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
27th
amp 28th
Smugglers Island Appuldurcombe House IOW UK
Email ednash1993hotmailcouk
July 27th amp 28th Hughendenrsquos Victorian Weekend Hughenden Manor Buckinghamshire
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
27th
amp 28th
Slaughterbridge Camlann Life and Legend Camelford Cornwall UK
heburbeckgmaiIc0m
August
2nd
ndash 4th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Blenheim Palace UK
httpwwwblenheimpalacecom
3rd
amp 4th
The Midlands Festival of History UK
httpwwwmid-festcouk
3rd
amp 4th
The Loxwood Joust Loxwood Meadow RH14 0AL UK
wwwloxwoodjoustcouk
9th ndash 11
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
16th
ndash 18th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
17th
amp 18th
Scotlands Festival of History Chatelherault Scotland
wwwscotlandsfestivalofhistorycouk
17th
amp 18th
M5-Multi Period Re-enactment Weekend Spetchley Park Worcs UK
Website ndash wwwm5showcouk
23rd
amp 24th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
25th
amp 26th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hedingham Castle UK
httpwwwhedinghamcastlecouk
25th
amp 26th
The Sheffield Fayre Norfolk Heritage Park Sheffield
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
August 31st amp September 1st On the Home Front 1939-45 Rufford Abbey Country Park
Notts Annual 1940s show wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
September
12th amp 13th Bexbach 1474 Call To Arms
www1474eu
14th
amp 15th
The Battle of Mortimerrsquos Cross Hampton Court Castle Herefordshire
wwwmortimerscrosscouk
September 21st amp 22nd Wimpole at War The Wimpole Estate Cambridgeshire Annual
1940s event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
September 28th amp 29th Sherwood through the ages Sherwood Forest Annual Ancient to
1980s multi-period event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
October
October 5th amp 6th Hughendenrsquos Wartime Weekend Hughenden Manor Bucks Annual
1940s event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
12th
amp 13th
International Events of Historical Crafts (EIAH) Portugal
Email artesanatocomhistoriagmailcom
November
15
th-17
th The Original Re-Enactors Market Ryton on Dunsmore Coventry UK
wwwreenactorsmarketcouk
16th
amp 17th
The National Living History Fair
wwwnlhfcouk
23rd
amp 24th
The Ludlow Medieval Christmas Fair Ludlow Castle Shropshire
httpwwwludlowcastlecompageseventsaspx
Living History Festival ldquoRatnoe Delo (Battle Skill) - 2012rdquo
By Nikolai Chebotarev
3 September 2012
Translated by Inna Drabkina
At last Irsquove got to my computer to tell you about the festival Ratnoe Delo-2012 For us
host living history societies (Legend Russian Village The Flemings) this was the
main event of the year
I am sure that our true friends from Samara and the Krasnoyarsky district where the action
unfolded found it a most pleasurable and interesting event too
Catching my breath after the festival I decided to take up the pen to commemorate the events
of the festival together with our photographers
100 Dyed-in-the-Wool Re-Enactors
The festival focuses on the confrontation of the Russian warriors and the West-European
knights of the 13th century The 13
th century was a dramatic one for the Medieval Rus it was
the age of the Mongol invasion but it was also the age of contact and conflict of the Western
Europe and the principalities of the north-west of Russia
The special appeal of the festival was its ldquoauthenticityrdquo focus In the first place only those
societies that had top-quality historical costumes military equipment household utensils
were admitted to the festival Secondly all these things had to be exact replicas of the 13th
century ones
The photographers couldnrsquot get all the re-enactors in frame
As it turned out it is not easy to gather in one place one hundred dyed-in-the-wool
ldquoauthenticrdquo re-enactors but we coped with the task The geography of the festival
participants ranges from Bryansk in Russia to Yokohama in Japan Yes you heard right
Yokohama
A year ago a Japanese guy Utah Iwasaki came to Russia to see our festival He was
fascinated by the idea of living history and historical re-enactment he told us that in the Land
of the Rising Sun there were no amateur re-enactors only professional actors playing their
parts in public shows This time he is taking to Japan not just photos from the festival but
also a chain mail Halberk - the one in the photo
ldquoIrsquom going to show the chain mail and the photos to my father I think he will be very much
impressed And then Irsquoll show them to my friends and colleagues at work maybe next time
there will be several of us comingrdquo
And who could expect that Utah would meet his compatriots amidst our steppes ldquoThere were
2 boys from Japan They come from a mixed Russian-Japanese family and they live in
Tokyo They came to Samara on a visit to their granddad and thatrsquos how we met at the
festivalrdquo
All the participants were divided into two rivaling partiesndash the East and the West A small
rivulet separated their camps The contest between the parties was the main intrigue of the
festival
The first two days - Friday and Saturday - were the time for the re-enactorsrsquo master classes
seminars and sharing their findings and ideas with each other The participant societies
prepared an extensive program including a master class in long sword and bastard sword
fencing
The wooden models of swords in the hands of the guys are the same as those used for
practicing many years ago
All the fencing movements that Mikhail Manin and Artem Rumyantsev showed were taken
from medieval fencing manuals - fechtbucher
The earliest fencing manual known as Manuscript I33 dates from about the year 1295 and
shows techniques of fencing with a sword and a small round shield (buckler)
It goes without saying that the program on Friday and Saturday was rich - tournaments
maneuvers on rough terrain etc All the participants received a lot of adrenaline and fun
Battering the palisade of the European camp with a ram
Alex Bogatikov a Samara ldquoLegendrdquo novice says This is my first time at the living history
festival and I am really enjoying it a lot of people and a lot of fun Thanks for the nice
impressions of the festival thanks to the guys from other living history societies - I expected
struggle and rivalry at the spear tournament but it turned out to be great fun a real adrenaline
rush All the re-enactors are friends they cheer each other and are very careful not to hurt
their adversaries - its cool guys
And the winners were duly rewarded
Photo link httpvkcomalbums-30578984z=photo-30578984_2882686622Fphotos-
30578984
For the victory of their fighters in an event the factions got points The total score determined
the winner who got the honorary right to raise the banner of the festival on the touristsrsquo day
This time the winner was the East Therefore the right to hoist the flag of the festival on
August19 during the solemn opening ceremony for the tourists passed to the re-enactors of
the Medieval Rus
The very festival field over which the scarlet banner flew seemed to be meant for such
activities The place is just gorgeousrdquo - our spectator Natalia Kuznetsova says ndash ldquoThe
sweet smell of wild strawberries the bridge over the river the undulating hillshellip
Unforgettable
And from the practical point of view the place was ideal too
First of all the federal highway to Ulyanovsk runs next to the festival field and therersquos a
village with a cheerful name of Stary Booyan (which in Russian sounds exactly the same as
lsquoOld Brawlerrsquo) nearby
Secondly the festival meadow is separated from the road and other marks of the modern
civilization by a copse which accounted for the effect of a real time travel
The secrets of the medieval handicrafts
After the opening of the festival a dynamic and rich program unfolded
Potters Maxim and Elena Borisov (society Mir masterov (World of Masters) Samara)
showed everyone who wished so the basics of working with clay Classes turned out to be
very exciting - the potters could not complain about the lack of public interest Their
workshop was thronged
While the enthusiasts at the market were molding clay women of fashion and glamour
gathered in the Western camp Kate Aristova from the Moscow living history club Legend
(full namesake of the Samara host society) spoke about makeup in the Middle Ages
According to her even now in the age of Oriflame and Amway the recipes that originated
eight hundred years ago can be of great interest to modern beauties as they are
environmentally friendly and work miracles with the skin
How to become a sergeant
While the women were buzzing and fussing about their jars of cream and bottles of scent
true men displayed their battle skill
On the eve of the battle Greg a fighter from The Flemings had to prove that he was ready
to become a sergeant
One doesnrsquot get promotion for a song and Greg challenged by experienced combatants had
to fight each of them in turn The task was to remain standing and he coped with it
After the duels ended ldquoThe Flemingsrdquo commander Walter asked the warriorsrsquo opinion of
Greg
I have known Greg for a very long timerdquo raised his voice the Samara Legendrsquos commander
Alexei Romanov ndash ldquoWe fought with him side by side and we also met on the battle-field as
adversaries And I believe that Greg is truly worthy of the rank of sergeant
After the duels and this praise the case was decided The commander of The Flemings with
due ceremony promoted Greg to sergeant
Clash of armour
This was followed by duels (sword ndash buckler sword - shield spears) and finally group
battles
Before the fight opponents egged each other on as best they could
And then rushed into battle
After which there happened something of the sort
Several group fights tough but fair ended in a most amicable way See for yourself
After the fights the spectators spilled out into the field - everyone wanted to be photographed
with the warriors Sometimes the result was pretty funny
Fair maidens prowess and singing arrows
Then came the turn of the womens tournament where fair maidens competed showing their
feminine prowess
To begin with they competed in throwing rolling pins into the target - of course strength and
accuracy were of utmost importance A very useful skill in family life they say And then the
ladies took their husbands battle axes and chopped cabbage with them and in general
displayed their prowess in the skills of ldquokeeping the home fires burningrdquo
Then the archers stepped on the scene The prize was contested by European infantrymen the
Mongol batyrs and of course by Russian warriors
Photo link httpvkcomphoto-30578984_288494144
Moreover women competed alongside with men
In the end the prize went to the well-known local marksman Mikhail Manin
(Novokuibyshevsk) winner of last years tournament
Medieval Jousting contest
Shortly after the tournament the mounted display Medieval Jousting was announced
This was a series of trials in which riders competed in various military disciplines Let me
first introduce the participants
Left to right - Master of the Knights Hospitaller a Mongolian horseman a Russian nobleman
in disgrace and an Arab who would not reveal his face to the audience By the way this is
only half of the participants
The first trial was mounted archery
Master of the Knights Hospitaller Note the speed of the rider And the wooden target he
has to hit is rather smallish
The second trial was ldquoThe Saracenrdquo (This is a spear game the accuracy of lance thrust is
evaluated)
Let me draw your attention to the fact that tournament lances have no heads and this is not
by chance
Just think of the force of the blow a mounted rider strikes when going at full canter
The spearhead passes through the target like a knife through butter Then one of the two
things will surely happen either the lance is stuck and the warrior gets thrown or loses his
lance or ldquoThe Saracen gets wrenched out of the earth Nobody wants it
Trial Three - mounted cutting
Itrsquos interesting that this exercise expressly shows the difference between a sword and a sabre
A sabre due to its characteristic curve of the blade cuts the head of cabbage neatly in two
But the sword chopping blows crush grind the head of cabbage
To some extent the difference is so marked because the sword blades at the festival werenrsquot
honed Honed sword blades also cut very neatly On the other hand a sabre is meant for
slashing blows and weighing less than a sword cuts very efficiently
In the photo you can see the ldquoLegendrdquo posadnik Maxim wearing a red mantle By the way he
won the ridersrsquo competition
Just in case let me explain who posadnik is The word is derived from the word posad
(pronounced as pah-lsquosad) In Russia ldquoposadrdquo was the part of town where most of the
citizens lived There was also a krom (kremlin) or citadel but only the prince with his
household and his host lived there and in the time of an enemy invasion the people flocked
to the citadel seeking protection In short posadnik is the head of the civil authority of the
town
Siege engine and storm
After the horsemenrsquos contest a ten-minute break was declared during which the audience had
a chance to walk around the festival lawn and the participants - to prepare for the impending
battle
According to our idea all the participants able to hold weapons were to meet on the
battlefield in the mass battle
Among them was the team of a medieval siege engine into which Utah Iwasaki seamlessly
blended
Thatrsquos what arcuballista looks like as seen by its aimer
The arcuballista team was under command of Vadim Sinichkin head of the living history
society ldquoSlovenerdquo from Novokuibyshevsk This society built all the siege engines of the
festival
ldquoWe are a small society that is why our only chance to influence the outcome of the battle is
to bombard the adversary with trebuchet and arcuballista projectiles We have adjusted those
things for throwing projectiles for 50 metres ndash contemporary living history festivals seldom
require more powerful siege engines with a longer range They are also rather convenient in
transportation - they can be taken apart and the parts fit on the floor of a mini-bus Thatrsquos
how actually we brought them hererdquo
The final battle
About 4 pm the master of ceremonies announced the last battle of the festival He said that
all the warriors of the festival would cross swords and break spears in the final melee The
3000 spectators began to fill the slope of the hill which became a natural amphitheater
The legend of the final battle was as follows it was a very ordinary event for the troubled
13th century A squad of European soldiers assaulted a Russian frontier guard outpost
located in the steppes of the Volga region
The European soldiers came there with a unit of Mongol warriors (which was a frequent
occasion with Genoan mercenaries from the Crimea) The Mongol warriors brought portable
siege engines to storm the outpost
The soldiers bring an arcuballista which is followed by the trebuchet Perhaps the stone
throwing engine with the help of which the women of Toulouse smashed the head of count
Simon de Montfort the legendary leader of the Crusaders looked very much the same
This unfortunate episode also took place in the 13th
century and to be absolutely precise
on June 25 1218
Having bombarded the outpost with the trebuchet projectiles the Mongols gave the European
foot soldiers the opportunity to attack it while the outpost defenders were still dazed A brief
skirmish and the outpost is takenhellip The Russian warriors retreat to the steppe Another
spell of fighting Only a handful of Russian warriors remainhellip And at the last moment
another Russian unit comes to the aid of the outpost
Irsquod better give the floor to Galina who came to the festival with her 4-year-old son Timothy
ldquoTimothy absolutely believed what he saw I myself felt enthralled ndash everything looked so
real
During the battle when only two Russian warriors remained fighting back to back
surrounded by enemies Tim thought they were about to perish and went to their aid
Photo link httpvkcomphoto7768284_287885078
White as a sheet he breathed out Im coming Hold on And ran to the rescuehellip
I could barely catch him It was hard to calm him down to persuade him it was all make-
believe
When the cavalry came to the rescue I said ldquoLook they are fine now Victoryrdquo You should
have seen the triumph and relief in his eyes
Thats how our long awaited festival ended
The spectators got into their cars and buses and went home ndash some to Samara some to
Togliatti some to Ulyanovskhellip
Photos by Olga Borisenkova Georgy Korobov Olga Nemkova Yulia Timirkhanova
Svetlana Makoveyeva Maria Gomolova Irina Yashina Natalia Kalmykova Alexey
Pleshkov Andrey Surin Ekaterina Orlova Tatiana Besschastnaya Vadim Kozin Evgeny
Krasnikov Alexandra Bunayeva Denis Khramov Nina Gubanova Yuri Chikin Ildar
Hassanov Ivan Yegorov Mikhail Pishchakov Mikhail Puzankov Olesya Strelchenko
Thank you all
Many thanks to the musicians who entertained the spectators They are Yegor Strelnikov
(psaltery Moscow) ldquoMusica Radicumrdquo (folk group Saint Petersburg)
Photo link httpcs304606userapicomv30460642737cah2D-hgjQpRsjpg
Photo link httpcs317423userapicomv31742302020a1HFnxYFD_uS0jpg
ldquoThe Eastrdquo
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Stupino)
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoSuzdalskaya Druzhina (Suzdal Host)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS ldquoTruvorrdquo (Orenburg)
LHS ldquoVityaz (Russian Knight)rdquo (Kazan)
LHS ldquoSlovenerdquo (Novokuibyshevsk)
Association ldquoNORD Rusrdquo (Samara)
ldquoMjollnirrdquo (Samara)
Individual participants
ldquoThe Westrdquo
LHS ldquoAtlit ndash Zamok Palomnika (Atlit - Pilgrimrsquos Castle)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS laquoNovum castrumraquo (Zheleznodorozhny)
LHS ldquoStary Svet (The Old World Company)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoDostoyanie (Heritage)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoFlamandtsy (The Flemings)rdquo (Odintsovo)
Individual participants
Special thanks to the artisans
Association ldquoMir masterov (World of Masters)rdquo (Samara)
ldquoNizhegorodskaya Artel Oruzheinikov (Armourersrsquo Artel)rdquo (Nizhny Novgorod)
Our valiant steeds came from ldquoRusskaya Sloboda (Russian Village)rdquo (Samara) and equestrian
club (Borskoe)
Thank you all guys for war and peace for merry feasts and fair competition
The festival took place on the 19 August 2012 near Stary Booyan in the Krasnoyarsky district
of the Samara Region
Next year our festival will be held again and we expect that our friends from Poland
Ukraine Belarus and Japan will be able to come So if you are interested in the 13th century
re-enactment welcome to Samara ldquoBattle Skill ndash 2013rdquo
Release Date May 11
th 2013
this taking place in fencing schools where fighters did not use much if any body armour
swords became sharper and sparring incorporated softer slashing striking techniques
3) Thrusting weaponsrsquo duelling period
Finally the further development of duelling under an increasingly stricter code of honour
assured that combatants wouldnt have to face heavy weapons such as steal pools which
allowed for the development of thinner swords such as the rapier This new duelling
context and its resulting new weapon promoted the restructuring of single combat tactics
centring it on the fastest of all striking techniques the thrust
My personal opinion is that none of these fencing styles is better than the remaining ones As
martial arts their usefulness depends on the context under which each person is forced to
fight for survival and as recreational leisure activities it simply depends on each personrsquos
personal preference
Now using this overall systematization as reference let us dive into the specific theme of
Jogo do Pau
Jogo do Pau
Jogo do Pau which literally means ldquogame of the staffrdquo is starting to become more well
known internationally and for the most part people view it as a Portuguese staff fencing art
However having researched this topic beyond a standard internet search I disagree with both
these attributes
On being a staff (exclusive) fencing art
Portuguese King D Duarte describes in his XV century book ldquoA ensinanccedila de bem cavalgar
toda a selardquo (available in English under the name ldquoThe art of riding on every saddlerdquo) the
striking techniques that can be performed with swords It so happens that both the strikesrsquo
names and the description of their trajectories correspond to Jogo do Paursquos terminology and
striking angles Furthermore since the Kingrsquos brief description of outnumbered combat
tactics also matches Jogo do Paursquos we consider that Jogo do Pau corresponds to the first
period of battlefield fencing system We believe that these combat skills (techniques and
tactics) were historically performed with both ldquoextra-longrdquo swords and staffs but upon
having swords being replaced in the military by firearms this art ended up being preserved
by civilians through the exclusive use of staffs since these were the only weapons most
people could afford
On being a Portuguese (exclusive) art
Before the more recent development of the combat sport Canne de Combat France also used
to have its own ldquostaff fencingrdquo art It so happens that this French art had exactly the same
name as the ldquoPortuguese artrdquo only in French obviously It was Le Jeux du Baton
My Jogo do Pau instructor Master Nuno Curvello Russo who is regarded as the most
experienced and knowledgeable Jogo do Pau instructor in Portugal lived in France during the
seventies While there he met Maurice Sarry who like Master Russo had dedicated himself
to the extensive study of his countryrsquos traditional fighting art and was highly regarded on a
national level
As these two great Masters got acquainted with one another they started training together
and soon realized their arts were identical regarding their single combat techniques strikes
parries and footwork I specifically pointed out that I am referring to single combat technique
because at the time the French art had become exclusively focused on this type of combat
similarly to what also occurred within the Portuguese urban industrial cities where the
practice of Jogo do Pau was undertaken as a leisure activity and therefore exclusively
focused on single combat
Thus with Jogo do Pau and Jeux du Baton being identical and knowing that European
countries interacted both socially (such as through royal marriages) and commercially it is all
but surprising to realize that they also developed a common standardized combat art Hence
Jogo do Pau corresponds to the preservation of European historical fencing and not merely a
Portuguese specific art
I do not wish to sound even if for just for a second disrespectful towards other European
combat schools of thought such as the German and Italian They are also European Historical
Fencing but simply from a different period and context more specifically from the second
period mentioned at the start of this article
On the parallel between societyrsquos evolution and Jogo do Paursquos motor skills
Double handed weapons
From its very first days mankind has always had the need to hunt for food as well as fight
other human beings in large groups so as to protect and or conquer both assets and territory
Consequently with martial artsrsquo origin and essence residing in the development of effective
skills for outnumbered combat Jogo do Pau was no exception which made it useful to both
civilians and the countryrsquos army
Additionally since people lived in rural environments (where space wasnrsquot lacking) and with
striking arts being highly influenced by reach this art was initially focused on the exclusive
use of long double handed weapons the extra long swords amongst the military and the staffs
amongst civilians
Surely enough some social conflicts did end up being settled through duels but with
peoplersquos standard training being focused on outnumbered combat these duels were fought by
looking to make the best possible use of the commonly trained outnumbered combat skills
Only towards to eighteenth century with the development of industrial cities did Jogo do
Pau begin being practiced as a leisure activity within these few cities Eventually the
connection between these two forms of combat single and outnumbered combat and their
distinct social realities became so strong that the practice of outnumbered combat started
being designated as ldquonorthrsquos gamerdquo where it kept being practitionersrsquo main focus until the
later stages of the twentieth century On the other hand the more recent leisure type practice
groups which focused on the artrsquos single combat recreational version brought about new
techniques and strategies to this type combat and began being called Lisbonrsquos school
From the early 1970rsquos onward Master Nuno Russo originally trained in Master Pedro
Ferreirarsquos Lisbon school routinely travelled to the north of Portugal for long seasons in order
to learn the artrsquos system of outnumbered combat Ultimately Master Russo was able to
combine both systems into one single and unified technical program which to my
knowledge is the only of its kind
Single handed weapons
Nevertheless people living in industrial cities were also confronted by self defence scenarios
Given this and keeping alive the artrsquos original essence Master Nuno Russo picked up on
Master Pedro Ferreirarsquos initial efforts and adopted some more city type weapons the walking
cane and the baton He extensively studied the artrsquos application to these shorter one handed
weapons making his school a very unique and complete system that offers both double and
single handed weapon mastery for both outnumbered and single combat
Currently Master Russorsquos school is called Escola Santo Condestaacutevel in memory of
Portuguese medieval legendary knight Nuno Aacutelvares Pereira (1360-1431) who was officially
declared saint by the current Pope on April 26th
2009
From Jogo do Pau to Lusitanian Fencing
Last but surely not least the previously mentioned elements allow us to conclude that the
artrsquos designation Jogo do Pau is incorrect as this art is not staff exclusive and by no means a
game
This medieval fencing artrsquos designation probably came about as a result of having been
preserved through staffs and additionally having in ancient Portuguese the verb ldquojogarrdquo (to
play) being used to designate the action of throwing something Consequently the skill of
knowing how to swing and kind of throw the staff against an opponent (jogar o pau) paved
the way for the art to be called Jogo do Pau
With the artrsquos name being incorrect and despite being aware of the difficult task that we face
in changing popular culture we decided to do something about it Were this to be a staff
specific fencing art its correct name would have been staff fencing (Esgrima de Pau) but
knowing of its historical and technical connection to medieval weapons we opted to rename
the art as Esgrima Lusitana (Lusitanian Fenicng) which also serves as a well deserved tribute
to our countryrsquos forefathers the brave Lusitanian people whom the Romans only managed to
subdue through treachery
Military amp Flying Machines Show
wwwmilitaryandflyingmachinesorguk
P R E S S R E L E A S E with immediate effect
Welcome Back Sally B The Military amp Flying Machines Team are so excited and pleased to be able to confirm some very special news for the 2013 show at Damyns Hall Aerodrome Due to public demand we are expanding our show to a three day event taking place on 3
rd 4
th and 5
th
August with more attractions more vehicles more flying and more big bangs This year we are delighted to welcome back the fantastic WW2 vintage B-17 Flying Fortress Bomber lsquoSally Brsquo the last remaining airworthy B-17 in Europe It quickly took on mythic proportions and widely circulated stories and photos of B-17s surviving battle damage increased its iconic status The B17 could fly higher than any of its Allied contemporaries and established its place in history dropping more bombs than any other US aircraft in World War II The Sally B has featured in many feature films most notably the blockbuster film Memphis Belle It will again amaze the crowds with low level displays as this truly historic aircraft is put through its paces ldquoSally Brdquo has always in the past performed the most amazing air display at Damyns Hall especially as the aerodrome is fairly small when this almighty warbird flyrsquos past it feels like you can reach out and touch it it is a display that cannot be missed
If Warbirds are of interest to you then you will be in for a big treat at this yearrsquos show with a superb display from the magnificent Spitfire the iconic shape and unmistakeable noise stir the imagination and the emotion of all that watch We also welcome the Hurricane ldquoHurribomberrdquo a first for our show (MORE ON HURRBOMBER) The WW2 fighter trainers ndash the Harvard T6 single-engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces United States Navy Royal Air Force and other air forces of the British Commonwealth during World War II and into the 1950s and the Boeing Stearman the work horses of the training airfield which were used to train many Battle of Britain heroes ndash will also join the line up to entertain the crowds The incomparable Jungmeister will also be displaying demonstrating its flying versatility A rare Messerschmitt 108 another classic WW2 aircraft from the German Luftwaffe The ME108 will also form part of a Living History static display on the ground Many of the aircrafts will be landing as well over the weekend so it is a fabulous rare opportunity to get up close
As well as all this there will be so much more to see whilst your there admiring the sights and sounds in the skies including helicopter pleasure flights along with 300+ military vehicles living history displays live entertainment all day arena activities including big bangs and even bigger vehicles Kidsrsquo activities vintage funfair refreshments stalls ndash there truly is something for everyone and at great value for money
Wersquove got more exciting news coming very soon ndash so watch this space for the next BIG ANNOUNCEMENT
For the latest updates on the show visit wwwmilitaryandflyingmachinesorguk
Military amp Flying
Machines Show
2nd
3rd
amp 4th August
- Over 17000 attendees
- Flying Displays
- Pleasure Flights
- Living History
Displays -
300+ Vehicles -
Live Entertainment -
Arena Activities -
20+ Tanks amp Armoured Vehicles
Live 40rsquos style big
band
Event Information
May
4
th ndash 6
th Bentley Medieval Festival Lewes east Sussex UK
marktime-productionscom
4th ndash 6
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Blenheim Palace UK
httpwwwblenheimpalacecom
5th amp 6
th ldquoRogues amp Outlawsrdquo Sherwood Forest UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
10th
ndash 12th British Quarterstaff Association weekend in Gloucestershire UK
httpquarterstafforgeventshtml
11th
The Mortimer History Society Spring Conference Leominster UK
wwwmortimerhistorysocietyorguk
11th
amp 12th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Ekenas Castle Sweden
httpwwwekenasslottse
May 11th amp 12th A Victorian Celebration Forge Mill Needle Museum Redditch UK
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
May 25th amp 26th Tall Ships rsquo13 Gloucester Historic Docks Ships maritime living history
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
May 26th amp 27th Harewood Medieval Faire Harewood House Leeds 2nd major annual
multi-period medieval festival with 1066 to 1487 timeline
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
26th
ndash 28th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Hedingham Castle UK
httpwwwhedinghamcastlecouk
May 28th
June 1st Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Leeds Castle UK
httpwwwleeds-castlecomlandphp
June
1st amp 2
nd Templecombe Medieval fair Templecombe UK
httpswwwfacebookcomevents300657233387495
8th amp 9
th History Alive Fort Lytton National Park Brisbane Australia
wwwhistoryalivecoau
15th
amp 16th
Gloucester Medieval Play Festival UK
wwwglostheatrecouk
15th
amp 16th
Tatton Park Old Hall Medieval fayre UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
21st ndash 23
rd Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Cardiff Castle Wales
httpwwwcardiffcastlecom
21st ndash 23
rd Times amp Epochs Moscow Russia
httpwwwfacebookcomhistoryfestref=tsampfref=ts
29th
amp 30th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Linlithgow Palace Scotland httpwwwhistoric-scotlandgovukpropertyresultspropertyoverviewhtmPropID=PL_199ampPropName=Linlithgow20Palace
July
5th ndash 7
th LARP Camp Huntley Wood Staffordshire UK
wwwlarpcampcouk
6th amp 7
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Linlithgow Palace Scotland
httpwwwhistoric-scotlandgovukpropertyresultspropertyoverviewhtmPropID=PL_199ampPropName=Linlithgow20Palace
13th
amp 14th
The Battle of Tewkesbury UK
httpwwwtewkesburymedievalfestivalorg
13th
amp 14th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
20th
amp 21st Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
26th
ndash 28th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
27th
amp 28th
Berkeley Skirmish Berkeley Castle Gloucestershire UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
27th
amp 28th
Smugglers Island Appuldurcombe House IOW UK
Email ednash1993hotmailcouk
July 27th amp 28th Hughendenrsquos Victorian Weekend Hughenden Manor Buckinghamshire
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
27th
amp 28th
Slaughterbridge Camlann Life and Legend Camelford Cornwall UK
heburbeckgmaiIc0m
August
2nd
ndash 4th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Blenheim Palace UK
httpwwwblenheimpalacecom
3rd
amp 4th
The Midlands Festival of History UK
httpwwwmid-festcouk
3rd
amp 4th
The Loxwood Joust Loxwood Meadow RH14 0AL UK
wwwloxwoodjoustcouk
9th ndash 11
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
16th
ndash 18th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
17th
amp 18th
Scotlands Festival of History Chatelherault Scotland
wwwscotlandsfestivalofhistorycouk
17th
amp 18th
M5-Multi Period Re-enactment Weekend Spetchley Park Worcs UK
Website ndash wwwm5showcouk
23rd
amp 24th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
25th
amp 26th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hedingham Castle UK
httpwwwhedinghamcastlecouk
25th
amp 26th
The Sheffield Fayre Norfolk Heritage Park Sheffield
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
August 31st amp September 1st On the Home Front 1939-45 Rufford Abbey Country Park
Notts Annual 1940s show wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
September
12th amp 13th Bexbach 1474 Call To Arms
www1474eu
14th
amp 15th
The Battle of Mortimerrsquos Cross Hampton Court Castle Herefordshire
wwwmortimerscrosscouk
September 21st amp 22nd Wimpole at War The Wimpole Estate Cambridgeshire Annual
1940s event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
September 28th amp 29th Sherwood through the ages Sherwood Forest Annual Ancient to
1980s multi-period event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
October
October 5th amp 6th Hughendenrsquos Wartime Weekend Hughenden Manor Bucks Annual
1940s event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
12th
amp 13th
International Events of Historical Crafts (EIAH) Portugal
Email artesanatocomhistoriagmailcom
November
15
th-17
th The Original Re-Enactors Market Ryton on Dunsmore Coventry UK
wwwreenactorsmarketcouk
16th
amp 17th
The National Living History Fair
wwwnlhfcouk
23rd
amp 24th
The Ludlow Medieval Christmas Fair Ludlow Castle Shropshire
httpwwwludlowcastlecompageseventsaspx
Living History Festival ldquoRatnoe Delo (Battle Skill) - 2012rdquo
By Nikolai Chebotarev
3 September 2012
Translated by Inna Drabkina
At last Irsquove got to my computer to tell you about the festival Ratnoe Delo-2012 For us
host living history societies (Legend Russian Village The Flemings) this was the
main event of the year
I am sure that our true friends from Samara and the Krasnoyarsky district where the action
unfolded found it a most pleasurable and interesting event too
Catching my breath after the festival I decided to take up the pen to commemorate the events
of the festival together with our photographers
100 Dyed-in-the-Wool Re-Enactors
The festival focuses on the confrontation of the Russian warriors and the West-European
knights of the 13th century The 13
th century was a dramatic one for the Medieval Rus it was
the age of the Mongol invasion but it was also the age of contact and conflict of the Western
Europe and the principalities of the north-west of Russia
The special appeal of the festival was its ldquoauthenticityrdquo focus In the first place only those
societies that had top-quality historical costumes military equipment household utensils
were admitted to the festival Secondly all these things had to be exact replicas of the 13th
century ones
The photographers couldnrsquot get all the re-enactors in frame
As it turned out it is not easy to gather in one place one hundred dyed-in-the-wool
ldquoauthenticrdquo re-enactors but we coped with the task The geography of the festival
participants ranges from Bryansk in Russia to Yokohama in Japan Yes you heard right
Yokohama
A year ago a Japanese guy Utah Iwasaki came to Russia to see our festival He was
fascinated by the idea of living history and historical re-enactment he told us that in the Land
of the Rising Sun there were no amateur re-enactors only professional actors playing their
parts in public shows This time he is taking to Japan not just photos from the festival but
also a chain mail Halberk - the one in the photo
ldquoIrsquom going to show the chain mail and the photos to my father I think he will be very much
impressed And then Irsquoll show them to my friends and colleagues at work maybe next time
there will be several of us comingrdquo
And who could expect that Utah would meet his compatriots amidst our steppes ldquoThere were
2 boys from Japan They come from a mixed Russian-Japanese family and they live in
Tokyo They came to Samara on a visit to their granddad and thatrsquos how we met at the
festivalrdquo
All the participants were divided into two rivaling partiesndash the East and the West A small
rivulet separated their camps The contest between the parties was the main intrigue of the
festival
The first two days - Friday and Saturday - were the time for the re-enactorsrsquo master classes
seminars and sharing their findings and ideas with each other The participant societies
prepared an extensive program including a master class in long sword and bastard sword
fencing
The wooden models of swords in the hands of the guys are the same as those used for
practicing many years ago
All the fencing movements that Mikhail Manin and Artem Rumyantsev showed were taken
from medieval fencing manuals - fechtbucher
The earliest fencing manual known as Manuscript I33 dates from about the year 1295 and
shows techniques of fencing with a sword and a small round shield (buckler)
It goes without saying that the program on Friday and Saturday was rich - tournaments
maneuvers on rough terrain etc All the participants received a lot of adrenaline and fun
Battering the palisade of the European camp with a ram
Alex Bogatikov a Samara ldquoLegendrdquo novice says This is my first time at the living history
festival and I am really enjoying it a lot of people and a lot of fun Thanks for the nice
impressions of the festival thanks to the guys from other living history societies - I expected
struggle and rivalry at the spear tournament but it turned out to be great fun a real adrenaline
rush All the re-enactors are friends they cheer each other and are very careful not to hurt
their adversaries - its cool guys
And the winners were duly rewarded
Photo link httpvkcomalbums-30578984z=photo-30578984_2882686622Fphotos-
30578984
For the victory of their fighters in an event the factions got points The total score determined
the winner who got the honorary right to raise the banner of the festival on the touristsrsquo day
This time the winner was the East Therefore the right to hoist the flag of the festival on
August19 during the solemn opening ceremony for the tourists passed to the re-enactors of
the Medieval Rus
The very festival field over which the scarlet banner flew seemed to be meant for such
activities The place is just gorgeousrdquo - our spectator Natalia Kuznetsova says ndash ldquoThe
sweet smell of wild strawberries the bridge over the river the undulating hillshellip
Unforgettable
And from the practical point of view the place was ideal too
First of all the federal highway to Ulyanovsk runs next to the festival field and therersquos a
village with a cheerful name of Stary Booyan (which in Russian sounds exactly the same as
lsquoOld Brawlerrsquo) nearby
Secondly the festival meadow is separated from the road and other marks of the modern
civilization by a copse which accounted for the effect of a real time travel
The secrets of the medieval handicrafts
After the opening of the festival a dynamic and rich program unfolded
Potters Maxim and Elena Borisov (society Mir masterov (World of Masters) Samara)
showed everyone who wished so the basics of working with clay Classes turned out to be
very exciting - the potters could not complain about the lack of public interest Their
workshop was thronged
While the enthusiasts at the market were molding clay women of fashion and glamour
gathered in the Western camp Kate Aristova from the Moscow living history club Legend
(full namesake of the Samara host society) spoke about makeup in the Middle Ages
According to her even now in the age of Oriflame and Amway the recipes that originated
eight hundred years ago can be of great interest to modern beauties as they are
environmentally friendly and work miracles with the skin
How to become a sergeant
While the women were buzzing and fussing about their jars of cream and bottles of scent
true men displayed their battle skill
On the eve of the battle Greg a fighter from The Flemings had to prove that he was ready
to become a sergeant
One doesnrsquot get promotion for a song and Greg challenged by experienced combatants had
to fight each of them in turn The task was to remain standing and he coped with it
After the duels ended ldquoThe Flemingsrdquo commander Walter asked the warriorsrsquo opinion of
Greg
I have known Greg for a very long timerdquo raised his voice the Samara Legendrsquos commander
Alexei Romanov ndash ldquoWe fought with him side by side and we also met on the battle-field as
adversaries And I believe that Greg is truly worthy of the rank of sergeant
After the duels and this praise the case was decided The commander of The Flemings with
due ceremony promoted Greg to sergeant
Clash of armour
This was followed by duels (sword ndash buckler sword - shield spears) and finally group
battles
Before the fight opponents egged each other on as best they could
And then rushed into battle
After which there happened something of the sort
Several group fights tough but fair ended in a most amicable way See for yourself
After the fights the spectators spilled out into the field - everyone wanted to be photographed
with the warriors Sometimes the result was pretty funny
Fair maidens prowess and singing arrows
Then came the turn of the womens tournament where fair maidens competed showing their
feminine prowess
To begin with they competed in throwing rolling pins into the target - of course strength and
accuracy were of utmost importance A very useful skill in family life they say And then the
ladies took their husbands battle axes and chopped cabbage with them and in general
displayed their prowess in the skills of ldquokeeping the home fires burningrdquo
Then the archers stepped on the scene The prize was contested by European infantrymen the
Mongol batyrs and of course by Russian warriors
Photo link httpvkcomphoto-30578984_288494144
Moreover women competed alongside with men
In the end the prize went to the well-known local marksman Mikhail Manin
(Novokuibyshevsk) winner of last years tournament
Medieval Jousting contest
Shortly after the tournament the mounted display Medieval Jousting was announced
This was a series of trials in which riders competed in various military disciplines Let me
first introduce the participants
Left to right - Master of the Knights Hospitaller a Mongolian horseman a Russian nobleman
in disgrace and an Arab who would not reveal his face to the audience By the way this is
only half of the participants
The first trial was mounted archery
Master of the Knights Hospitaller Note the speed of the rider And the wooden target he
has to hit is rather smallish
The second trial was ldquoThe Saracenrdquo (This is a spear game the accuracy of lance thrust is
evaluated)
Let me draw your attention to the fact that tournament lances have no heads and this is not
by chance
Just think of the force of the blow a mounted rider strikes when going at full canter
The spearhead passes through the target like a knife through butter Then one of the two
things will surely happen either the lance is stuck and the warrior gets thrown or loses his
lance or ldquoThe Saracen gets wrenched out of the earth Nobody wants it
Trial Three - mounted cutting
Itrsquos interesting that this exercise expressly shows the difference between a sword and a sabre
A sabre due to its characteristic curve of the blade cuts the head of cabbage neatly in two
But the sword chopping blows crush grind the head of cabbage
To some extent the difference is so marked because the sword blades at the festival werenrsquot
honed Honed sword blades also cut very neatly On the other hand a sabre is meant for
slashing blows and weighing less than a sword cuts very efficiently
In the photo you can see the ldquoLegendrdquo posadnik Maxim wearing a red mantle By the way he
won the ridersrsquo competition
Just in case let me explain who posadnik is The word is derived from the word posad
(pronounced as pah-lsquosad) In Russia ldquoposadrdquo was the part of town where most of the
citizens lived There was also a krom (kremlin) or citadel but only the prince with his
household and his host lived there and in the time of an enemy invasion the people flocked
to the citadel seeking protection In short posadnik is the head of the civil authority of the
town
Siege engine and storm
After the horsemenrsquos contest a ten-minute break was declared during which the audience had
a chance to walk around the festival lawn and the participants - to prepare for the impending
battle
According to our idea all the participants able to hold weapons were to meet on the
battlefield in the mass battle
Among them was the team of a medieval siege engine into which Utah Iwasaki seamlessly
blended
Thatrsquos what arcuballista looks like as seen by its aimer
The arcuballista team was under command of Vadim Sinichkin head of the living history
society ldquoSlovenerdquo from Novokuibyshevsk This society built all the siege engines of the
festival
ldquoWe are a small society that is why our only chance to influence the outcome of the battle is
to bombard the adversary with trebuchet and arcuballista projectiles We have adjusted those
things for throwing projectiles for 50 metres ndash contemporary living history festivals seldom
require more powerful siege engines with a longer range They are also rather convenient in
transportation - they can be taken apart and the parts fit on the floor of a mini-bus Thatrsquos
how actually we brought them hererdquo
The final battle
About 4 pm the master of ceremonies announced the last battle of the festival He said that
all the warriors of the festival would cross swords and break spears in the final melee The
3000 spectators began to fill the slope of the hill which became a natural amphitheater
The legend of the final battle was as follows it was a very ordinary event for the troubled
13th century A squad of European soldiers assaulted a Russian frontier guard outpost
located in the steppes of the Volga region
The European soldiers came there with a unit of Mongol warriors (which was a frequent
occasion with Genoan mercenaries from the Crimea) The Mongol warriors brought portable
siege engines to storm the outpost
The soldiers bring an arcuballista which is followed by the trebuchet Perhaps the stone
throwing engine with the help of which the women of Toulouse smashed the head of count
Simon de Montfort the legendary leader of the Crusaders looked very much the same
This unfortunate episode also took place in the 13th
century and to be absolutely precise
on June 25 1218
Having bombarded the outpost with the trebuchet projectiles the Mongols gave the European
foot soldiers the opportunity to attack it while the outpost defenders were still dazed A brief
skirmish and the outpost is takenhellip The Russian warriors retreat to the steppe Another
spell of fighting Only a handful of Russian warriors remainhellip And at the last moment
another Russian unit comes to the aid of the outpost
Irsquod better give the floor to Galina who came to the festival with her 4-year-old son Timothy
ldquoTimothy absolutely believed what he saw I myself felt enthralled ndash everything looked so
real
During the battle when only two Russian warriors remained fighting back to back
surrounded by enemies Tim thought they were about to perish and went to their aid
Photo link httpvkcomphoto7768284_287885078
White as a sheet he breathed out Im coming Hold on And ran to the rescuehellip
I could barely catch him It was hard to calm him down to persuade him it was all make-
believe
When the cavalry came to the rescue I said ldquoLook they are fine now Victoryrdquo You should
have seen the triumph and relief in his eyes
Thats how our long awaited festival ended
The spectators got into their cars and buses and went home ndash some to Samara some to
Togliatti some to Ulyanovskhellip
Photos by Olga Borisenkova Georgy Korobov Olga Nemkova Yulia Timirkhanova
Svetlana Makoveyeva Maria Gomolova Irina Yashina Natalia Kalmykova Alexey
Pleshkov Andrey Surin Ekaterina Orlova Tatiana Besschastnaya Vadim Kozin Evgeny
Krasnikov Alexandra Bunayeva Denis Khramov Nina Gubanova Yuri Chikin Ildar
Hassanov Ivan Yegorov Mikhail Pishchakov Mikhail Puzankov Olesya Strelchenko
Thank you all
Many thanks to the musicians who entertained the spectators They are Yegor Strelnikov
(psaltery Moscow) ldquoMusica Radicumrdquo (folk group Saint Petersburg)
Photo link httpcs304606userapicomv30460642737cah2D-hgjQpRsjpg
Photo link httpcs317423userapicomv31742302020a1HFnxYFD_uS0jpg
ldquoThe Eastrdquo
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Stupino)
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoSuzdalskaya Druzhina (Suzdal Host)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS ldquoTruvorrdquo (Orenburg)
LHS ldquoVityaz (Russian Knight)rdquo (Kazan)
LHS ldquoSlovenerdquo (Novokuibyshevsk)
Association ldquoNORD Rusrdquo (Samara)
ldquoMjollnirrdquo (Samara)
Individual participants
ldquoThe Westrdquo
LHS ldquoAtlit ndash Zamok Palomnika (Atlit - Pilgrimrsquos Castle)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS laquoNovum castrumraquo (Zheleznodorozhny)
LHS ldquoStary Svet (The Old World Company)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoDostoyanie (Heritage)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoFlamandtsy (The Flemings)rdquo (Odintsovo)
Individual participants
Special thanks to the artisans
Association ldquoMir masterov (World of Masters)rdquo (Samara)
ldquoNizhegorodskaya Artel Oruzheinikov (Armourersrsquo Artel)rdquo (Nizhny Novgorod)
Our valiant steeds came from ldquoRusskaya Sloboda (Russian Village)rdquo (Samara) and equestrian
club (Borskoe)
Thank you all guys for war and peace for merry feasts and fair competition
The festival took place on the 19 August 2012 near Stary Booyan in the Krasnoyarsky district
of the Samara Region
Next year our festival will be held again and we expect that our friends from Poland
Ukraine Belarus and Japan will be able to come So if you are interested in the 13th century
re-enactment welcome to Samara ldquoBattle Skill ndash 2013rdquo
Release Date May 11
th 2013
On being a Portuguese (exclusive) art
Before the more recent development of the combat sport Canne de Combat France also used
to have its own ldquostaff fencingrdquo art It so happens that this French art had exactly the same
name as the ldquoPortuguese artrdquo only in French obviously It was Le Jeux du Baton
My Jogo do Pau instructor Master Nuno Curvello Russo who is regarded as the most
experienced and knowledgeable Jogo do Pau instructor in Portugal lived in France during the
seventies While there he met Maurice Sarry who like Master Russo had dedicated himself
to the extensive study of his countryrsquos traditional fighting art and was highly regarded on a
national level
As these two great Masters got acquainted with one another they started training together
and soon realized their arts were identical regarding their single combat techniques strikes
parries and footwork I specifically pointed out that I am referring to single combat technique
because at the time the French art had become exclusively focused on this type of combat
similarly to what also occurred within the Portuguese urban industrial cities where the
practice of Jogo do Pau was undertaken as a leisure activity and therefore exclusively
focused on single combat
Thus with Jogo do Pau and Jeux du Baton being identical and knowing that European
countries interacted both socially (such as through royal marriages) and commercially it is all
but surprising to realize that they also developed a common standardized combat art Hence
Jogo do Pau corresponds to the preservation of European historical fencing and not merely a
Portuguese specific art
I do not wish to sound even if for just for a second disrespectful towards other European
combat schools of thought such as the German and Italian They are also European Historical
Fencing but simply from a different period and context more specifically from the second
period mentioned at the start of this article
On the parallel between societyrsquos evolution and Jogo do Paursquos motor skills
Double handed weapons
From its very first days mankind has always had the need to hunt for food as well as fight
other human beings in large groups so as to protect and or conquer both assets and territory
Consequently with martial artsrsquo origin and essence residing in the development of effective
skills for outnumbered combat Jogo do Pau was no exception which made it useful to both
civilians and the countryrsquos army
Additionally since people lived in rural environments (where space wasnrsquot lacking) and with
striking arts being highly influenced by reach this art was initially focused on the exclusive
use of long double handed weapons the extra long swords amongst the military and the staffs
amongst civilians
Surely enough some social conflicts did end up being settled through duels but with
peoplersquos standard training being focused on outnumbered combat these duels were fought by
looking to make the best possible use of the commonly trained outnumbered combat skills
Only towards to eighteenth century with the development of industrial cities did Jogo do
Pau begin being practiced as a leisure activity within these few cities Eventually the
connection between these two forms of combat single and outnumbered combat and their
distinct social realities became so strong that the practice of outnumbered combat started
being designated as ldquonorthrsquos gamerdquo where it kept being practitionersrsquo main focus until the
later stages of the twentieth century On the other hand the more recent leisure type practice
groups which focused on the artrsquos single combat recreational version brought about new
techniques and strategies to this type combat and began being called Lisbonrsquos school
From the early 1970rsquos onward Master Nuno Russo originally trained in Master Pedro
Ferreirarsquos Lisbon school routinely travelled to the north of Portugal for long seasons in order
to learn the artrsquos system of outnumbered combat Ultimately Master Russo was able to
combine both systems into one single and unified technical program which to my
knowledge is the only of its kind
Single handed weapons
Nevertheless people living in industrial cities were also confronted by self defence scenarios
Given this and keeping alive the artrsquos original essence Master Nuno Russo picked up on
Master Pedro Ferreirarsquos initial efforts and adopted some more city type weapons the walking
cane and the baton He extensively studied the artrsquos application to these shorter one handed
weapons making his school a very unique and complete system that offers both double and
single handed weapon mastery for both outnumbered and single combat
Currently Master Russorsquos school is called Escola Santo Condestaacutevel in memory of
Portuguese medieval legendary knight Nuno Aacutelvares Pereira (1360-1431) who was officially
declared saint by the current Pope on April 26th
2009
From Jogo do Pau to Lusitanian Fencing
Last but surely not least the previously mentioned elements allow us to conclude that the
artrsquos designation Jogo do Pau is incorrect as this art is not staff exclusive and by no means a
game
This medieval fencing artrsquos designation probably came about as a result of having been
preserved through staffs and additionally having in ancient Portuguese the verb ldquojogarrdquo (to
play) being used to designate the action of throwing something Consequently the skill of
knowing how to swing and kind of throw the staff against an opponent (jogar o pau) paved
the way for the art to be called Jogo do Pau
With the artrsquos name being incorrect and despite being aware of the difficult task that we face
in changing popular culture we decided to do something about it Were this to be a staff
specific fencing art its correct name would have been staff fencing (Esgrima de Pau) but
knowing of its historical and technical connection to medieval weapons we opted to rename
the art as Esgrima Lusitana (Lusitanian Fenicng) which also serves as a well deserved tribute
to our countryrsquos forefathers the brave Lusitanian people whom the Romans only managed to
subdue through treachery
Military amp Flying Machines Show
wwwmilitaryandflyingmachinesorguk
P R E S S R E L E A S E with immediate effect
Welcome Back Sally B The Military amp Flying Machines Team are so excited and pleased to be able to confirm some very special news for the 2013 show at Damyns Hall Aerodrome Due to public demand we are expanding our show to a three day event taking place on 3
rd 4
th and 5
th
August with more attractions more vehicles more flying and more big bangs This year we are delighted to welcome back the fantastic WW2 vintage B-17 Flying Fortress Bomber lsquoSally Brsquo the last remaining airworthy B-17 in Europe It quickly took on mythic proportions and widely circulated stories and photos of B-17s surviving battle damage increased its iconic status The B17 could fly higher than any of its Allied contemporaries and established its place in history dropping more bombs than any other US aircraft in World War II The Sally B has featured in many feature films most notably the blockbuster film Memphis Belle It will again amaze the crowds with low level displays as this truly historic aircraft is put through its paces ldquoSally Brdquo has always in the past performed the most amazing air display at Damyns Hall especially as the aerodrome is fairly small when this almighty warbird flyrsquos past it feels like you can reach out and touch it it is a display that cannot be missed
If Warbirds are of interest to you then you will be in for a big treat at this yearrsquos show with a superb display from the magnificent Spitfire the iconic shape and unmistakeable noise stir the imagination and the emotion of all that watch We also welcome the Hurricane ldquoHurribomberrdquo a first for our show (MORE ON HURRBOMBER) The WW2 fighter trainers ndash the Harvard T6 single-engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces United States Navy Royal Air Force and other air forces of the British Commonwealth during World War II and into the 1950s and the Boeing Stearman the work horses of the training airfield which were used to train many Battle of Britain heroes ndash will also join the line up to entertain the crowds The incomparable Jungmeister will also be displaying demonstrating its flying versatility A rare Messerschmitt 108 another classic WW2 aircraft from the German Luftwaffe The ME108 will also form part of a Living History static display on the ground Many of the aircrafts will be landing as well over the weekend so it is a fabulous rare opportunity to get up close
As well as all this there will be so much more to see whilst your there admiring the sights and sounds in the skies including helicopter pleasure flights along with 300+ military vehicles living history displays live entertainment all day arena activities including big bangs and even bigger vehicles Kidsrsquo activities vintage funfair refreshments stalls ndash there truly is something for everyone and at great value for money
Wersquove got more exciting news coming very soon ndash so watch this space for the next BIG ANNOUNCEMENT
For the latest updates on the show visit wwwmilitaryandflyingmachinesorguk
Military amp Flying
Machines Show
2nd
3rd
amp 4th August
- Over 17000 attendees
- Flying Displays
- Pleasure Flights
- Living History
Displays -
300+ Vehicles -
Live Entertainment -
Arena Activities -
20+ Tanks amp Armoured Vehicles
Live 40rsquos style big
band
Event Information
May
4
th ndash 6
th Bentley Medieval Festival Lewes east Sussex UK
marktime-productionscom
4th ndash 6
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Blenheim Palace UK
httpwwwblenheimpalacecom
5th amp 6
th ldquoRogues amp Outlawsrdquo Sherwood Forest UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
10th
ndash 12th British Quarterstaff Association weekend in Gloucestershire UK
httpquarterstafforgeventshtml
11th
The Mortimer History Society Spring Conference Leominster UK
wwwmortimerhistorysocietyorguk
11th
amp 12th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Ekenas Castle Sweden
httpwwwekenasslottse
May 11th amp 12th A Victorian Celebration Forge Mill Needle Museum Redditch UK
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
May 25th amp 26th Tall Ships rsquo13 Gloucester Historic Docks Ships maritime living history
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
May 26th amp 27th Harewood Medieval Faire Harewood House Leeds 2nd major annual
multi-period medieval festival with 1066 to 1487 timeline
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
26th
ndash 28th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Hedingham Castle UK
httpwwwhedinghamcastlecouk
May 28th
June 1st Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Leeds Castle UK
httpwwwleeds-castlecomlandphp
June
1st amp 2
nd Templecombe Medieval fair Templecombe UK
httpswwwfacebookcomevents300657233387495
8th amp 9
th History Alive Fort Lytton National Park Brisbane Australia
wwwhistoryalivecoau
15th
amp 16th
Gloucester Medieval Play Festival UK
wwwglostheatrecouk
15th
amp 16th
Tatton Park Old Hall Medieval fayre UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
21st ndash 23
rd Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Cardiff Castle Wales
httpwwwcardiffcastlecom
21st ndash 23
rd Times amp Epochs Moscow Russia
httpwwwfacebookcomhistoryfestref=tsampfref=ts
29th
amp 30th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Linlithgow Palace Scotland httpwwwhistoric-scotlandgovukpropertyresultspropertyoverviewhtmPropID=PL_199ampPropName=Linlithgow20Palace
July
5th ndash 7
th LARP Camp Huntley Wood Staffordshire UK
wwwlarpcampcouk
6th amp 7
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Linlithgow Palace Scotland
httpwwwhistoric-scotlandgovukpropertyresultspropertyoverviewhtmPropID=PL_199ampPropName=Linlithgow20Palace
13th
amp 14th
The Battle of Tewkesbury UK
httpwwwtewkesburymedievalfestivalorg
13th
amp 14th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
20th
amp 21st Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
26th
ndash 28th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
27th
amp 28th
Berkeley Skirmish Berkeley Castle Gloucestershire UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
27th
amp 28th
Smugglers Island Appuldurcombe House IOW UK
Email ednash1993hotmailcouk
July 27th amp 28th Hughendenrsquos Victorian Weekend Hughenden Manor Buckinghamshire
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
27th
amp 28th
Slaughterbridge Camlann Life and Legend Camelford Cornwall UK
heburbeckgmaiIc0m
August
2nd
ndash 4th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Blenheim Palace UK
httpwwwblenheimpalacecom
3rd
amp 4th
The Midlands Festival of History UK
httpwwwmid-festcouk
3rd
amp 4th
The Loxwood Joust Loxwood Meadow RH14 0AL UK
wwwloxwoodjoustcouk
9th ndash 11
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
16th
ndash 18th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
17th
amp 18th
Scotlands Festival of History Chatelherault Scotland
wwwscotlandsfestivalofhistorycouk
17th
amp 18th
M5-Multi Period Re-enactment Weekend Spetchley Park Worcs UK
Website ndash wwwm5showcouk
23rd
amp 24th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
25th
amp 26th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hedingham Castle UK
httpwwwhedinghamcastlecouk
25th
amp 26th
The Sheffield Fayre Norfolk Heritage Park Sheffield
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
August 31st amp September 1st On the Home Front 1939-45 Rufford Abbey Country Park
Notts Annual 1940s show wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
September
12th amp 13th Bexbach 1474 Call To Arms
www1474eu
14th
amp 15th
The Battle of Mortimerrsquos Cross Hampton Court Castle Herefordshire
wwwmortimerscrosscouk
September 21st amp 22nd Wimpole at War The Wimpole Estate Cambridgeshire Annual
1940s event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
September 28th amp 29th Sherwood through the ages Sherwood Forest Annual Ancient to
1980s multi-period event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
October
October 5th amp 6th Hughendenrsquos Wartime Weekend Hughenden Manor Bucks Annual
1940s event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
12th
amp 13th
International Events of Historical Crafts (EIAH) Portugal
Email artesanatocomhistoriagmailcom
November
15
th-17
th The Original Re-Enactors Market Ryton on Dunsmore Coventry UK
wwwreenactorsmarketcouk
16th
amp 17th
The National Living History Fair
wwwnlhfcouk
23rd
amp 24th
The Ludlow Medieval Christmas Fair Ludlow Castle Shropshire
httpwwwludlowcastlecompageseventsaspx
Living History Festival ldquoRatnoe Delo (Battle Skill) - 2012rdquo
By Nikolai Chebotarev
3 September 2012
Translated by Inna Drabkina
At last Irsquove got to my computer to tell you about the festival Ratnoe Delo-2012 For us
host living history societies (Legend Russian Village The Flemings) this was the
main event of the year
I am sure that our true friends from Samara and the Krasnoyarsky district where the action
unfolded found it a most pleasurable and interesting event too
Catching my breath after the festival I decided to take up the pen to commemorate the events
of the festival together with our photographers
100 Dyed-in-the-Wool Re-Enactors
The festival focuses on the confrontation of the Russian warriors and the West-European
knights of the 13th century The 13
th century was a dramatic one for the Medieval Rus it was
the age of the Mongol invasion but it was also the age of contact and conflict of the Western
Europe and the principalities of the north-west of Russia
The special appeal of the festival was its ldquoauthenticityrdquo focus In the first place only those
societies that had top-quality historical costumes military equipment household utensils
were admitted to the festival Secondly all these things had to be exact replicas of the 13th
century ones
The photographers couldnrsquot get all the re-enactors in frame
As it turned out it is not easy to gather in one place one hundred dyed-in-the-wool
ldquoauthenticrdquo re-enactors but we coped with the task The geography of the festival
participants ranges from Bryansk in Russia to Yokohama in Japan Yes you heard right
Yokohama
A year ago a Japanese guy Utah Iwasaki came to Russia to see our festival He was
fascinated by the idea of living history and historical re-enactment he told us that in the Land
of the Rising Sun there were no amateur re-enactors only professional actors playing their
parts in public shows This time he is taking to Japan not just photos from the festival but
also a chain mail Halberk - the one in the photo
ldquoIrsquom going to show the chain mail and the photos to my father I think he will be very much
impressed And then Irsquoll show them to my friends and colleagues at work maybe next time
there will be several of us comingrdquo
And who could expect that Utah would meet his compatriots amidst our steppes ldquoThere were
2 boys from Japan They come from a mixed Russian-Japanese family and they live in
Tokyo They came to Samara on a visit to their granddad and thatrsquos how we met at the
festivalrdquo
All the participants were divided into two rivaling partiesndash the East and the West A small
rivulet separated their camps The contest between the parties was the main intrigue of the
festival
The first two days - Friday and Saturday - were the time for the re-enactorsrsquo master classes
seminars and sharing their findings and ideas with each other The participant societies
prepared an extensive program including a master class in long sword and bastard sword
fencing
The wooden models of swords in the hands of the guys are the same as those used for
practicing many years ago
All the fencing movements that Mikhail Manin and Artem Rumyantsev showed were taken
from medieval fencing manuals - fechtbucher
The earliest fencing manual known as Manuscript I33 dates from about the year 1295 and
shows techniques of fencing with a sword and a small round shield (buckler)
It goes without saying that the program on Friday and Saturday was rich - tournaments
maneuvers on rough terrain etc All the participants received a lot of adrenaline and fun
Battering the palisade of the European camp with a ram
Alex Bogatikov a Samara ldquoLegendrdquo novice says This is my first time at the living history
festival and I am really enjoying it a lot of people and a lot of fun Thanks for the nice
impressions of the festival thanks to the guys from other living history societies - I expected
struggle and rivalry at the spear tournament but it turned out to be great fun a real adrenaline
rush All the re-enactors are friends they cheer each other and are very careful not to hurt
their adversaries - its cool guys
And the winners were duly rewarded
Photo link httpvkcomalbums-30578984z=photo-30578984_2882686622Fphotos-
30578984
For the victory of their fighters in an event the factions got points The total score determined
the winner who got the honorary right to raise the banner of the festival on the touristsrsquo day
This time the winner was the East Therefore the right to hoist the flag of the festival on
August19 during the solemn opening ceremony for the tourists passed to the re-enactors of
the Medieval Rus
The very festival field over which the scarlet banner flew seemed to be meant for such
activities The place is just gorgeousrdquo - our spectator Natalia Kuznetsova says ndash ldquoThe
sweet smell of wild strawberries the bridge over the river the undulating hillshellip
Unforgettable
And from the practical point of view the place was ideal too
First of all the federal highway to Ulyanovsk runs next to the festival field and therersquos a
village with a cheerful name of Stary Booyan (which in Russian sounds exactly the same as
lsquoOld Brawlerrsquo) nearby
Secondly the festival meadow is separated from the road and other marks of the modern
civilization by a copse which accounted for the effect of a real time travel
The secrets of the medieval handicrafts
After the opening of the festival a dynamic and rich program unfolded
Potters Maxim and Elena Borisov (society Mir masterov (World of Masters) Samara)
showed everyone who wished so the basics of working with clay Classes turned out to be
very exciting - the potters could not complain about the lack of public interest Their
workshop was thronged
While the enthusiasts at the market were molding clay women of fashion and glamour
gathered in the Western camp Kate Aristova from the Moscow living history club Legend
(full namesake of the Samara host society) spoke about makeup in the Middle Ages
According to her even now in the age of Oriflame and Amway the recipes that originated
eight hundred years ago can be of great interest to modern beauties as they are
environmentally friendly and work miracles with the skin
How to become a sergeant
While the women were buzzing and fussing about their jars of cream and bottles of scent
true men displayed their battle skill
On the eve of the battle Greg a fighter from The Flemings had to prove that he was ready
to become a sergeant
One doesnrsquot get promotion for a song and Greg challenged by experienced combatants had
to fight each of them in turn The task was to remain standing and he coped with it
After the duels ended ldquoThe Flemingsrdquo commander Walter asked the warriorsrsquo opinion of
Greg
I have known Greg for a very long timerdquo raised his voice the Samara Legendrsquos commander
Alexei Romanov ndash ldquoWe fought with him side by side and we also met on the battle-field as
adversaries And I believe that Greg is truly worthy of the rank of sergeant
After the duels and this praise the case was decided The commander of The Flemings with
due ceremony promoted Greg to sergeant
Clash of armour
This was followed by duels (sword ndash buckler sword - shield spears) and finally group
battles
Before the fight opponents egged each other on as best they could
And then rushed into battle
After which there happened something of the sort
Several group fights tough but fair ended in a most amicable way See for yourself
After the fights the spectators spilled out into the field - everyone wanted to be photographed
with the warriors Sometimes the result was pretty funny
Fair maidens prowess and singing arrows
Then came the turn of the womens tournament where fair maidens competed showing their
feminine prowess
To begin with they competed in throwing rolling pins into the target - of course strength and
accuracy were of utmost importance A very useful skill in family life they say And then the
ladies took their husbands battle axes and chopped cabbage with them and in general
displayed their prowess in the skills of ldquokeeping the home fires burningrdquo
Then the archers stepped on the scene The prize was contested by European infantrymen the
Mongol batyrs and of course by Russian warriors
Photo link httpvkcomphoto-30578984_288494144
Moreover women competed alongside with men
In the end the prize went to the well-known local marksman Mikhail Manin
(Novokuibyshevsk) winner of last years tournament
Medieval Jousting contest
Shortly after the tournament the mounted display Medieval Jousting was announced
This was a series of trials in which riders competed in various military disciplines Let me
first introduce the participants
Left to right - Master of the Knights Hospitaller a Mongolian horseman a Russian nobleman
in disgrace and an Arab who would not reveal his face to the audience By the way this is
only half of the participants
The first trial was mounted archery
Master of the Knights Hospitaller Note the speed of the rider And the wooden target he
has to hit is rather smallish
The second trial was ldquoThe Saracenrdquo (This is a spear game the accuracy of lance thrust is
evaluated)
Let me draw your attention to the fact that tournament lances have no heads and this is not
by chance
Just think of the force of the blow a mounted rider strikes when going at full canter
The spearhead passes through the target like a knife through butter Then one of the two
things will surely happen either the lance is stuck and the warrior gets thrown or loses his
lance or ldquoThe Saracen gets wrenched out of the earth Nobody wants it
Trial Three - mounted cutting
Itrsquos interesting that this exercise expressly shows the difference between a sword and a sabre
A sabre due to its characteristic curve of the blade cuts the head of cabbage neatly in two
But the sword chopping blows crush grind the head of cabbage
To some extent the difference is so marked because the sword blades at the festival werenrsquot
honed Honed sword blades also cut very neatly On the other hand a sabre is meant for
slashing blows and weighing less than a sword cuts very efficiently
In the photo you can see the ldquoLegendrdquo posadnik Maxim wearing a red mantle By the way he
won the ridersrsquo competition
Just in case let me explain who posadnik is The word is derived from the word posad
(pronounced as pah-lsquosad) In Russia ldquoposadrdquo was the part of town where most of the
citizens lived There was also a krom (kremlin) or citadel but only the prince with his
household and his host lived there and in the time of an enemy invasion the people flocked
to the citadel seeking protection In short posadnik is the head of the civil authority of the
town
Siege engine and storm
After the horsemenrsquos contest a ten-minute break was declared during which the audience had
a chance to walk around the festival lawn and the participants - to prepare for the impending
battle
According to our idea all the participants able to hold weapons were to meet on the
battlefield in the mass battle
Among them was the team of a medieval siege engine into which Utah Iwasaki seamlessly
blended
Thatrsquos what arcuballista looks like as seen by its aimer
The arcuballista team was under command of Vadim Sinichkin head of the living history
society ldquoSlovenerdquo from Novokuibyshevsk This society built all the siege engines of the
festival
ldquoWe are a small society that is why our only chance to influence the outcome of the battle is
to bombard the adversary with trebuchet and arcuballista projectiles We have adjusted those
things for throwing projectiles for 50 metres ndash contemporary living history festivals seldom
require more powerful siege engines with a longer range They are also rather convenient in
transportation - they can be taken apart and the parts fit on the floor of a mini-bus Thatrsquos
how actually we brought them hererdquo
The final battle
About 4 pm the master of ceremonies announced the last battle of the festival He said that
all the warriors of the festival would cross swords and break spears in the final melee The
3000 spectators began to fill the slope of the hill which became a natural amphitheater
The legend of the final battle was as follows it was a very ordinary event for the troubled
13th century A squad of European soldiers assaulted a Russian frontier guard outpost
located in the steppes of the Volga region
The European soldiers came there with a unit of Mongol warriors (which was a frequent
occasion with Genoan mercenaries from the Crimea) The Mongol warriors brought portable
siege engines to storm the outpost
The soldiers bring an arcuballista which is followed by the trebuchet Perhaps the stone
throwing engine with the help of which the women of Toulouse smashed the head of count
Simon de Montfort the legendary leader of the Crusaders looked very much the same
This unfortunate episode also took place in the 13th
century and to be absolutely precise
on June 25 1218
Having bombarded the outpost with the trebuchet projectiles the Mongols gave the European
foot soldiers the opportunity to attack it while the outpost defenders were still dazed A brief
skirmish and the outpost is takenhellip The Russian warriors retreat to the steppe Another
spell of fighting Only a handful of Russian warriors remainhellip And at the last moment
another Russian unit comes to the aid of the outpost
Irsquod better give the floor to Galina who came to the festival with her 4-year-old son Timothy
ldquoTimothy absolutely believed what he saw I myself felt enthralled ndash everything looked so
real
During the battle when only two Russian warriors remained fighting back to back
surrounded by enemies Tim thought they were about to perish and went to their aid
Photo link httpvkcomphoto7768284_287885078
White as a sheet he breathed out Im coming Hold on And ran to the rescuehellip
I could barely catch him It was hard to calm him down to persuade him it was all make-
believe
When the cavalry came to the rescue I said ldquoLook they are fine now Victoryrdquo You should
have seen the triumph and relief in his eyes
Thats how our long awaited festival ended
The spectators got into their cars and buses and went home ndash some to Samara some to
Togliatti some to Ulyanovskhellip
Photos by Olga Borisenkova Georgy Korobov Olga Nemkova Yulia Timirkhanova
Svetlana Makoveyeva Maria Gomolova Irina Yashina Natalia Kalmykova Alexey
Pleshkov Andrey Surin Ekaterina Orlova Tatiana Besschastnaya Vadim Kozin Evgeny
Krasnikov Alexandra Bunayeva Denis Khramov Nina Gubanova Yuri Chikin Ildar
Hassanov Ivan Yegorov Mikhail Pishchakov Mikhail Puzankov Olesya Strelchenko
Thank you all
Many thanks to the musicians who entertained the spectators They are Yegor Strelnikov
(psaltery Moscow) ldquoMusica Radicumrdquo (folk group Saint Petersburg)
Photo link httpcs304606userapicomv30460642737cah2D-hgjQpRsjpg
Photo link httpcs317423userapicomv31742302020a1HFnxYFD_uS0jpg
ldquoThe Eastrdquo
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Stupino)
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoSuzdalskaya Druzhina (Suzdal Host)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS ldquoTruvorrdquo (Orenburg)
LHS ldquoVityaz (Russian Knight)rdquo (Kazan)
LHS ldquoSlovenerdquo (Novokuibyshevsk)
Association ldquoNORD Rusrdquo (Samara)
ldquoMjollnirrdquo (Samara)
Individual participants
ldquoThe Westrdquo
LHS ldquoAtlit ndash Zamok Palomnika (Atlit - Pilgrimrsquos Castle)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS laquoNovum castrumraquo (Zheleznodorozhny)
LHS ldquoStary Svet (The Old World Company)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoDostoyanie (Heritage)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoFlamandtsy (The Flemings)rdquo (Odintsovo)
Individual participants
Special thanks to the artisans
Association ldquoMir masterov (World of Masters)rdquo (Samara)
ldquoNizhegorodskaya Artel Oruzheinikov (Armourersrsquo Artel)rdquo (Nizhny Novgorod)
Our valiant steeds came from ldquoRusskaya Sloboda (Russian Village)rdquo (Samara) and equestrian
club (Borskoe)
Thank you all guys for war and peace for merry feasts and fair competition
The festival took place on the 19 August 2012 near Stary Booyan in the Krasnoyarsky district
of the Samara Region
Next year our festival will be held again and we expect that our friends from Poland
Ukraine Belarus and Japan will be able to come So if you are interested in the 13th century
re-enactment welcome to Samara ldquoBattle Skill ndash 2013rdquo
Release Date May 11
th 2013
skills for outnumbered combat Jogo do Pau was no exception which made it useful to both
civilians and the countryrsquos army
Additionally since people lived in rural environments (where space wasnrsquot lacking) and with
striking arts being highly influenced by reach this art was initially focused on the exclusive
use of long double handed weapons the extra long swords amongst the military and the staffs
amongst civilians
Surely enough some social conflicts did end up being settled through duels but with
peoplersquos standard training being focused on outnumbered combat these duels were fought by
looking to make the best possible use of the commonly trained outnumbered combat skills
Only towards to eighteenth century with the development of industrial cities did Jogo do
Pau begin being practiced as a leisure activity within these few cities Eventually the
connection between these two forms of combat single and outnumbered combat and their
distinct social realities became so strong that the practice of outnumbered combat started
being designated as ldquonorthrsquos gamerdquo where it kept being practitionersrsquo main focus until the
later stages of the twentieth century On the other hand the more recent leisure type practice
groups which focused on the artrsquos single combat recreational version brought about new
techniques and strategies to this type combat and began being called Lisbonrsquos school
From the early 1970rsquos onward Master Nuno Russo originally trained in Master Pedro
Ferreirarsquos Lisbon school routinely travelled to the north of Portugal for long seasons in order
to learn the artrsquos system of outnumbered combat Ultimately Master Russo was able to
combine both systems into one single and unified technical program which to my
knowledge is the only of its kind
Single handed weapons
Nevertheless people living in industrial cities were also confronted by self defence scenarios
Given this and keeping alive the artrsquos original essence Master Nuno Russo picked up on
Master Pedro Ferreirarsquos initial efforts and adopted some more city type weapons the walking
cane and the baton He extensively studied the artrsquos application to these shorter one handed
weapons making his school a very unique and complete system that offers both double and
single handed weapon mastery for both outnumbered and single combat
Currently Master Russorsquos school is called Escola Santo Condestaacutevel in memory of
Portuguese medieval legendary knight Nuno Aacutelvares Pereira (1360-1431) who was officially
declared saint by the current Pope on April 26th
2009
From Jogo do Pau to Lusitanian Fencing
Last but surely not least the previously mentioned elements allow us to conclude that the
artrsquos designation Jogo do Pau is incorrect as this art is not staff exclusive and by no means a
game
This medieval fencing artrsquos designation probably came about as a result of having been
preserved through staffs and additionally having in ancient Portuguese the verb ldquojogarrdquo (to
play) being used to designate the action of throwing something Consequently the skill of
knowing how to swing and kind of throw the staff against an opponent (jogar o pau) paved
the way for the art to be called Jogo do Pau
With the artrsquos name being incorrect and despite being aware of the difficult task that we face
in changing popular culture we decided to do something about it Were this to be a staff
specific fencing art its correct name would have been staff fencing (Esgrima de Pau) but
knowing of its historical and technical connection to medieval weapons we opted to rename
the art as Esgrima Lusitana (Lusitanian Fenicng) which also serves as a well deserved tribute
to our countryrsquos forefathers the brave Lusitanian people whom the Romans only managed to
subdue through treachery
Military amp Flying Machines Show
wwwmilitaryandflyingmachinesorguk
P R E S S R E L E A S E with immediate effect
Welcome Back Sally B The Military amp Flying Machines Team are so excited and pleased to be able to confirm some very special news for the 2013 show at Damyns Hall Aerodrome Due to public demand we are expanding our show to a three day event taking place on 3
rd 4
th and 5
th
August with more attractions more vehicles more flying and more big bangs This year we are delighted to welcome back the fantastic WW2 vintage B-17 Flying Fortress Bomber lsquoSally Brsquo the last remaining airworthy B-17 in Europe It quickly took on mythic proportions and widely circulated stories and photos of B-17s surviving battle damage increased its iconic status The B17 could fly higher than any of its Allied contemporaries and established its place in history dropping more bombs than any other US aircraft in World War II The Sally B has featured in many feature films most notably the blockbuster film Memphis Belle It will again amaze the crowds with low level displays as this truly historic aircraft is put through its paces ldquoSally Brdquo has always in the past performed the most amazing air display at Damyns Hall especially as the aerodrome is fairly small when this almighty warbird flyrsquos past it feels like you can reach out and touch it it is a display that cannot be missed
If Warbirds are of interest to you then you will be in for a big treat at this yearrsquos show with a superb display from the magnificent Spitfire the iconic shape and unmistakeable noise stir the imagination and the emotion of all that watch We also welcome the Hurricane ldquoHurribomberrdquo a first for our show (MORE ON HURRBOMBER) The WW2 fighter trainers ndash the Harvard T6 single-engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces United States Navy Royal Air Force and other air forces of the British Commonwealth during World War II and into the 1950s and the Boeing Stearman the work horses of the training airfield which were used to train many Battle of Britain heroes ndash will also join the line up to entertain the crowds The incomparable Jungmeister will also be displaying demonstrating its flying versatility A rare Messerschmitt 108 another classic WW2 aircraft from the German Luftwaffe The ME108 will also form part of a Living History static display on the ground Many of the aircrafts will be landing as well over the weekend so it is a fabulous rare opportunity to get up close
As well as all this there will be so much more to see whilst your there admiring the sights and sounds in the skies including helicopter pleasure flights along with 300+ military vehicles living history displays live entertainment all day arena activities including big bangs and even bigger vehicles Kidsrsquo activities vintage funfair refreshments stalls ndash there truly is something for everyone and at great value for money
Wersquove got more exciting news coming very soon ndash so watch this space for the next BIG ANNOUNCEMENT
For the latest updates on the show visit wwwmilitaryandflyingmachinesorguk
Military amp Flying
Machines Show
2nd
3rd
amp 4th August
- Over 17000 attendees
- Flying Displays
- Pleasure Flights
- Living History
Displays -
300+ Vehicles -
Live Entertainment -
Arena Activities -
20+ Tanks amp Armoured Vehicles
Live 40rsquos style big
band
Event Information
May
4
th ndash 6
th Bentley Medieval Festival Lewes east Sussex UK
marktime-productionscom
4th ndash 6
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Blenheim Palace UK
httpwwwblenheimpalacecom
5th amp 6
th ldquoRogues amp Outlawsrdquo Sherwood Forest UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
10th
ndash 12th British Quarterstaff Association weekend in Gloucestershire UK
httpquarterstafforgeventshtml
11th
The Mortimer History Society Spring Conference Leominster UK
wwwmortimerhistorysocietyorguk
11th
amp 12th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Ekenas Castle Sweden
httpwwwekenasslottse
May 11th amp 12th A Victorian Celebration Forge Mill Needle Museum Redditch UK
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
May 25th amp 26th Tall Ships rsquo13 Gloucester Historic Docks Ships maritime living history
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
May 26th amp 27th Harewood Medieval Faire Harewood House Leeds 2nd major annual
multi-period medieval festival with 1066 to 1487 timeline
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
26th
ndash 28th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Hedingham Castle UK
httpwwwhedinghamcastlecouk
May 28th
June 1st Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Leeds Castle UK
httpwwwleeds-castlecomlandphp
June
1st amp 2
nd Templecombe Medieval fair Templecombe UK
httpswwwfacebookcomevents300657233387495
8th amp 9
th History Alive Fort Lytton National Park Brisbane Australia
wwwhistoryalivecoau
15th
amp 16th
Gloucester Medieval Play Festival UK
wwwglostheatrecouk
15th
amp 16th
Tatton Park Old Hall Medieval fayre UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
21st ndash 23
rd Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Cardiff Castle Wales
httpwwwcardiffcastlecom
21st ndash 23
rd Times amp Epochs Moscow Russia
httpwwwfacebookcomhistoryfestref=tsampfref=ts
29th
amp 30th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Linlithgow Palace Scotland httpwwwhistoric-scotlandgovukpropertyresultspropertyoverviewhtmPropID=PL_199ampPropName=Linlithgow20Palace
July
5th ndash 7
th LARP Camp Huntley Wood Staffordshire UK
wwwlarpcampcouk
6th amp 7
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Linlithgow Palace Scotland
httpwwwhistoric-scotlandgovukpropertyresultspropertyoverviewhtmPropID=PL_199ampPropName=Linlithgow20Palace
13th
amp 14th
The Battle of Tewkesbury UK
httpwwwtewkesburymedievalfestivalorg
13th
amp 14th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
20th
amp 21st Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
26th
ndash 28th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
27th
amp 28th
Berkeley Skirmish Berkeley Castle Gloucestershire UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
27th
amp 28th
Smugglers Island Appuldurcombe House IOW UK
Email ednash1993hotmailcouk
July 27th amp 28th Hughendenrsquos Victorian Weekend Hughenden Manor Buckinghamshire
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
27th
amp 28th
Slaughterbridge Camlann Life and Legend Camelford Cornwall UK
heburbeckgmaiIc0m
August
2nd
ndash 4th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Blenheim Palace UK
httpwwwblenheimpalacecom
3rd
amp 4th
The Midlands Festival of History UK
httpwwwmid-festcouk
3rd
amp 4th
The Loxwood Joust Loxwood Meadow RH14 0AL UK
wwwloxwoodjoustcouk
9th ndash 11
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
16th
ndash 18th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
17th
amp 18th
Scotlands Festival of History Chatelherault Scotland
wwwscotlandsfestivalofhistorycouk
17th
amp 18th
M5-Multi Period Re-enactment Weekend Spetchley Park Worcs UK
Website ndash wwwm5showcouk
23rd
amp 24th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
25th
amp 26th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hedingham Castle UK
httpwwwhedinghamcastlecouk
25th
amp 26th
The Sheffield Fayre Norfolk Heritage Park Sheffield
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
August 31st amp September 1st On the Home Front 1939-45 Rufford Abbey Country Park
Notts Annual 1940s show wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
September
12th amp 13th Bexbach 1474 Call To Arms
www1474eu
14th
amp 15th
The Battle of Mortimerrsquos Cross Hampton Court Castle Herefordshire
wwwmortimerscrosscouk
September 21st amp 22nd Wimpole at War The Wimpole Estate Cambridgeshire Annual
1940s event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
September 28th amp 29th Sherwood through the ages Sherwood Forest Annual Ancient to
1980s multi-period event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
October
October 5th amp 6th Hughendenrsquos Wartime Weekend Hughenden Manor Bucks Annual
1940s event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
12th
amp 13th
International Events of Historical Crafts (EIAH) Portugal
Email artesanatocomhistoriagmailcom
November
15
th-17
th The Original Re-Enactors Market Ryton on Dunsmore Coventry UK
wwwreenactorsmarketcouk
16th
amp 17th
The National Living History Fair
wwwnlhfcouk
23rd
amp 24th
The Ludlow Medieval Christmas Fair Ludlow Castle Shropshire
httpwwwludlowcastlecompageseventsaspx
Living History Festival ldquoRatnoe Delo (Battle Skill) - 2012rdquo
By Nikolai Chebotarev
3 September 2012
Translated by Inna Drabkina
At last Irsquove got to my computer to tell you about the festival Ratnoe Delo-2012 For us
host living history societies (Legend Russian Village The Flemings) this was the
main event of the year
I am sure that our true friends from Samara and the Krasnoyarsky district where the action
unfolded found it a most pleasurable and interesting event too
Catching my breath after the festival I decided to take up the pen to commemorate the events
of the festival together with our photographers
100 Dyed-in-the-Wool Re-Enactors
The festival focuses on the confrontation of the Russian warriors and the West-European
knights of the 13th century The 13
th century was a dramatic one for the Medieval Rus it was
the age of the Mongol invasion but it was also the age of contact and conflict of the Western
Europe and the principalities of the north-west of Russia
The special appeal of the festival was its ldquoauthenticityrdquo focus In the first place only those
societies that had top-quality historical costumes military equipment household utensils
were admitted to the festival Secondly all these things had to be exact replicas of the 13th
century ones
The photographers couldnrsquot get all the re-enactors in frame
As it turned out it is not easy to gather in one place one hundred dyed-in-the-wool
ldquoauthenticrdquo re-enactors but we coped with the task The geography of the festival
participants ranges from Bryansk in Russia to Yokohama in Japan Yes you heard right
Yokohama
A year ago a Japanese guy Utah Iwasaki came to Russia to see our festival He was
fascinated by the idea of living history and historical re-enactment he told us that in the Land
of the Rising Sun there were no amateur re-enactors only professional actors playing their
parts in public shows This time he is taking to Japan not just photos from the festival but
also a chain mail Halberk - the one in the photo
ldquoIrsquom going to show the chain mail and the photos to my father I think he will be very much
impressed And then Irsquoll show them to my friends and colleagues at work maybe next time
there will be several of us comingrdquo
And who could expect that Utah would meet his compatriots amidst our steppes ldquoThere were
2 boys from Japan They come from a mixed Russian-Japanese family and they live in
Tokyo They came to Samara on a visit to their granddad and thatrsquos how we met at the
festivalrdquo
All the participants were divided into two rivaling partiesndash the East and the West A small
rivulet separated their camps The contest between the parties was the main intrigue of the
festival
The first two days - Friday and Saturday - were the time for the re-enactorsrsquo master classes
seminars and sharing their findings and ideas with each other The participant societies
prepared an extensive program including a master class in long sword and bastard sword
fencing
The wooden models of swords in the hands of the guys are the same as those used for
practicing many years ago
All the fencing movements that Mikhail Manin and Artem Rumyantsev showed were taken
from medieval fencing manuals - fechtbucher
The earliest fencing manual known as Manuscript I33 dates from about the year 1295 and
shows techniques of fencing with a sword and a small round shield (buckler)
It goes without saying that the program on Friday and Saturday was rich - tournaments
maneuvers on rough terrain etc All the participants received a lot of adrenaline and fun
Battering the palisade of the European camp with a ram
Alex Bogatikov a Samara ldquoLegendrdquo novice says This is my first time at the living history
festival and I am really enjoying it a lot of people and a lot of fun Thanks for the nice
impressions of the festival thanks to the guys from other living history societies - I expected
struggle and rivalry at the spear tournament but it turned out to be great fun a real adrenaline
rush All the re-enactors are friends they cheer each other and are very careful not to hurt
their adversaries - its cool guys
And the winners were duly rewarded
Photo link httpvkcomalbums-30578984z=photo-30578984_2882686622Fphotos-
30578984
For the victory of their fighters in an event the factions got points The total score determined
the winner who got the honorary right to raise the banner of the festival on the touristsrsquo day
This time the winner was the East Therefore the right to hoist the flag of the festival on
August19 during the solemn opening ceremony for the tourists passed to the re-enactors of
the Medieval Rus
The very festival field over which the scarlet banner flew seemed to be meant for such
activities The place is just gorgeousrdquo - our spectator Natalia Kuznetsova says ndash ldquoThe
sweet smell of wild strawberries the bridge over the river the undulating hillshellip
Unforgettable
And from the practical point of view the place was ideal too
First of all the federal highway to Ulyanovsk runs next to the festival field and therersquos a
village with a cheerful name of Stary Booyan (which in Russian sounds exactly the same as
lsquoOld Brawlerrsquo) nearby
Secondly the festival meadow is separated from the road and other marks of the modern
civilization by a copse which accounted for the effect of a real time travel
The secrets of the medieval handicrafts
After the opening of the festival a dynamic and rich program unfolded
Potters Maxim and Elena Borisov (society Mir masterov (World of Masters) Samara)
showed everyone who wished so the basics of working with clay Classes turned out to be
very exciting - the potters could not complain about the lack of public interest Their
workshop was thronged
While the enthusiasts at the market were molding clay women of fashion and glamour
gathered in the Western camp Kate Aristova from the Moscow living history club Legend
(full namesake of the Samara host society) spoke about makeup in the Middle Ages
According to her even now in the age of Oriflame and Amway the recipes that originated
eight hundred years ago can be of great interest to modern beauties as they are
environmentally friendly and work miracles with the skin
How to become a sergeant
While the women were buzzing and fussing about their jars of cream and bottles of scent
true men displayed their battle skill
On the eve of the battle Greg a fighter from The Flemings had to prove that he was ready
to become a sergeant
One doesnrsquot get promotion for a song and Greg challenged by experienced combatants had
to fight each of them in turn The task was to remain standing and he coped with it
After the duels ended ldquoThe Flemingsrdquo commander Walter asked the warriorsrsquo opinion of
Greg
I have known Greg for a very long timerdquo raised his voice the Samara Legendrsquos commander
Alexei Romanov ndash ldquoWe fought with him side by side and we also met on the battle-field as
adversaries And I believe that Greg is truly worthy of the rank of sergeant
After the duels and this praise the case was decided The commander of The Flemings with
due ceremony promoted Greg to sergeant
Clash of armour
This was followed by duels (sword ndash buckler sword - shield spears) and finally group
battles
Before the fight opponents egged each other on as best they could
And then rushed into battle
After which there happened something of the sort
Several group fights tough but fair ended in a most amicable way See for yourself
After the fights the spectators spilled out into the field - everyone wanted to be photographed
with the warriors Sometimes the result was pretty funny
Fair maidens prowess and singing arrows
Then came the turn of the womens tournament where fair maidens competed showing their
feminine prowess
To begin with they competed in throwing rolling pins into the target - of course strength and
accuracy were of utmost importance A very useful skill in family life they say And then the
ladies took their husbands battle axes and chopped cabbage with them and in general
displayed their prowess in the skills of ldquokeeping the home fires burningrdquo
Then the archers stepped on the scene The prize was contested by European infantrymen the
Mongol batyrs and of course by Russian warriors
Photo link httpvkcomphoto-30578984_288494144
Moreover women competed alongside with men
In the end the prize went to the well-known local marksman Mikhail Manin
(Novokuibyshevsk) winner of last years tournament
Medieval Jousting contest
Shortly after the tournament the mounted display Medieval Jousting was announced
This was a series of trials in which riders competed in various military disciplines Let me
first introduce the participants
Left to right - Master of the Knights Hospitaller a Mongolian horseman a Russian nobleman
in disgrace and an Arab who would not reveal his face to the audience By the way this is
only half of the participants
The first trial was mounted archery
Master of the Knights Hospitaller Note the speed of the rider And the wooden target he
has to hit is rather smallish
The second trial was ldquoThe Saracenrdquo (This is a spear game the accuracy of lance thrust is
evaluated)
Let me draw your attention to the fact that tournament lances have no heads and this is not
by chance
Just think of the force of the blow a mounted rider strikes when going at full canter
The spearhead passes through the target like a knife through butter Then one of the two
things will surely happen either the lance is stuck and the warrior gets thrown or loses his
lance or ldquoThe Saracen gets wrenched out of the earth Nobody wants it
Trial Three - mounted cutting
Itrsquos interesting that this exercise expressly shows the difference between a sword and a sabre
A sabre due to its characteristic curve of the blade cuts the head of cabbage neatly in two
But the sword chopping blows crush grind the head of cabbage
To some extent the difference is so marked because the sword blades at the festival werenrsquot
honed Honed sword blades also cut very neatly On the other hand a sabre is meant for
slashing blows and weighing less than a sword cuts very efficiently
In the photo you can see the ldquoLegendrdquo posadnik Maxim wearing a red mantle By the way he
won the ridersrsquo competition
Just in case let me explain who posadnik is The word is derived from the word posad
(pronounced as pah-lsquosad) In Russia ldquoposadrdquo was the part of town where most of the
citizens lived There was also a krom (kremlin) or citadel but only the prince with his
household and his host lived there and in the time of an enemy invasion the people flocked
to the citadel seeking protection In short posadnik is the head of the civil authority of the
town
Siege engine and storm
After the horsemenrsquos contest a ten-minute break was declared during which the audience had
a chance to walk around the festival lawn and the participants - to prepare for the impending
battle
According to our idea all the participants able to hold weapons were to meet on the
battlefield in the mass battle
Among them was the team of a medieval siege engine into which Utah Iwasaki seamlessly
blended
Thatrsquos what arcuballista looks like as seen by its aimer
The arcuballista team was under command of Vadim Sinichkin head of the living history
society ldquoSlovenerdquo from Novokuibyshevsk This society built all the siege engines of the
festival
ldquoWe are a small society that is why our only chance to influence the outcome of the battle is
to bombard the adversary with trebuchet and arcuballista projectiles We have adjusted those
things for throwing projectiles for 50 metres ndash contemporary living history festivals seldom
require more powerful siege engines with a longer range They are also rather convenient in
transportation - they can be taken apart and the parts fit on the floor of a mini-bus Thatrsquos
how actually we brought them hererdquo
The final battle
About 4 pm the master of ceremonies announced the last battle of the festival He said that
all the warriors of the festival would cross swords and break spears in the final melee The
3000 spectators began to fill the slope of the hill which became a natural amphitheater
The legend of the final battle was as follows it was a very ordinary event for the troubled
13th century A squad of European soldiers assaulted a Russian frontier guard outpost
located in the steppes of the Volga region
The European soldiers came there with a unit of Mongol warriors (which was a frequent
occasion with Genoan mercenaries from the Crimea) The Mongol warriors brought portable
siege engines to storm the outpost
The soldiers bring an arcuballista which is followed by the trebuchet Perhaps the stone
throwing engine with the help of which the women of Toulouse smashed the head of count
Simon de Montfort the legendary leader of the Crusaders looked very much the same
This unfortunate episode also took place in the 13th
century and to be absolutely precise
on June 25 1218
Having bombarded the outpost with the trebuchet projectiles the Mongols gave the European
foot soldiers the opportunity to attack it while the outpost defenders were still dazed A brief
skirmish and the outpost is takenhellip The Russian warriors retreat to the steppe Another
spell of fighting Only a handful of Russian warriors remainhellip And at the last moment
another Russian unit comes to the aid of the outpost
Irsquod better give the floor to Galina who came to the festival with her 4-year-old son Timothy
ldquoTimothy absolutely believed what he saw I myself felt enthralled ndash everything looked so
real
During the battle when only two Russian warriors remained fighting back to back
surrounded by enemies Tim thought they were about to perish and went to their aid
Photo link httpvkcomphoto7768284_287885078
White as a sheet he breathed out Im coming Hold on And ran to the rescuehellip
I could barely catch him It was hard to calm him down to persuade him it was all make-
believe
When the cavalry came to the rescue I said ldquoLook they are fine now Victoryrdquo You should
have seen the triumph and relief in his eyes
Thats how our long awaited festival ended
The spectators got into their cars and buses and went home ndash some to Samara some to
Togliatti some to Ulyanovskhellip
Photos by Olga Borisenkova Georgy Korobov Olga Nemkova Yulia Timirkhanova
Svetlana Makoveyeva Maria Gomolova Irina Yashina Natalia Kalmykova Alexey
Pleshkov Andrey Surin Ekaterina Orlova Tatiana Besschastnaya Vadim Kozin Evgeny
Krasnikov Alexandra Bunayeva Denis Khramov Nina Gubanova Yuri Chikin Ildar
Hassanov Ivan Yegorov Mikhail Pishchakov Mikhail Puzankov Olesya Strelchenko
Thank you all
Many thanks to the musicians who entertained the spectators They are Yegor Strelnikov
(psaltery Moscow) ldquoMusica Radicumrdquo (folk group Saint Petersburg)
Photo link httpcs304606userapicomv30460642737cah2D-hgjQpRsjpg
Photo link httpcs317423userapicomv31742302020a1HFnxYFD_uS0jpg
ldquoThe Eastrdquo
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Stupino)
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoSuzdalskaya Druzhina (Suzdal Host)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS ldquoTruvorrdquo (Orenburg)
LHS ldquoVityaz (Russian Knight)rdquo (Kazan)
LHS ldquoSlovenerdquo (Novokuibyshevsk)
Association ldquoNORD Rusrdquo (Samara)
ldquoMjollnirrdquo (Samara)
Individual participants
ldquoThe Westrdquo
LHS ldquoAtlit ndash Zamok Palomnika (Atlit - Pilgrimrsquos Castle)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS laquoNovum castrumraquo (Zheleznodorozhny)
LHS ldquoStary Svet (The Old World Company)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoDostoyanie (Heritage)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoFlamandtsy (The Flemings)rdquo (Odintsovo)
Individual participants
Special thanks to the artisans
Association ldquoMir masterov (World of Masters)rdquo (Samara)
ldquoNizhegorodskaya Artel Oruzheinikov (Armourersrsquo Artel)rdquo (Nizhny Novgorod)
Our valiant steeds came from ldquoRusskaya Sloboda (Russian Village)rdquo (Samara) and equestrian
club (Borskoe)
Thank you all guys for war and peace for merry feasts and fair competition
The festival took place on the 19 August 2012 near Stary Booyan in the Krasnoyarsky district
of the Samara Region
Next year our festival will be held again and we expect that our friends from Poland
Ukraine Belarus and Japan will be able to come So if you are interested in the 13th century
re-enactment welcome to Samara ldquoBattle Skill ndash 2013rdquo
Release Date May 11
th 2013
Last but surely not least the previously mentioned elements allow us to conclude that the
artrsquos designation Jogo do Pau is incorrect as this art is not staff exclusive and by no means a
game
This medieval fencing artrsquos designation probably came about as a result of having been
preserved through staffs and additionally having in ancient Portuguese the verb ldquojogarrdquo (to
play) being used to designate the action of throwing something Consequently the skill of
knowing how to swing and kind of throw the staff against an opponent (jogar o pau) paved
the way for the art to be called Jogo do Pau
With the artrsquos name being incorrect and despite being aware of the difficult task that we face
in changing popular culture we decided to do something about it Were this to be a staff
specific fencing art its correct name would have been staff fencing (Esgrima de Pau) but
knowing of its historical and technical connection to medieval weapons we opted to rename
the art as Esgrima Lusitana (Lusitanian Fenicng) which also serves as a well deserved tribute
to our countryrsquos forefathers the brave Lusitanian people whom the Romans only managed to
subdue through treachery
Military amp Flying Machines Show
wwwmilitaryandflyingmachinesorguk
P R E S S R E L E A S E with immediate effect
Welcome Back Sally B The Military amp Flying Machines Team are so excited and pleased to be able to confirm some very special news for the 2013 show at Damyns Hall Aerodrome Due to public demand we are expanding our show to a three day event taking place on 3
rd 4
th and 5
th
August with more attractions more vehicles more flying and more big bangs This year we are delighted to welcome back the fantastic WW2 vintage B-17 Flying Fortress Bomber lsquoSally Brsquo the last remaining airworthy B-17 in Europe It quickly took on mythic proportions and widely circulated stories and photos of B-17s surviving battle damage increased its iconic status The B17 could fly higher than any of its Allied contemporaries and established its place in history dropping more bombs than any other US aircraft in World War II The Sally B has featured in many feature films most notably the blockbuster film Memphis Belle It will again amaze the crowds with low level displays as this truly historic aircraft is put through its paces ldquoSally Brdquo has always in the past performed the most amazing air display at Damyns Hall especially as the aerodrome is fairly small when this almighty warbird flyrsquos past it feels like you can reach out and touch it it is a display that cannot be missed
If Warbirds are of interest to you then you will be in for a big treat at this yearrsquos show with a superb display from the magnificent Spitfire the iconic shape and unmistakeable noise stir the imagination and the emotion of all that watch We also welcome the Hurricane ldquoHurribomberrdquo a first for our show (MORE ON HURRBOMBER) The WW2 fighter trainers ndash the Harvard T6 single-engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces United States Navy Royal Air Force and other air forces of the British Commonwealth during World War II and into the 1950s and the Boeing Stearman the work horses of the training airfield which were used to train many Battle of Britain heroes ndash will also join the line up to entertain the crowds The incomparable Jungmeister will also be displaying demonstrating its flying versatility A rare Messerschmitt 108 another classic WW2 aircraft from the German Luftwaffe The ME108 will also form part of a Living History static display on the ground Many of the aircrafts will be landing as well over the weekend so it is a fabulous rare opportunity to get up close
As well as all this there will be so much more to see whilst your there admiring the sights and sounds in the skies including helicopter pleasure flights along with 300+ military vehicles living history displays live entertainment all day arena activities including big bangs and even bigger vehicles Kidsrsquo activities vintage funfair refreshments stalls ndash there truly is something for everyone and at great value for money
Wersquove got more exciting news coming very soon ndash so watch this space for the next BIG ANNOUNCEMENT
For the latest updates on the show visit wwwmilitaryandflyingmachinesorguk
Military amp Flying
Machines Show
2nd
3rd
amp 4th August
- Over 17000 attendees
- Flying Displays
- Pleasure Flights
- Living History
Displays -
300+ Vehicles -
Live Entertainment -
Arena Activities -
20+ Tanks amp Armoured Vehicles
Live 40rsquos style big
band
Event Information
May
4
th ndash 6
th Bentley Medieval Festival Lewes east Sussex UK
marktime-productionscom
4th ndash 6
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Blenheim Palace UK
httpwwwblenheimpalacecom
5th amp 6
th ldquoRogues amp Outlawsrdquo Sherwood Forest UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
10th
ndash 12th British Quarterstaff Association weekend in Gloucestershire UK
httpquarterstafforgeventshtml
11th
The Mortimer History Society Spring Conference Leominster UK
wwwmortimerhistorysocietyorguk
11th
amp 12th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Ekenas Castle Sweden
httpwwwekenasslottse
May 11th amp 12th A Victorian Celebration Forge Mill Needle Museum Redditch UK
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
May 25th amp 26th Tall Ships rsquo13 Gloucester Historic Docks Ships maritime living history
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
May 26th amp 27th Harewood Medieval Faire Harewood House Leeds 2nd major annual
multi-period medieval festival with 1066 to 1487 timeline
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
26th
ndash 28th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Hedingham Castle UK
httpwwwhedinghamcastlecouk
May 28th
June 1st Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Leeds Castle UK
httpwwwleeds-castlecomlandphp
June
1st amp 2
nd Templecombe Medieval fair Templecombe UK
httpswwwfacebookcomevents300657233387495
8th amp 9
th History Alive Fort Lytton National Park Brisbane Australia
wwwhistoryalivecoau
15th
amp 16th
Gloucester Medieval Play Festival UK
wwwglostheatrecouk
15th
amp 16th
Tatton Park Old Hall Medieval fayre UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
21st ndash 23
rd Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Cardiff Castle Wales
httpwwwcardiffcastlecom
21st ndash 23
rd Times amp Epochs Moscow Russia
httpwwwfacebookcomhistoryfestref=tsampfref=ts
29th
amp 30th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Linlithgow Palace Scotland httpwwwhistoric-scotlandgovukpropertyresultspropertyoverviewhtmPropID=PL_199ampPropName=Linlithgow20Palace
July
5th ndash 7
th LARP Camp Huntley Wood Staffordshire UK
wwwlarpcampcouk
6th amp 7
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Linlithgow Palace Scotland
httpwwwhistoric-scotlandgovukpropertyresultspropertyoverviewhtmPropID=PL_199ampPropName=Linlithgow20Palace
13th
amp 14th
The Battle of Tewkesbury UK
httpwwwtewkesburymedievalfestivalorg
13th
amp 14th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
20th
amp 21st Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
26th
ndash 28th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
27th
amp 28th
Berkeley Skirmish Berkeley Castle Gloucestershire UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
27th
amp 28th
Smugglers Island Appuldurcombe House IOW UK
Email ednash1993hotmailcouk
July 27th amp 28th Hughendenrsquos Victorian Weekend Hughenden Manor Buckinghamshire
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
27th
amp 28th
Slaughterbridge Camlann Life and Legend Camelford Cornwall UK
heburbeckgmaiIc0m
August
2nd
ndash 4th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Blenheim Palace UK
httpwwwblenheimpalacecom
3rd
amp 4th
The Midlands Festival of History UK
httpwwwmid-festcouk
3rd
amp 4th
The Loxwood Joust Loxwood Meadow RH14 0AL UK
wwwloxwoodjoustcouk
9th ndash 11
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
16th
ndash 18th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
17th
amp 18th
Scotlands Festival of History Chatelherault Scotland
wwwscotlandsfestivalofhistorycouk
17th
amp 18th
M5-Multi Period Re-enactment Weekend Spetchley Park Worcs UK
Website ndash wwwm5showcouk
23rd
amp 24th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
25th
amp 26th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hedingham Castle UK
httpwwwhedinghamcastlecouk
25th
amp 26th
The Sheffield Fayre Norfolk Heritage Park Sheffield
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
August 31st amp September 1st On the Home Front 1939-45 Rufford Abbey Country Park
Notts Annual 1940s show wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
September
12th amp 13th Bexbach 1474 Call To Arms
www1474eu
14th
amp 15th
The Battle of Mortimerrsquos Cross Hampton Court Castle Herefordshire
wwwmortimerscrosscouk
September 21st amp 22nd Wimpole at War The Wimpole Estate Cambridgeshire Annual
1940s event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
September 28th amp 29th Sherwood through the ages Sherwood Forest Annual Ancient to
1980s multi-period event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
October
October 5th amp 6th Hughendenrsquos Wartime Weekend Hughenden Manor Bucks Annual
1940s event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
12th
amp 13th
International Events of Historical Crafts (EIAH) Portugal
Email artesanatocomhistoriagmailcom
November
15
th-17
th The Original Re-Enactors Market Ryton on Dunsmore Coventry UK
wwwreenactorsmarketcouk
16th
amp 17th
The National Living History Fair
wwwnlhfcouk
23rd
amp 24th
The Ludlow Medieval Christmas Fair Ludlow Castle Shropshire
httpwwwludlowcastlecompageseventsaspx
Living History Festival ldquoRatnoe Delo (Battle Skill) - 2012rdquo
By Nikolai Chebotarev
3 September 2012
Translated by Inna Drabkina
At last Irsquove got to my computer to tell you about the festival Ratnoe Delo-2012 For us
host living history societies (Legend Russian Village The Flemings) this was the
main event of the year
I am sure that our true friends from Samara and the Krasnoyarsky district where the action
unfolded found it a most pleasurable and interesting event too
Catching my breath after the festival I decided to take up the pen to commemorate the events
of the festival together with our photographers
100 Dyed-in-the-Wool Re-Enactors
The festival focuses on the confrontation of the Russian warriors and the West-European
knights of the 13th century The 13
th century was a dramatic one for the Medieval Rus it was
the age of the Mongol invasion but it was also the age of contact and conflict of the Western
Europe and the principalities of the north-west of Russia
The special appeal of the festival was its ldquoauthenticityrdquo focus In the first place only those
societies that had top-quality historical costumes military equipment household utensils
were admitted to the festival Secondly all these things had to be exact replicas of the 13th
century ones
The photographers couldnrsquot get all the re-enactors in frame
As it turned out it is not easy to gather in one place one hundred dyed-in-the-wool
ldquoauthenticrdquo re-enactors but we coped with the task The geography of the festival
participants ranges from Bryansk in Russia to Yokohama in Japan Yes you heard right
Yokohama
A year ago a Japanese guy Utah Iwasaki came to Russia to see our festival He was
fascinated by the idea of living history and historical re-enactment he told us that in the Land
of the Rising Sun there were no amateur re-enactors only professional actors playing their
parts in public shows This time he is taking to Japan not just photos from the festival but
also a chain mail Halberk - the one in the photo
ldquoIrsquom going to show the chain mail and the photos to my father I think he will be very much
impressed And then Irsquoll show them to my friends and colleagues at work maybe next time
there will be several of us comingrdquo
And who could expect that Utah would meet his compatriots amidst our steppes ldquoThere were
2 boys from Japan They come from a mixed Russian-Japanese family and they live in
Tokyo They came to Samara on a visit to their granddad and thatrsquos how we met at the
festivalrdquo
All the participants were divided into two rivaling partiesndash the East and the West A small
rivulet separated their camps The contest between the parties was the main intrigue of the
festival
The first two days - Friday and Saturday - were the time for the re-enactorsrsquo master classes
seminars and sharing their findings and ideas with each other The participant societies
prepared an extensive program including a master class in long sword and bastard sword
fencing
The wooden models of swords in the hands of the guys are the same as those used for
practicing many years ago
All the fencing movements that Mikhail Manin and Artem Rumyantsev showed were taken
from medieval fencing manuals - fechtbucher
The earliest fencing manual known as Manuscript I33 dates from about the year 1295 and
shows techniques of fencing with a sword and a small round shield (buckler)
It goes without saying that the program on Friday and Saturday was rich - tournaments
maneuvers on rough terrain etc All the participants received a lot of adrenaline and fun
Battering the palisade of the European camp with a ram
Alex Bogatikov a Samara ldquoLegendrdquo novice says This is my first time at the living history
festival and I am really enjoying it a lot of people and a lot of fun Thanks for the nice
impressions of the festival thanks to the guys from other living history societies - I expected
struggle and rivalry at the spear tournament but it turned out to be great fun a real adrenaline
rush All the re-enactors are friends they cheer each other and are very careful not to hurt
their adversaries - its cool guys
And the winners were duly rewarded
Photo link httpvkcomalbums-30578984z=photo-30578984_2882686622Fphotos-
30578984
For the victory of their fighters in an event the factions got points The total score determined
the winner who got the honorary right to raise the banner of the festival on the touristsrsquo day
This time the winner was the East Therefore the right to hoist the flag of the festival on
August19 during the solemn opening ceremony for the tourists passed to the re-enactors of
the Medieval Rus
The very festival field over which the scarlet banner flew seemed to be meant for such
activities The place is just gorgeousrdquo - our spectator Natalia Kuznetsova says ndash ldquoThe
sweet smell of wild strawberries the bridge over the river the undulating hillshellip
Unforgettable
And from the practical point of view the place was ideal too
First of all the federal highway to Ulyanovsk runs next to the festival field and therersquos a
village with a cheerful name of Stary Booyan (which in Russian sounds exactly the same as
lsquoOld Brawlerrsquo) nearby
Secondly the festival meadow is separated from the road and other marks of the modern
civilization by a copse which accounted for the effect of a real time travel
The secrets of the medieval handicrafts
After the opening of the festival a dynamic and rich program unfolded
Potters Maxim and Elena Borisov (society Mir masterov (World of Masters) Samara)
showed everyone who wished so the basics of working with clay Classes turned out to be
very exciting - the potters could not complain about the lack of public interest Their
workshop was thronged
While the enthusiasts at the market were molding clay women of fashion and glamour
gathered in the Western camp Kate Aristova from the Moscow living history club Legend
(full namesake of the Samara host society) spoke about makeup in the Middle Ages
According to her even now in the age of Oriflame and Amway the recipes that originated
eight hundred years ago can be of great interest to modern beauties as they are
environmentally friendly and work miracles with the skin
How to become a sergeant
While the women were buzzing and fussing about their jars of cream and bottles of scent
true men displayed their battle skill
On the eve of the battle Greg a fighter from The Flemings had to prove that he was ready
to become a sergeant
One doesnrsquot get promotion for a song and Greg challenged by experienced combatants had
to fight each of them in turn The task was to remain standing and he coped with it
After the duels ended ldquoThe Flemingsrdquo commander Walter asked the warriorsrsquo opinion of
Greg
I have known Greg for a very long timerdquo raised his voice the Samara Legendrsquos commander
Alexei Romanov ndash ldquoWe fought with him side by side and we also met on the battle-field as
adversaries And I believe that Greg is truly worthy of the rank of sergeant
After the duels and this praise the case was decided The commander of The Flemings with
due ceremony promoted Greg to sergeant
Clash of armour
This was followed by duels (sword ndash buckler sword - shield spears) and finally group
battles
Before the fight opponents egged each other on as best they could
And then rushed into battle
After which there happened something of the sort
Several group fights tough but fair ended in a most amicable way See for yourself
After the fights the spectators spilled out into the field - everyone wanted to be photographed
with the warriors Sometimes the result was pretty funny
Fair maidens prowess and singing arrows
Then came the turn of the womens tournament where fair maidens competed showing their
feminine prowess
To begin with they competed in throwing rolling pins into the target - of course strength and
accuracy were of utmost importance A very useful skill in family life they say And then the
ladies took their husbands battle axes and chopped cabbage with them and in general
displayed their prowess in the skills of ldquokeeping the home fires burningrdquo
Then the archers stepped on the scene The prize was contested by European infantrymen the
Mongol batyrs and of course by Russian warriors
Photo link httpvkcomphoto-30578984_288494144
Moreover women competed alongside with men
In the end the prize went to the well-known local marksman Mikhail Manin
(Novokuibyshevsk) winner of last years tournament
Medieval Jousting contest
Shortly after the tournament the mounted display Medieval Jousting was announced
This was a series of trials in which riders competed in various military disciplines Let me
first introduce the participants
Left to right - Master of the Knights Hospitaller a Mongolian horseman a Russian nobleman
in disgrace and an Arab who would not reveal his face to the audience By the way this is
only half of the participants
The first trial was mounted archery
Master of the Knights Hospitaller Note the speed of the rider And the wooden target he
has to hit is rather smallish
The second trial was ldquoThe Saracenrdquo (This is a spear game the accuracy of lance thrust is
evaluated)
Let me draw your attention to the fact that tournament lances have no heads and this is not
by chance
Just think of the force of the blow a mounted rider strikes when going at full canter
The spearhead passes through the target like a knife through butter Then one of the two
things will surely happen either the lance is stuck and the warrior gets thrown or loses his
lance or ldquoThe Saracen gets wrenched out of the earth Nobody wants it
Trial Three - mounted cutting
Itrsquos interesting that this exercise expressly shows the difference between a sword and a sabre
A sabre due to its characteristic curve of the blade cuts the head of cabbage neatly in two
But the sword chopping blows crush grind the head of cabbage
To some extent the difference is so marked because the sword blades at the festival werenrsquot
honed Honed sword blades also cut very neatly On the other hand a sabre is meant for
slashing blows and weighing less than a sword cuts very efficiently
In the photo you can see the ldquoLegendrdquo posadnik Maxim wearing a red mantle By the way he
won the ridersrsquo competition
Just in case let me explain who posadnik is The word is derived from the word posad
(pronounced as pah-lsquosad) In Russia ldquoposadrdquo was the part of town where most of the
citizens lived There was also a krom (kremlin) or citadel but only the prince with his
household and his host lived there and in the time of an enemy invasion the people flocked
to the citadel seeking protection In short posadnik is the head of the civil authority of the
town
Siege engine and storm
After the horsemenrsquos contest a ten-minute break was declared during which the audience had
a chance to walk around the festival lawn and the participants - to prepare for the impending
battle
According to our idea all the participants able to hold weapons were to meet on the
battlefield in the mass battle
Among them was the team of a medieval siege engine into which Utah Iwasaki seamlessly
blended
Thatrsquos what arcuballista looks like as seen by its aimer
The arcuballista team was under command of Vadim Sinichkin head of the living history
society ldquoSlovenerdquo from Novokuibyshevsk This society built all the siege engines of the
festival
ldquoWe are a small society that is why our only chance to influence the outcome of the battle is
to bombard the adversary with trebuchet and arcuballista projectiles We have adjusted those
things for throwing projectiles for 50 metres ndash contemporary living history festivals seldom
require more powerful siege engines with a longer range They are also rather convenient in
transportation - they can be taken apart and the parts fit on the floor of a mini-bus Thatrsquos
how actually we brought them hererdquo
The final battle
About 4 pm the master of ceremonies announced the last battle of the festival He said that
all the warriors of the festival would cross swords and break spears in the final melee The
3000 spectators began to fill the slope of the hill which became a natural amphitheater
The legend of the final battle was as follows it was a very ordinary event for the troubled
13th century A squad of European soldiers assaulted a Russian frontier guard outpost
located in the steppes of the Volga region
The European soldiers came there with a unit of Mongol warriors (which was a frequent
occasion with Genoan mercenaries from the Crimea) The Mongol warriors brought portable
siege engines to storm the outpost
The soldiers bring an arcuballista which is followed by the trebuchet Perhaps the stone
throwing engine with the help of which the women of Toulouse smashed the head of count
Simon de Montfort the legendary leader of the Crusaders looked very much the same
This unfortunate episode also took place in the 13th
century and to be absolutely precise
on June 25 1218
Having bombarded the outpost with the trebuchet projectiles the Mongols gave the European
foot soldiers the opportunity to attack it while the outpost defenders were still dazed A brief
skirmish and the outpost is takenhellip The Russian warriors retreat to the steppe Another
spell of fighting Only a handful of Russian warriors remainhellip And at the last moment
another Russian unit comes to the aid of the outpost
Irsquod better give the floor to Galina who came to the festival with her 4-year-old son Timothy
ldquoTimothy absolutely believed what he saw I myself felt enthralled ndash everything looked so
real
During the battle when only two Russian warriors remained fighting back to back
surrounded by enemies Tim thought they were about to perish and went to their aid
Photo link httpvkcomphoto7768284_287885078
White as a sheet he breathed out Im coming Hold on And ran to the rescuehellip
I could barely catch him It was hard to calm him down to persuade him it was all make-
believe
When the cavalry came to the rescue I said ldquoLook they are fine now Victoryrdquo You should
have seen the triumph and relief in his eyes
Thats how our long awaited festival ended
The spectators got into their cars and buses and went home ndash some to Samara some to
Togliatti some to Ulyanovskhellip
Photos by Olga Borisenkova Georgy Korobov Olga Nemkova Yulia Timirkhanova
Svetlana Makoveyeva Maria Gomolova Irina Yashina Natalia Kalmykova Alexey
Pleshkov Andrey Surin Ekaterina Orlova Tatiana Besschastnaya Vadim Kozin Evgeny
Krasnikov Alexandra Bunayeva Denis Khramov Nina Gubanova Yuri Chikin Ildar
Hassanov Ivan Yegorov Mikhail Pishchakov Mikhail Puzankov Olesya Strelchenko
Thank you all
Many thanks to the musicians who entertained the spectators They are Yegor Strelnikov
(psaltery Moscow) ldquoMusica Radicumrdquo (folk group Saint Petersburg)
Photo link httpcs304606userapicomv30460642737cah2D-hgjQpRsjpg
Photo link httpcs317423userapicomv31742302020a1HFnxYFD_uS0jpg
ldquoThe Eastrdquo
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Stupino)
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoSuzdalskaya Druzhina (Suzdal Host)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS ldquoTruvorrdquo (Orenburg)
LHS ldquoVityaz (Russian Knight)rdquo (Kazan)
LHS ldquoSlovenerdquo (Novokuibyshevsk)
Association ldquoNORD Rusrdquo (Samara)
ldquoMjollnirrdquo (Samara)
Individual participants
ldquoThe Westrdquo
LHS ldquoAtlit ndash Zamok Palomnika (Atlit - Pilgrimrsquos Castle)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS laquoNovum castrumraquo (Zheleznodorozhny)
LHS ldquoStary Svet (The Old World Company)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoDostoyanie (Heritage)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoFlamandtsy (The Flemings)rdquo (Odintsovo)
Individual participants
Special thanks to the artisans
Association ldquoMir masterov (World of Masters)rdquo (Samara)
ldquoNizhegorodskaya Artel Oruzheinikov (Armourersrsquo Artel)rdquo (Nizhny Novgorod)
Our valiant steeds came from ldquoRusskaya Sloboda (Russian Village)rdquo (Samara) and equestrian
club (Borskoe)
Thank you all guys for war and peace for merry feasts and fair competition
The festival took place on the 19 August 2012 near Stary Booyan in the Krasnoyarsky district
of the Samara Region
Next year our festival will be held again and we expect that our friends from Poland
Ukraine Belarus and Japan will be able to come So if you are interested in the 13th century
re-enactment welcome to Samara ldquoBattle Skill ndash 2013rdquo
Release Date May 11
th 2013
Military amp Flying Machines Show
wwwmilitaryandflyingmachinesorguk
P R E S S R E L E A S E with immediate effect
Welcome Back Sally B The Military amp Flying Machines Team are so excited and pleased to be able to confirm some very special news for the 2013 show at Damyns Hall Aerodrome Due to public demand we are expanding our show to a three day event taking place on 3
rd 4
th and 5
th
August with more attractions more vehicles more flying and more big bangs This year we are delighted to welcome back the fantastic WW2 vintage B-17 Flying Fortress Bomber lsquoSally Brsquo the last remaining airworthy B-17 in Europe It quickly took on mythic proportions and widely circulated stories and photos of B-17s surviving battle damage increased its iconic status The B17 could fly higher than any of its Allied contemporaries and established its place in history dropping more bombs than any other US aircraft in World War II The Sally B has featured in many feature films most notably the blockbuster film Memphis Belle It will again amaze the crowds with low level displays as this truly historic aircraft is put through its paces ldquoSally Brdquo has always in the past performed the most amazing air display at Damyns Hall especially as the aerodrome is fairly small when this almighty warbird flyrsquos past it feels like you can reach out and touch it it is a display that cannot be missed
If Warbirds are of interest to you then you will be in for a big treat at this yearrsquos show with a superb display from the magnificent Spitfire the iconic shape and unmistakeable noise stir the imagination and the emotion of all that watch We also welcome the Hurricane ldquoHurribomberrdquo a first for our show (MORE ON HURRBOMBER) The WW2 fighter trainers ndash the Harvard T6 single-engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces United States Navy Royal Air Force and other air forces of the British Commonwealth during World War II and into the 1950s and the Boeing Stearman the work horses of the training airfield which were used to train many Battle of Britain heroes ndash will also join the line up to entertain the crowds The incomparable Jungmeister will also be displaying demonstrating its flying versatility A rare Messerschmitt 108 another classic WW2 aircraft from the German Luftwaffe The ME108 will also form part of a Living History static display on the ground Many of the aircrafts will be landing as well over the weekend so it is a fabulous rare opportunity to get up close
As well as all this there will be so much more to see whilst your there admiring the sights and sounds in the skies including helicopter pleasure flights along with 300+ military vehicles living history displays live entertainment all day arena activities including big bangs and even bigger vehicles Kidsrsquo activities vintage funfair refreshments stalls ndash there truly is something for everyone and at great value for money
Wersquove got more exciting news coming very soon ndash so watch this space for the next BIG ANNOUNCEMENT
For the latest updates on the show visit wwwmilitaryandflyingmachinesorguk
Military amp Flying
Machines Show
2nd
3rd
amp 4th August
- Over 17000 attendees
- Flying Displays
- Pleasure Flights
- Living History
Displays -
300+ Vehicles -
Live Entertainment -
Arena Activities -
20+ Tanks amp Armoured Vehicles
Live 40rsquos style big
band
Event Information
May
4
th ndash 6
th Bentley Medieval Festival Lewes east Sussex UK
marktime-productionscom
4th ndash 6
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Blenheim Palace UK
httpwwwblenheimpalacecom
5th amp 6
th ldquoRogues amp Outlawsrdquo Sherwood Forest UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
10th
ndash 12th British Quarterstaff Association weekend in Gloucestershire UK
httpquarterstafforgeventshtml
11th
The Mortimer History Society Spring Conference Leominster UK
wwwmortimerhistorysocietyorguk
11th
amp 12th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Ekenas Castle Sweden
httpwwwekenasslottse
May 11th amp 12th A Victorian Celebration Forge Mill Needle Museum Redditch UK
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
May 25th amp 26th Tall Ships rsquo13 Gloucester Historic Docks Ships maritime living history
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
May 26th amp 27th Harewood Medieval Faire Harewood House Leeds 2nd major annual
multi-period medieval festival with 1066 to 1487 timeline
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
26th
ndash 28th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Hedingham Castle UK
httpwwwhedinghamcastlecouk
May 28th
June 1st Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Leeds Castle UK
httpwwwleeds-castlecomlandphp
June
1st amp 2
nd Templecombe Medieval fair Templecombe UK
httpswwwfacebookcomevents300657233387495
8th amp 9
th History Alive Fort Lytton National Park Brisbane Australia
wwwhistoryalivecoau
15th
amp 16th
Gloucester Medieval Play Festival UK
wwwglostheatrecouk
15th
amp 16th
Tatton Park Old Hall Medieval fayre UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
21st ndash 23
rd Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Cardiff Castle Wales
httpwwwcardiffcastlecom
21st ndash 23
rd Times amp Epochs Moscow Russia
httpwwwfacebookcomhistoryfestref=tsampfref=ts
29th
amp 30th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Linlithgow Palace Scotland httpwwwhistoric-scotlandgovukpropertyresultspropertyoverviewhtmPropID=PL_199ampPropName=Linlithgow20Palace
July
5th ndash 7
th LARP Camp Huntley Wood Staffordshire UK
wwwlarpcampcouk
6th amp 7
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Linlithgow Palace Scotland
httpwwwhistoric-scotlandgovukpropertyresultspropertyoverviewhtmPropID=PL_199ampPropName=Linlithgow20Palace
13th
amp 14th
The Battle of Tewkesbury UK
httpwwwtewkesburymedievalfestivalorg
13th
amp 14th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
20th
amp 21st Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
26th
ndash 28th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
27th
amp 28th
Berkeley Skirmish Berkeley Castle Gloucestershire UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
27th
amp 28th
Smugglers Island Appuldurcombe House IOW UK
Email ednash1993hotmailcouk
July 27th amp 28th Hughendenrsquos Victorian Weekend Hughenden Manor Buckinghamshire
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
27th
amp 28th
Slaughterbridge Camlann Life and Legend Camelford Cornwall UK
heburbeckgmaiIc0m
August
2nd
ndash 4th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Blenheim Palace UK
httpwwwblenheimpalacecom
3rd
amp 4th
The Midlands Festival of History UK
httpwwwmid-festcouk
3rd
amp 4th
The Loxwood Joust Loxwood Meadow RH14 0AL UK
wwwloxwoodjoustcouk
9th ndash 11
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
16th
ndash 18th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
17th
amp 18th
Scotlands Festival of History Chatelherault Scotland
wwwscotlandsfestivalofhistorycouk
17th
amp 18th
M5-Multi Period Re-enactment Weekend Spetchley Park Worcs UK
Website ndash wwwm5showcouk
23rd
amp 24th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
25th
amp 26th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hedingham Castle UK
httpwwwhedinghamcastlecouk
25th
amp 26th
The Sheffield Fayre Norfolk Heritage Park Sheffield
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
August 31st amp September 1st On the Home Front 1939-45 Rufford Abbey Country Park
Notts Annual 1940s show wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
September
12th amp 13th Bexbach 1474 Call To Arms
www1474eu
14th
amp 15th
The Battle of Mortimerrsquos Cross Hampton Court Castle Herefordshire
wwwmortimerscrosscouk
September 21st amp 22nd Wimpole at War The Wimpole Estate Cambridgeshire Annual
1940s event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
September 28th amp 29th Sherwood through the ages Sherwood Forest Annual Ancient to
1980s multi-period event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
October
October 5th amp 6th Hughendenrsquos Wartime Weekend Hughenden Manor Bucks Annual
1940s event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
12th
amp 13th
International Events of Historical Crafts (EIAH) Portugal
Email artesanatocomhistoriagmailcom
November
15
th-17
th The Original Re-Enactors Market Ryton on Dunsmore Coventry UK
wwwreenactorsmarketcouk
16th
amp 17th
The National Living History Fair
wwwnlhfcouk
23rd
amp 24th
The Ludlow Medieval Christmas Fair Ludlow Castle Shropshire
httpwwwludlowcastlecompageseventsaspx
Living History Festival ldquoRatnoe Delo (Battle Skill) - 2012rdquo
By Nikolai Chebotarev
3 September 2012
Translated by Inna Drabkina
At last Irsquove got to my computer to tell you about the festival Ratnoe Delo-2012 For us
host living history societies (Legend Russian Village The Flemings) this was the
main event of the year
I am sure that our true friends from Samara and the Krasnoyarsky district where the action
unfolded found it a most pleasurable and interesting event too
Catching my breath after the festival I decided to take up the pen to commemorate the events
of the festival together with our photographers
100 Dyed-in-the-Wool Re-Enactors
The festival focuses on the confrontation of the Russian warriors and the West-European
knights of the 13th century The 13
th century was a dramatic one for the Medieval Rus it was
the age of the Mongol invasion but it was also the age of contact and conflict of the Western
Europe and the principalities of the north-west of Russia
The special appeal of the festival was its ldquoauthenticityrdquo focus In the first place only those
societies that had top-quality historical costumes military equipment household utensils
were admitted to the festival Secondly all these things had to be exact replicas of the 13th
century ones
The photographers couldnrsquot get all the re-enactors in frame
As it turned out it is not easy to gather in one place one hundred dyed-in-the-wool
ldquoauthenticrdquo re-enactors but we coped with the task The geography of the festival
participants ranges from Bryansk in Russia to Yokohama in Japan Yes you heard right
Yokohama
A year ago a Japanese guy Utah Iwasaki came to Russia to see our festival He was
fascinated by the idea of living history and historical re-enactment he told us that in the Land
of the Rising Sun there were no amateur re-enactors only professional actors playing their
parts in public shows This time he is taking to Japan not just photos from the festival but
also a chain mail Halberk - the one in the photo
ldquoIrsquom going to show the chain mail and the photos to my father I think he will be very much
impressed And then Irsquoll show them to my friends and colleagues at work maybe next time
there will be several of us comingrdquo
And who could expect that Utah would meet his compatriots amidst our steppes ldquoThere were
2 boys from Japan They come from a mixed Russian-Japanese family and they live in
Tokyo They came to Samara on a visit to their granddad and thatrsquos how we met at the
festivalrdquo
All the participants were divided into two rivaling partiesndash the East and the West A small
rivulet separated their camps The contest between the parties was the main intrigue of the
festival
The first two days - Friday and Saturday - were the time for the re-enactorsrsquo master classes
seminars and sharing their findings and ideas with each other The participant societies
prepared an extensive program including a master class in long sword and bastard sword
fencing
The wooden models of swords in the hands of the guys are the same as those used for
practicing many years ago
All the fencing movements that Mikhail Manin and Artem Rumyantsev showed were taken
from medieval fencing manuals - fechtbucher
The earliest fencing manual known as Manuscript I33 dates from about the year 1295 and
shows techniques of fencing with a sword and a small round shield (buckler)
It goes without saying that the program on Friday and Saturday was rich - tournaments
maneuvers on rough terrain etc All the participants received a lot of adrenaline and fun
Battering the palisade of the European camp with a ram
Alex Bogatikov a Samara ldquoLegendrdquo novice says This is my first time at the living history
festival and I am really enjoying it a lot of people and a lot of fun Thanks for the nice
impressions of the festival thanks to the guys from other living history societies - I expected
struggle and rivalry at the spear tournament but it turned out to be great fun a real adrenaline
rush All the re-enactors are friends they cheer each other and are very careful not to hurt
their adversaries - its cool guys
And the winners were duly rewarded
Photo link httpvkcomalbums-30578984z=photo-30578984_2882686622Fphotos-
30578984
For the victory of their fighters in an event the factions got points The total score determined
the winner who got the honorary right to raise the banner of the festival on the touristsrsquo day
This time the winner was the East Therefore the right to hoist the flag of the festival on
August19 during the solemn opening ceremony for the tourists passed to the re-enactors of
the Medieval Rus
The very festival field over which the scarlet banner flew seemed to be meant for such
activities The place is just gorgeousrdquo - our spectator Natalia Kuznetsova says ndash ldquoThe
sweet smell of wild strawberries the bridge over the river the undulating hillshellip
Unforgettable
And from the practical point of view the place was ideal too
First of all the federal highway to Ulyanovsk runs next to the festival field and therersquos a
village with a cheerful name of Stary Booyan (which in Russian sounds exactly the same as
lsquoOld Brawlerrsquo) nearby
Secondly the festival meadow is separated from the road and other marks of the modern
civilization by a copse which accounted for the effect of a real time travel
The secrets of the medieval handicrafts
After the opening of the festival a dynamic and rich program unfolded
Potters Maxim and Elena Borisov (society Mir masterov (World of Masters) Samara)
showed everyone who wished so the basics of working with clay Classes turned out to be
very exciting - the potters could not complain about the lack of public interest Their
workshop was thronged
While the enthusiasts at the market were molding clay women of fashion and glamour
gathered in the Western camp Kate Aristova from the Moscow living history club Legend
(full namesake of the Samara host society) spoke about makeup in the Middle Ages
According to her even now in the age of Oriflame and Amway the recipes that originated
eight hundred years ago can be of great interest to modern beauties as they are
environmentally friendly and work miracles with the skin
How to become a sergeant
While the women were buzzing and fussing about their jars of cream and bottles of scent
true men displayed their battle skill
On the eve of the battle Greg a fighter from The Flemings had to prove that he was ready
to become a sergeant
One doesnrsquot get promotion for a song and Greg challenged by experienced combatants had
to fight each of them in turn The task was to remain standing and he coped with it
After the duels ended ldquoThe Flemingsrdquo commander Walter asked the warriorsrsquo opinion of
Greg
I have known Greg for a very long timerdquo raised his voice the Samara Legendrsquos commander
Alexei Romanov ndash ldquoWe fought with him side by side and we also met on the battle-field as
adversaries And I believe that Greg is truly worthy of the rank of sergeant
After the duels and this praise the case was decided The commander of The Flemings with
due ceremony promoted Greg to sergeant
Clash of armour
This was followed by duels (sword ndash buckler sword - shield spears) and finally group
battles
Before the fight opponents egged each other on as best they could
And then rushed into battle
After which there happened something of the sort
Several group fights tough but fair ended in a most amicable way See for yourself
After the fights the spectators spilled out into the field - everyone wanted to be photographed
with the warriors Sometimes the result was pretty funny
Fair maidens prowess and singing arrows
Then came the turn of the womens tournament where fair maidens competed showing their
feminine prowess
To begin with they competed in throwing rolling pins into the target - of course strength and
accuracy were of utmost importance A very useful skill in family life they say And then the
ladies took their husbands battle axes and chopped cabbage with them and in general
displayed their prowess in the skills of ldquokeeping the home fires burningrdquo
Then the archers stepped on the scene The prize was contested by European infantrymen the
Mongol batyrs and of course by Russian warriors
Photo link httpvkcomphoto-30578984_288494144
Moreover women competed alongside with men
In the end the prize went to the well-known local marksman Mikhail Manin
(Novokuibyshevsk) winner of last years tournament
Medieval Jousting contest
Shortly after the tournament the mounted display Medieval Jousting was announced
This was a series of trials in which riders competed in various military disciplines Let me
first introduce the participants
Left to right - Master of the Knights Hospitaller a Mongolian horseman a Russian nobleman
in disgrace and an Arab who would not reveal his face to the audience By the way this is
only half of the participants
The first trial was mounted archery
Master of the Knights Hospitaller Note the speed of the rider And the wooden target he
has to hit is rather smallish
The second trial was ldquoThe Saracenrdquo (This is a spear game the accuracy of lance thrust is
evaluated)
Let me draw your attention to the fact that tournament lances have no heads and this is not
by chance
Just think of the force of the blow a mounted rider strikes when going at full canter
The spearhead passes through the target like a knife through butter Then one of the two
things will surely happen either the lance is stuck and the warrior gets thrown or loses his
lance or ldquoThe Saracen gets wrenched out of the earth Nobody wants it
Trial Three - mounted cutting
Itrsquos interesting that this exercise expressly shows the difference between a sword and a sabre
A sabre due to its characteristic curve of the blade cuts the head of cabbage neatly in two
But the sword chopping blows crush grind the head of cabbage
To some extent the difference is so marked because the sword blades at the festival werenrsquot
honed Honed sword blades also cut very neatly On the other hand a sabre is meant for
slashing blows and weighing less than a sword cuts very efficiently
In the photo you can see the ldquoLegendrdquo posadnik Maxim wearing a red mantle By the way he
won the ridersrsquo competition
Just in case let me explain who posadnik is The word is derived from the word posad
(pronounced as pah-lsquosad) In Russia ldquoposadrdquo was the part of town where most of the
citizens lived There was also a krom (kremlin) or citadel but only the prince with his
household and his host lived there and in the time of an enemy invasion the people flocked
to the citadel seeking protection In short posadnik is the head of the civil authority of the
town
Siege engine and storm
After the horsemenrsquos contest a ten-minute break was declared during which the audience had
a chance to walk around the festival lawn and the participants - to prepare for the impending
battle
According to our idea all the participants able to hold weapons were to meet on the
battlefield in the mass battle
Among them was the team of a medieval siege engine into which Utah Iwasaki seamlessly
blended
Thatrsquos what arcuballista looks like as seen by its aimer
The arcuballista team was under command of Vadim Sinichkin head of the living history
society ldquoSlovenerdquo from Novokuibyshevsk This society built all the siege engines of the
festival
ldquoWe are a small society that is why our only chance to influence the outcome of the battle is
to bombard the adversary with trebuchet and arcuballista projectiles We have adjusted those
things for throwing projectiles for 50 metres ndash contemporary living history festivals seldom
require more powerful siege engines with a longer range They are also rather convenient in
transportation - they can be taken apart and the parts fit on the floor of a mini-bus Thatrsquos
how actually we brought them hererdquo
The final battle
About 4 pm the master of ceremonies announced the last battle of the festival He said that
all the warriors of the festival would cross swords and break spears in the final melee The
3000 spectators began to fill the slope of the hill which became a natural amphitheater
The legend of the final battle was as follows it was a very ordinary event for the troubled
13th century A squad of European soldiers assaulted a Russian frontier guard outpost
located in the steppes of the Volga region
The European soldiers came there with a unit of Mongol warriors (which was a frequent
occasion with Genoan mercenaries from the Crimea) The Mongol warriors brought portable
siege engines to storm the outpost
The soldiers bring an arcuballista which is followed by the trebuchet Perhaps the stone
throwing engine with the help of which the women of Toulouse smashed the head of count
Simon de Montfort the legendary leader of the Crusaders looked very much the same
This unfortunate episode also took place in the 13th
century and to be absolutely precise
on June 25 1218
Having bombarded the outpost with the trebuchet projectiles the Mongols gave the European
foot soldiers the opportunity to attack it while the outpost defenders were still dazed A brief
skirmish and the outpost is takenhellip The Russian warriors retreat to the steppe Another
spell of fighting Only a handful of Russian warriors remainhellip And at the last moment
another Russian unit comes to the aid of the outpost
Irsquod better give the floor to Galina who came to the festival with her 4-year-old son Timothy
ldquoTimothy absolutely believed what he saw I myself felt enthralled ndash everything looked so
real
During the battle when only two Russian warriors remained fighting back to back
surrounded by enemies Tim thought they were about to perish and went to their aid
Photo link httpvkcomphoto7768284_287885078
White as a sheet he breathed out Im coming Hold on And ran to the rescuehellip
I could barely catch him It was hard to calm him down to persuade him it was all make-
believe
When the cavalry came to the rescue I said ldquoLook they are fine now Victoryrdquo You should
have seen the triumph and relief in his eyes
Thats how our long awaited festival ended
The spectators got into their cars and buses and went home ndash some to Samara some to
Togliatti some to Ulyanovskhellip
Photos by Olga Borisenkova Georgy Korobov Olga Nemkova Yulia Timirkhanova
Svetlana Makoveyeva Maria Gomolova Irina Yashina Natalia Kalmykova Alexey
Pleshkov Andrey Surin Ekaterina Orlova Tatiana Besschastnaya Vadim Kozin Evgeny
Krasnikov Alexandra Bunayeva Denis Khramov Nina Gubanova Yuri Chikin Ildar
Hassanov Ivan Yegorov Mikhail Pishchakov Mikhail Puzankov Olesya Strelchenko
Thank you all
Many thanks to the musicians who entertained the spectators They are Yegor Strelnikov
(psaltery Moscow) ldquoMusica Radicumrdquo (folk group Saint Petersburg)
Photo link httpcs304606userapicomv30460642737cah2D-hgjQpRsjpg
Photo link httpcs317423userapicomv31742302020a1HFnxYFD_uS0jpg
ldquoThe Eastrdquo
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Stupino)
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoSuzdalskaya Druzhina (Suzdal Host)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS ldquoTruvorrdquo (Orenburg)
LHS ldquoVityaz (Russian Knight)rdquo (Kazan)
LHS ldquoSlovenerdquo (Novokuibyshevsk)
Association ldquoNORD Rusrdquo (Samara)
ldquoMjollnirrdquo (Samara)
Individual participants
ldquoThe Westrdquo
LHS ldquoAtlit ndash Zamok Palomnika (Atlit - Pilgrimrsquos Castle)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS laquoNovum castrumraquo (Zheleznodorozhny)
LHS ldquoStary Svet (The Old World Company)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoDostoyanie (Heritage)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoFlamandtsy (The Flemings)rdquo (Odintsovo)
Individual participants
Special thanks to the artisans
Association ldquoMir masterov (World of Masters)rdquo (Samara)
ldquoNizhegorodskaya Artel Oruzheinikov (Armourersrsquo Artel)rdquo (Nizhny Novgorod)
Our valiant steeds came from ldquoRusskaya Sloboda (Russian Village)rdquo (Samara) and equestrian
club (Borskoe)
Thank you all guys for war and peace for merry feasts and fair competition
The festival took place on the 19 August 2012 near Stary Booyan in the Krasnoyarsky district
of the Samara Region
Next year our festival will be held again and we expect that our friends from Poland
Ukraine Belarus and Japan will be able to come So if you are interested in the 13th century
re-enactment welcome to Samara ldquoBattle Skill ndash 2013rdquo
Release Date May 11
th 2013
Event Information
May
4
th ndash 6
th Bentley Medieval Festival Lewes east Sussex UK
marktime-productionscom
4th ndash 6
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Blenheim Palace UK
httpwwwblenheimpalacecom
5th amp 6
th ldquoRogues amp Outlawsrdquo Sherwood Forest UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
10th
ndash 12th British Quarterstaff Association weekend in Gloucestershire UK
httpquarterstafforgeventshtml
11th
The Mortimer History Society Spring Conference Leominster UK
wwwmortimerhistorysocietyorguk
11th
amp 12th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Ekenas Castle Sweden
httpwwwekenasslottse
May 11th amp 12th A Victorian Celebration Forge Mill Needle Museum Redditch UK
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
May 25th amp 26th Tall Ships rsquo13 Gloucester Historic Docks Ships maritime living history
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
May 26th amp 27th Harewood Medieval Faire Harewood House Leeds 2nd major annual
multi-period medieval festival with 1066 to 1487 timeline
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
26th
ndash 28th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Hedingham Castle UK
httpwwwhedinghamcastlecouk
May 28th
June 1st Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Leeds Castle UK
httpwwwleeds-castlecomlandphp
June
1st amp 2
nd Templecombe Medieval fair Templecombe UK
httpswwwfacebookcomevents300657233387495
8th amp 9
th History Alive Fort Lytton National Park Brisbane Australia
wwwhistoryalivecoau
15th
amp 16th
Gloucester Medieval Play Festival UK
wwwglostheatrecouk
15th
amp 16th
Tatton Park Old Hall Medieval fayre UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
21st ndash 23
rd Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Cardiff Castle Wales
httpwwwcardiffcastlecom
21st ndash 23
rd Times amp Epochs Moscow Russia
httpwwwfacebookcomhistoryfestref=tsampfref=ts
29th
amp 30th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Linlithgow Palace Scotland httpwwwhistoric-scotlandgovukpropertyresultspropertyoverviewhtmPropID=PL_199ampPropName=Linlithgow20Palace
July
5th ndash 7
th LARP Camp Huntley Wood Staffordshire UK
wwwlarpcampcouk
6th amp 7
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Linlithgow Palace Scotland
httpwwwhistoric-scotlandgovukpropertyresultspropertyoverviewhtmPropID=PL_199ampPropName=Linlithgow20Palace
13th
amp 14th
The Battle of Tewkesbury UK
httpwwwtewkesburymedievalfestivalorg
13th
amp 14th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
20th
amp 21st Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
26th
ndash 28th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
27th
amp 28th
Berkeley Skirmish Berkeley Castle Gloucestershire UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
27th
amp 28th
Smugglers Island Appuldurcombe House IOW UK
Email ednash1993hotmailcouk
July 27th amp 28th Hughendenrsquos Victorian Weekend Hughenden Manor Buckinghamshire
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
27th
amp 28th
Slaughterbridge Camlann Life and Legend Camelford Cornwall UK
heburbeckgmaiIc0m
August
2nd
ndash 4th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Blenheim Palace UK
httpwwwblenheimpalacecom
3rd
amp 4th
The Midlands Festival of History UK
httpwwwmid-festcouk
3rd
amp 4th
The Loxwood Joust Loxwood Meadow RH14 0AL UK
wwwloxwoodjoustcouk
9th ndash 11
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
16th
ndash 18th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
17th
amp 18th
Scotlands Festival of History Chatelherault Scotland
wwwscotlandsfestivalofhistorycouk
17th
amp 18th
M5-Multi Period Re-enactment Weekend Spetchley Park Worcs UK
Website ndash wwwm5showcouk
23rd
amp 24th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
25th
amp 26th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hedingham Castle UK
httpwwwhedinghamcastlecouk
25th
amp 26th
The Sheffield Fayre Norfolk Heritage Park Sheffield
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
August 31st amp September 1st On the Home Front 1939-45 Rufford Abbey Country Park
Notts Annual 1940s show wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
September
12th amp 13th Bexbach 1474 Call To Arms
www1474eu
14th
amp 15th
The Battle of Mortimerrsquos Cross Hampton Court Castle Herefordshire
wwwmortimerscrosscouk
September 21st amp 22nd Wimpole at War The Wimpole Estate Cambridgeshire Annual
1940s event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
September 28th amp 29th Sherwood through the ages Sherwood Forest Annual Ancient to
1980s multi-period event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
October
October 5th amp 6th Hughendenrsquos Wartime Weekend Hughenden Manor Bucks Annual
1940s event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
12th
amp 13th
International Events of Historical Crafts (EIAH) Portugal
Email artesanatocomhistoriagmailcom
November
15
th-17
th The Original Re-Enactors Market Ryton on Dunsmore Coventry UK
wwwreenactorsmarketcouk
16th
amp 17th
The National Living History Fair
wwwnlhfcouk
23rd
amp 24th
The Ludlow Medieval Christmas Fair Ludlow Castle Shropshire
httpwwwludlowcastlecompageseventsaspx
Living History Festival ldquoRatnoe Delo (Battle Skill) - 2012rdquo
By Nikolai Chebotarev
3 September 2012
Translated by Inna Drabkina
At last Irsquove got to my computer to tell you about the festival Ratnoe Delo-2012 For us
host living history societies (Legend Russian Village The Flemings) this was the
main event of the year
I am sure that our true friends from Samara and the Krasnoyarsky district where the action
unfolded found it a most pleasurable and interesting event too
Catching my breath after the festival I decided to take up the pen to commemorate the events
of the festival together with our photographers
100 Dyed-in-the-Wool Re-Enactors
The festival focuses on the confrontation of the Russian warriors and the West-European
knights of the 13th century The 13
th century was a dramatic one for the Medieval Rus it was
the age of the Mongol invasion but it was also the age of contact and conflict of the Western
Europe and the principalities of the north-west of Russia
The special appeal of the festival was its ldquoauthenticityrdquo focus In the first place only those
societies that had top-quality historical costumes military equipment household utensils
were admitted to the festival Secondly all these things had to be exact replicas of the 13th
century ones
The photographers couldnrsquot get all the re-enactors in frame
As it turned out it is not easy to gather in one place one hundred dyed-in-the-wool
ldquoauthenticrdquo re-enactors but we coped with the task The geography of the festival
participants ranges from Bryansk in Russia to Yokohama in Japan Yes you heard right
Yokohama
A year ago a Japanese guy Utah Iwasaki came to Russia to see our festival He was
fascinated by the idea of living history and historical re-enactment he told us that in the Land
of the Rising Sun there were no amateur re-enactors only professional actors playing their
parts in public shows This time he is taking to Japan not just photos from the festival but
also a chain mail Halberk - the one in the photo
ldquoIrsquom going to show the chain mail and the photos to my father I think he will be very much
impressed And then Irsquoll show them to my friends and colleagues at work maybe next time
there will be several of us comingrdquo
And who could expect that Utah would meet his compatriots amidst our steppes ldquoThere were
2 boys from Japan They come from a mixed Russian-Japanese family and they live in
Tokyo They came to Samara on a visit to their granddad and thatrsquos how we met at the
festivalrdquo
All the participants were divided into two rivaling partiesndash the East and the West A small
rivulet separated their camps The contest between the parties was the main intrigue of the
festival
The first two days - Friday and Saturday - were the time for the re-enactorsrsquo master classes
seminars and sharing their findings and ideas with each other The participant societies
prepared an extensive program including a master class in long sword and bastard sword
fencing
The wooden models of swords in the hands of the guys are the same as those used for
practicing many years ago
All the fencing movements that Mikhail Manin and Artem Rumyantsev showed were taken
from medieval fencing manuals - fechtbucher
The earliest fencing manual known as Manuscript I33 dates from about the year 1295 and
shows techniques of fencing with a sword and a small round shield (buckler)
It goes without saying that the program on Friday and Saturday was rich - tournaments
maneuvers on rough terrain etc All the participants received a lot of adrenaline and fun
Battering the palisade of the European camp with a ram
Alex Bogatikov a Samara ldquoLegendrdquo novice says This is my first time at the living history
festival and I am really enjoying it a lot of people and a lot of fun Thanks for the nice
impressions of the festival thanks to the guys from other living history societies - I expected
struggle and rivalry at the spear tournament but it turned out to be great fun a real adrenaline
rush All the re-enactors are friends they cheer each other and are very careful not to hurt
their adversaries - its cool guys
And the winners were duly rewarded
Photo link httpvkcomalbums-30578984z=photo-30578984_2882686622Fphotos-
30578984
For the victory of their fighters in an event the factions got points The total score determined
the winner who got the honorary right to raise the banner of the festival on the touristsrsquo day
This time the winner was the East Therefore the right to hoist the flag of the festival on
August19 during the solemn opening ceremony for the tourists passed to the re-enactors of
the Medieval Rus
The very festival field over which the scarlet banner flew seemed to be meant for such
activities The place is just gorgeousrdquo - our spectator Natalia Kuznetsova says ndash ldquoThe
sweet smell of wild strawberries the bridge over the river the undulating hillshellip
Unforgettable
And from the practical point of view the place was ideal too
First of all the federal highway to Ulyanovsk runs next to the festival field and therersquos a
village with a cheerful name of Stary Booyan (which in Russian sounds exactly the same as
lsquoOld Brawlerrsquo) nearby
Secondly the festival meadow is separated from the road and other marks of the modern
civilization by a copse which accounted for the effect of a real time travel
The secrets of the medieval handicrafts
After the opening of the festival a dynamic and rich program unfolded
Potters Maxim and Elena Borisov (society Mir masterov (World of Masters) Samara)
showed everyone who wished so the basics of working with clay Classes turned out to be
very exciting - the potters could not complain about the lack of public interest Their
workshop was thronged
While the enthusiasts at the market were molding clay women of fashion and glamour
gathered in the Western camp Kate Aristova from the Moscow living history club Legend
(full namesake of the Samara host society) spoke about makeup in the Middle Ages
According to her even now in the age of Oriflame and Amway the recipes that originated
eight hundred years ago can be of great interest to modern beauties as they are
environmentally friendly and work miracles with the skin
How to become a sergeant
While the women were buzzing and fussing about their jars of cream and bottles of scent
true men displayed their battle skill
On the eve of the battle Greg a fighter from The Flemings had to prove that he was ready
to become a sergeant
One doesnrsquot get promotion for a song and Greg challenged by experienced combatants had
to fight each of them in turn The task was to remain standing and he coped with it
After the duels ended ldquoThe Flemingsrdquo commander Walter asked the warriorsrsquo opinion of
Greg
I have known Greg for a very long timerdquo raised his voice the Samara Legendrsquos commander
Alexei Romanov ndash ldquoWe fought with him side by side and we also met on the battle-field as
adversaries And I believe that Greg is truly worthy of the rank of sergeant
After the duels and this praise the case was decided The commander of The Flemings with
due ceremony promoted Greg to sergeant
Clash of armour
This was followed by duels (sword ndash buckler sword - shield spears) and finally group
battles
Before the fight opponents egged each other on as best they could
And then rushed into battle
After which there happened something of the sort
Several group fights tough but fair ended in a most amicable way See for yourself
After the fights the spectators spilled out into the field - everyone wanted to be photographed
with the warriors Sometimes the result was pretty funny
Fair maidens prowess and singing arrows
Then came the turn of the womens tournament where fair maidens competed showing their
feminine prowess
To begin with they competed in throwing rolling pins into the target - of course strength and
accuracy were of utmost importance A very useful skill in family life they say And then the
ladies took their husbands battle axes and chopped cabbage with them and in general
displayed their prowess in the skills of ldquokeeping the home fires burningrdquo
Then the archers stepped on the scene The prize was contested by European infantrymen the
Mongol batyrs and of course by Russian warriors
Photo link httpvkcomphoto-30578984_288494144
Moreover women competed alongside with men
In the end the prize went to the well-known local marksman Mikhail Manin
(Novokuibyshevsk) winner of last years tournament
Medieval Jousting contest
Shortly after the tournament the mounted display Medieval Jousting was announced
This was a series of trials in which riders competed in various military disciplines Let me
first introduce the participants
Left to right - Master of the Knights Hospitaller a Mongolian horseman a Russian nobleman
in disgrace and an Arab who would not reveal his face to the audience By the way this is
only half of the participants
The first trial was mounted archery
Master of the Knights Hospitaller Note the speed of the rider And the wooden target he
has to hit is rather smallish
The second trial was ldquoThe Saracenrdquo (This is a spear game the accuracy of lance thrust is
evaluated)
Let me draw your attention to the fact that tournament lances have no heads and this is not
by chance
Just think of the force of the blow a mounted rider strikes when going at full canter
The spearhead passes through the target like a knife through butter Then one of the two
things will surely happen either the lance is stuck and the warrior gets thrown or loses his
lance or ldquoThe Saracen gets wrenched out of the earth Nobody wants it
Trial Three - mounted cutting
Itrsquos interesting that this exercise expressly shows the difference between a sword and a sabre
A sabre due to its characteristic curve of the blade cuts the head of cabbage neatly in two
But the sword chopping blows crush grind the head of cabbage
To some extent the difference is so marked because the sword blades at the festival werenrsquot
honed Honed sword blades also cut very neatly On the other hand a sabre is meant for
slashing blows and weighing less than a sword cuts very efficiently
In the photo you can see the ldquoLegendrdquo posadnik Maxim wearing a red mantle By the way he
won the ridersrsquo competition
Just in case let me explain who posadnik is The word is derived from the word posad
(pronounced as pah-lsquosad) In Russia ldquoposadrdquo was the part of town where most of the
citizens lived There was also a krom (kremlin) or citadel but only the prince with his
household and his host lived there and in the time of an enemy invasion the people flocked
to the citadel seeking protection In short posadnik is the head of the civil authority of the
town
Siege engine and storm
After the horsemenrsquos contest a ten-minute break was declared during which the audience had
a chance to walk around the festival lawn and the participants - to prepare for the impending
battle
According to our idea all the participants able to hold weapons were to meet on the
battlefield in the mass battle
Among them was the team of a medieval siege engine into which Utah Iwasaki seamlessly
blended
Thatrsquos what arcuballista looks like as seen by its aimer
The arcuballista team was under command of Vadim Sinichkin head of the living history
society ldquoSlovenerdquo from Novokuibyshevsk This society built all the siege engines of the
festival
ldquoWe are a small society that is why our only chance to influence the outcome of the battle is
to bombard the adversary with trebuchet and arcuballista projectiles We have adjusted those
things for throwing projectiles for 50 metres ndash contemporary living history festivals seldom
require more powerful siege engines with a longer range They are also rather convenient in
transportation - they can be taken apart and the parts fit on the floor of a mini-bus Thatrsquos
how actually we brought them hererdquo
The final battle
About 4 pm the master of ceremonies announced the last battle of the festival He said that
all the warriors of the festival would cross swords and break spears in the final melee The
3000 spectators began to fill the slope of the hill which became a natural amphitheater
The legend of the final battle was as follows it was a very ordinary event for the troubled
13th century A squad of European soldiers assaulted a Russian frontier guard outpost
located in the steppes of the Volga region
The European soldiers came there with a unit of Mongol warriors (which was a frequent
occasion with Genoan mercenaries from the Crimea) The Mongol warriors brought portable
siege engines to storm the outpost
The soldiers bring an arcuballista which is followed by the trebuchet Perhaps the stone
throwing engine with the help of which the women of Toulouse smashed the head of count
Simon de Montfort the legendary leader of the Crusaders looked very much the same
This unfortunate episode also took place in the 13th
century and to be absolutely precise
on June 25 1218
Having bombarded the outpost with the trebuchet projectiles the Mongols gave the European
foot soldiers the opportunity to attack it while the outpost defenders were still dazed A brief
skirmish and the outpost is takenhellip The Russian warriors retreat to the steppe Another
spell of fighting Only a handful of Russian warriors remainhellip And at the last moment
another Russian unit comes to the aid of the outpost
Irsquod better give the floor to Galina who came to the festival with her 4-year-old son Timothy
ldquoTimothy absolutely believed what he saw I myself felt enthralled ndash everything looked so
real
During the battle when only two Russian warriors remained fighting back to back
surrounded by enemies Tim thought they were about to perish and went to their aid
Photo link httpvkcomphoto7768284_287885078
White as a sheet he breathed out Im coming Hold on And ran to the rescuehellip
I could barely catch him It was hard to calm him down to persuade him it was all make-
believe
When the cavalry came to the rescue I said ldquoLook they are fine now Victoryrdquo You should
have seen the triumph and relief in his eyes
Thats how our long awaited festival ended
The spectators got into their cars and buses and went home ndash some to Samara some to
Togliatti some to Ulyanovskhellip
Photos by Olga Borisenkova Georgy Korobov Olga Nemkova Yulia Timirkhanova
Svetlana Makoveyeva Maria Gomolova Irina Yashina Natalia Kalmykova Alexey
Pleshkov Andrey Surin Ekaterina Orlova Tatiana Besschastnaya Vadim Kozin Evgeny
Krasnikov Alexandra Bunayeva Denis Khramov Nina Gubanova Yuri Chikin Ildar
Hassanov Ivan Yegorov Mikhail Pishchakov Mikhail Puzankov Olesya Strelchenko
Thank you all
Many thanks to the musicians who entertained the spectators They are Yegor Strelnikov
(psaltery Moscow) ldquoMusica Radicumrdquo (folk group Saint Petersburg)
Photo link httpcs304606userapicomv30460642737cah2D-hgjQpRsjpg
Photo link httpcs317423userapicomv31742302020a1HFnxYFD_uS0jpg
ldquoThe Eastrdquo
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Stupino)
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoSuzdalskaya Druzhina (Suzdal Host)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS ldquoTruvorrdquo (Orenburg)
LHS ldquoVityaz (Russian Knight)rdquo (Kazan)
LHS ldquoSlovenerdquo (Novokuibyshevsk)
Association ldquoNORD Rusrdquo (Samara)
ldquoMjollnirrdquo (Samara)
Individual participants
ldquoThe Westrdquo
LHS ldquoAtlit ndash Zamok Palomnika (Atlit - Pilgrimrsquos Castle)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS laquoNovum castrumraquo (Zheleznodorozhny)
LHS ldquoStary Svet (The Old World Company)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoDostoyanie (Heritage)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoFlamandtsy (The Flemings)rdquo (Odintsovo)
Individual participants
Special thanks to the artisans
Association ldquoMir masterov (World of Masters)rdquo (Samara)
ldquoNizhegorodskaya Artel Oruzheinikov (Armourersrsquo Artel)rdquo (Nizhny Novgorod)
Our valiant steeds came from ldquoRusskaya Sloboda (Russian Village)rdquo (Samara) and equestrian
club (Borskoe)
Thank you all guys for war and peace for merry feasts and fair competition
The festival took place on the 19 August 2012 near Stary Booyan in the Krasnoyarsky district
of the Samara Region
Next year our festival will be held again and we expect that our friends from Poland
Ukraine Belarus and Japan will be able to come So if you are interested in the 13th century
re-enactment welcome to Samara ldquoBattle Skill ndash 2013rdquo
Release Date May 11
th 2013
15th
amp 16th
Gloucester Medieval Play Festival UK
wwwglostheatrecouk
15th
amp 16th
Tatton Park Old Hall Medieval fayre UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
21st ndash 23
rd Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Cardiff Castle Wales
httpwwwcardiffcastlecom
21st ndash 23
rd Times amp Epochs Moscow Russia
httpwwwfacebookcomhistoryfestref=tsampfref=ts
29th
amp 30th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Linlithgow Palace Scotland httpwwwhistoric-scotlandgovukpropertyresultspropertyoverviewhtmPropID=PL_199ampPropName=Linlithgow20Palace
July
5th ndash 7
th LARP Camp Huntley Wood Staffordshire UK
wwwlarpcampcouk
6th amp 7
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Linlithgow Palace Scotland
httpwwwhistoric-scotlandgovukpropertyresultspropertyoverviewhtmPropID=PL_199ampPropName=Linlithgow20Palace
13th
amp 14th
The Battle of Tewkesbury UK
httpwwwtewkesburymedievalfestivalorg
13th
amp 14th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
20th
amp 21st Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
26th
ndash 28th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
27th
amp 28th
Berkeley Skirmish Berkeley Castle Gloucestershire UK
OfficePlantagenet-Eventscom
27th
amp 28th
Smugglers Island Appuldurcombe House IOW UK
Email ednash1993hotmailcouk
July 27th amp 28th Hughendenrsquos Victorian Weekend Hughenden Manor Buckinghamshire
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
27th
amp 28th
Slaughterbridge Camlann Life and Legend Camelford Cornwall UK
heburbeckgmaiIc0m
August
2nd
ndash 4th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Blenheim Palace UK
httpwwwblenheimpalacecom
3rd
amp 4th
The Midlands Festival of History UK
httpwwwmid-festcouk
3rd
amp 4th
The Loxwood Joust Loxwood Meadow RH14 0AL UK
wwwloxwoodjoustcouk
9th ndash 11
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
16th
ndash 18th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
17th
amp 18th
Scotlands Festival of History Chatelherault Scotland
wwwscotlandsfestivalofhistorycouk
17th
amp 18th
M5-Multi Period Re-enactment Weekend Spetchley Park Worcs UK
Website ndash wwwm5showcouk
23rd
amp 24th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
25th
amp 26th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hedingham Castle UK
httpwwwhedinghamcastlecouk
25th
amp 26th
The Sheffield Fayre Norfolk Heritage Park Sheffield
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
August 31st amp September 1st On the Home Front 1939-45 Rufford Abbey Country Park
Notts Annual 1940s show wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
September
12th amp 13th Bexbach 1474 Call To Arms
www1474eu
14th
amp 15th
The Battle of Mortimerrsquos Cross Hampton Court Castle Herefordshire
wwwmortimerscrosscouk
September 21st amp 22nd Wimpole at War The Wimpole Estate Cambridgeshire Annual
1940s event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
September 28th amp 29th Sherwood through the ages Sherwood Forest Annual Ancient to
1980s multi-period event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
October
October 5th amp 6th Hughendenrsquos Wartime Weekend Hughenden Manor Bucks Annual
1940s event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
12th
amp 13th
International Events of Historical Crafts (EIAH) Portugal
Email artesanatocomhistoriagmailcom
November
15
th-17
th The Original Re-Enactors Market Ryton on Dunsmore Coventry UK
wwwreenactorsmarketcouk
16th
amp 17th
The National Living History Fair
wwwnlhfcouk
23rd
amp 24th
The Ludlow Medieval Christmas Fair Ludlow Castle Shropshire
httpwwwludlowcastlecompageseventsaspx
Living History Festival ldquoRatnoe Delo (Battle Skill) - 2012rdquo
By Nikolai Chebotarev
3 September 2012
Translated by Inna Drabkina
At last Irsquove got to my computer to tell you about the festival Ratnoe Delo-2012 For us
host living history societies (Legend Russian Village The Flemings) this was the
main event of the year
I am sure that our true friends from Samara and the Krasnoyarsky district where the action
unfolded found it a most pleasurable and interesting event too
Catching my breath after the festival I decided to take up the pen to commemorate the events
of the festival together with our photographers
100 Dyed-in-the-Wool Re-Enactors
The festival focuses on the confrontation of the Russian warriors and the West-European
knights of the 13th century The 13
th century was a dramatic one for the Medieval Rus it was
the age of the Mongol invasion but it was also the age of contact and conflict of the Western
Europe and the principalities of the north-west of Russia
The special appeal of the festival was its ldquoauthenticityrdquo focus In the first place only those
societies that had top-quality historical costumes military equipment household utensils
were admitted to the festival Secondly all these things had to be exact replicas of the 13th
century ones
The photographers couldnrsquot get all the re-enactors in frame
As it turned out it is not easy to gather in one place one hundred dyed-in-the-wool
ldquoauthenticrdquo re-enactors but we coped with the task The geography of the festival
participants ranges from Bryansk in Russia to Yokohama in Japan Yes you heard right
Yokohama
A year ago a Japanese guy Utah Iwasaki came to Russia to see our festival He was
fascinated by the idea of living history and historical re-enactment he told us that in the Land
of the Rising Sun there were no amateur re-enactors only professional actors playing their
parts in public shows This time he is taking to Japan not just photos from the festival but
also a chain mail Halberk - the one in the photo
ldquoIrsquom going to show the chain mail and the photos to my father I think he will be very much
impressed And then Irsquoll show them to my friends and colleagues at work maybe next time
there will be several of us comingrdquo
And who could expect that Utah would meet his compatriots amidst our steppes ldquoThere were
2 boys from Japan They come from a mixed Russian-Japanese family and they live in
Tokyo They came to Samara on a visit to their granddad and thatrsquos how we met at the
festivalrdquo
All the participants were divided into two rivaling partiesndash the East and the West A small
rivulet separated their camps The contest between the parties was the main intrigue of the
festival
The first two days - Friday and Saturday - were the time for the re-enactorsrsquo master classes
seminars and sharing their findings and ideas with each other The participant societies
prepared an extensive program including a master class in long sword and bastard sword
fencing
The wooden models of swords in the hands of the guys are the same as those used for
practicing many years ago
All the fencing movements that Mikhail Manin and Artem Rumyantsev showed were taken
from medieval fencing manuals - fechtbucher
The earliest fencing manual known as Manuscript I33 dates from about the year 1295 and
shows techniques of fencing with a sword and a small round shield (buckler)
It goes without saying that the program on Friday and Saturday was rich - tournaments
maneuvers on rough terrain etc All the participants received a lot of adrenaline and fun
Battering the palisade of the European camp with a ram
Alex Bogatikov a Samara ldquoLegendrdquo novice says This is my first time at the living history
festival and I am really enjoying it a lot of people and a lot of fun Thanks for the nice
impressions of the festival thanks to the guys from other living history societies - I expected
struggle and rivalry at the spear tournament but it turned out to be great fun a real adrenaline
rush All the re-enactors are friends they cheer each other and are very careful not to hurt
their adversaries - its cool guys
And the winners were duly rewarded
Photo link httpvkcomalbums-30578984z=photo-30578984_2882686622Fphotos-
30578984
For the victory of their fighters in an event the factions got points The total score determined
the winner who got the honorary right to raise the banner of the festival on the touristsrsquo day
This time the winner was the East Therefore the right to hoist the flag of the festival on
August19 during the solemn opening ceremony for the tourists passed to the re-enactors of
the Medieval Rus
The very festival field over which the scarlet banner flew seemed to be meant for such
activities The place is just gorgeousrdquo - our spectator Natalia Kuznetsova says ndash ldquoThe
sweet smell of wild strawberries the bridge over the river the undulating hillshellip
Unforgettable
And from the practical point of view the place was ideal too
First of all the federal highway to Ulyanovsk runs next to the festival field and therersquos a
village with a cheerful name of Stary Booyan (which in Russian sounds exactly the same as
lsquoOld Brawlerrsquo) nearby
Secondly the festival meadow is separated from the road and other marks of the modern
civilization by a copse which accounted for the effect of a real time travel
The secrets of the medieval handicrafts
After the opening of the festival a dynamic and rich program unfolded
Potters Maxim and Elena Borisov (society Mir masterov (World of Masters) Samara)
showed everyone who wished so the basics of working with clay Classes turned out to be
very exciting - the potters could not complain about the lack of public interest Their
workshop was thronged
While the enthusiasts at the market were molding clay women of fashion and glamour
gathered in the Western camp Kate Aristova from the Moscow living history club Legend
(full namesake of the Samara host society) spoke about makeup in the Middle Ages
According to her even now in the age of Oriflame and Amway the recipes that originated
eight hundred years ago can be of great interest to modern beauties as they are
environmentally friendly and work miracles with the skin
How to become a sergeant
While the women were buzzing and fussing about their jars of cream and bottles of scent
true men displayed their battle skill
On the eve of the battle Greg a fighter from The Flemings had to prove that he was ready
to become a sergeant
One doesnrsquot get promotion for a song and Greg challenged by experienced combatants had
to fight each of them in turn The task was to remain standing and he coped with it
After the duels ended ldquoThe Flemingsrdquo commander Walter asked the warriorsrsquo opinion of
Greg
I have known Greg for a very long timerdquo raised his voice the Samara Legendrsquos commander
Alexei Romanov ndash ldquoWe fought with him side by side and we also met on the battle-field as
adversaries And I believe that Greg is truly worthy of the rank of sergeant
After the duels and this praise the case was decided The commander of The Flemings with
due ceremony promoted Greg to sergeant
Clash of armour
This was followed by duels (sword ndash buckler sword - shield spears) and finally group
battles
Before the fight opponents egged each other on as best they could
And then rushed into battle
After which there happened something of the sort
Several group fights tough but fair ended in a most amicable way See for yourself
After the fights the spectators spilled out into the field - everyone wanted to be photographed
with the warriors Sometimes the result was pretty funny
Fair maidens prowess and singing arrows
Then came the turn of the womens tournament where fair maidens competed showing their
feminine prowess
To begin with they competed in throwing rolling pins into the target - of course strength and
accuracy were of utmost importance A very useful skill in family life they say And then the
ladies took their husbands battle axes and chopped cabbage with them and in general
displayed their prowess in the skills of ldquokeeping the home fires burningrdquo
Then the archers stepped on the scene The prize was contested by European infantrymen the
Mongol batyrs and of course by Russian warriors
Photo link httpvkcomphoto-30578984_288494144
Moreover women competed alongside with men
In the end the prize went to the well-known local marksman Mikhail Manin
(Novokuibyshevsk) winner of last years tournament
Medieval Jousting contest
Shortly after the tournament the mounted display Medieval Jousting was announced
This was a series of trials in which riders competed in various military disciplines Let me
first introduce the participants
Left to right - Master of the Knights Hospitaller a Mongolian horseman a Russian nobleman
in disgrace and an Arab who would not reveal his face to the audience By the way this is
only half of the participants
The first trial was mounted archery
Master of the Knights Hospitaller Note the speed of the rider And the wooden target he
has to hit is rather smallish
The second trial was ldquoThe Saracenrdquo (This is a spear game the accuracy of lance thrust is
evaluated)
Let me draw your attention to the fact that tournament lances have no heads and this is not
by chance
Just think of the force of the blow a mounted rider strikes when going at full canter
The spearhead passes through the target like a knife through butter Then one of the two
things will surely happen either the lance is stuck and the warrior gets thrown or loses his
lance or ldquoThe Saracen gets wrenched out of the earth Nobody wants it
Trial Three - mounted cutting
Itrsquos interesting that this exercise expressly shows the difference between a sword and a sabre
A sabre due to its characteristic curve of the blade cuts the head of cabbage neatly in two
But the sword chopping blows crush grind the head of cabbage
To some extent the difference is so marked because the sword blades at the festival werenrsquot
honed Honed sword blades also cut very neatly On the other hand a sabre is meant for
slashing blows and weighing less than a sword cuts very efficiently
In the photo you can see the ldquoLegendrdquo posadnik Maxim wearing a red mantle By the way he
won the ridersrsquo competition
Just in case let me explain who posadnik is The word is derived from the word posad
(pronounced as pah-lsquosad) In Russia ldquoposadrdquo was the part of town where most of the
citizens lived There was also a krom (kremlin) or citadel but only the prince with his
household and his host lived there and in the time of an enemy invasion the people flocked
to the citadel seeking protection In short posadnik is the head of the civil authority of the
town
Siege engine and storm
After the horsemenrsquos contest a ten-minute break was declared during which the audience had
a chance to walk around the festival lawn and the participants - to prepare for the impending
battle
According to our idea all the participants able to hold weapons were to meet on the
battlefield in the mass battle
Among them was the team of a medieval siege engine into which Utah Iwasaki seamlessly
blended
Thatrsquos what arcuballista looks like as seen by its aimer
The arcuballista team was under command of Vadim Sinichkin head of the living history
society ldquoSlovenerdquo from Novokuibyshevsk This society built all the siege engines of the
festival
ldquoWe are a small society that is why our only chance to influence the outcome of the battle is
to bombard the adversary with trebuchet and arcuballista projectiles We have adjusted those
things for throwing projectiles for 50 metres ndash contemporary living history festivals seldom
require more powerful siege engines with a longer range They are also rather convenient in
transportation - they can be taken apart and the parts fit on the floor of a mini-bus Thatrsquos
how actually we brought them hererdquo
The final battle
About 4 pm the master of ceremonies announced the last battle of the festival He said that
all the warriors of the festival would cross swords and break spears in the final melee The
3000 spectators began to fill the slope of the hill which became a natural amphitheater
The legend of the final battle was as follows it was a very ordinary event for the troubled
13th century A squad of European soldiers assaulted a Russian frontier guard outpost
located in the steppes of the Volga region
The European soldiers came there with a unit of Mongol warriors (which was a frequent
occasion with Genoan mercenaries from the Crimea) The Mongol warriors brought portable
siege engines to storm the outpost
The soldiers bring an arcuballista which is followed by the trebuchet Perhaps the stone
throwing engine with the help of which the women of Toulouse smashed the head of count
Simon de Montfort the legendary leader of the Crusaders looked very much the same
This unfortunate episode also took place in the 13th
century and to be absolutely precise
on June 25 1218
Having bombarded the outpost with the trebuchet projectiles the Mongols gave the European
foot soldiers the opportunity to attack it while the outpost defenders were still dazed A brief
skirmish and the outpost is takenhellip The Russian warriors retreat to the steppe Another
spell of fighting Only a handful of Russian warriors remainhellip And at the last moment
another Russian unit comes to the aid of the outpost
Irsquod better give the floor to Galina who came to the festival with her 4-year-old son Timothy
ldquoTimothy absolutely believed what he saw I myself felt enthralled ndash everything looked so
real
During the battle when only two Russian warriors remained fighting back to back
surrounded by enemies Tim thought they were about to perish and went to their aid
Photo link httpvkcomphoto7768284_287885078
White as a sheet he breathed out Im coming Hold on And ran to the rescuehellip
I could barely catch him It was hard to calm him down to persuade him it was all make-
believe
When the cavalry came to the rescue I said ldquoLook they are fine now Victoryrdquo You should
have seen the triumph and relief in his eyes
Thats how our long awaited festival ended
The spectators got into their cars and buses and went home ndash some to Samara some to
Togliatti some to Ulyanovskhellip
Photos by Olga Borisenkova Georgy Korobov Olga Nemkova Yulia Timirkhanova
Svetlana Makoveyeva Maria Gomolova Irina Yashina Natalia Kalmykova Alexey
Pleshkov Andrey Surin Ekaterina Orlova Tatiana Besschastnaya Vadim Kozin Evgeny
Krasnikov Alexandra Bunayeva Denis Khramov Nina Gubanova Yuri Chikin Ildar
Hassanov Ivan Yegorov Mikhail Pishchakov Mikhail Puzankov Olesya Strelchenko
Thank you all
Many thanks to the musicians who entertained the spectators They are Yegor Strelnikov
(psaltery Moscow) ldquoMusica Radicumrdquo (folk group Saint Petersburg)
Photo link httpcs304606userapicomv30460642737cah2D-hgjQpRsjpg
Photo link httpcs317423userapicomv31742302020a1HFnxYFD_uS0jpg
ldquoThe Eastrdquo
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Stupino)
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoSuzdalskaya Druzhina (Suzdal Host)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS ldquoTruvorrdquo (Orenburg)
LHS ldquoVityaz (Russian Knight)rdquo (Kazan)
LHS ldquoSlovenerdquo (Novokuibyshevsk)
Association ldquoNORD Rusrdquo (Samara)
ldquoMjollnirrdquo (Samara)
Individual participants
ldquoThe Westrdquo
LHS ldquoAtlit ndash Zamok Palomnika (Atlit - Pilgrimrsquos Castle)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS laquoNovum castrumraquo (Zheleznodorozhny)
LHS ldquoStary Svet (The Old World Company)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoDostoyanie (Heritage)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoFlamandtsy (The Flemings)rdquo (Odintsovo)
Individual participants
Special thanks to the artisans
Association ldquoMir masterov (World of Masters)rdquo (Samara)
ldquoNizhegorodskaya Artel Oruzheinikov (Armourersrsquo Artel)rdquo (Nizhny Novgorod)
Our valiant steeds came from ldquoRusskaya Sloboda (Russian Village)rdquo (Samara) and equestrian
club (Borskoe)
Thank you all guys for war and peace for merry feasts and fair competition
The festival took place on the 19 August 2012 near Stary Booyan in the Krasnoyarsky district
of the Samara Region
Next year our festival will be held again and we expect that our friends from Poland
Ukraine Belarus and Japan will be able to come So if you are interested in the 13th century
re-enactment welcome to Samara ldquoBattle Skill ndash 2013rdquo
Release Date May 11
th 2013
August
2nd
ndash 4th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Blenheim Palace UK
httpwwwblenheimpalacecom
3rd
amp 4th
The Midlands Festival of History UK
httpwwwmid-festcouk
3rd
amp 4th
The Loxwood Joust Loxwood Meadow RH14 0AL UK
wwwloxwoodjoustcouk
9th ndash 11
th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
16th
ndash 18th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
17th
amp 18th
Scotlands Festival of History Chatelherault Scotland
wwwscotlandsfestivalofhistorycouk
17th
amp 18th
M5-Multi Period Re-enactment Weekend Spetchley Park Worcs UK
Website ndash wwwm5showcouk
23rd
amp 24th
Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hever Castle UK
httpwwwhevercastlecouk
25th
amp 26th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament Hedingham Castle UK
httpwwwhedinghamcastlecouk
25th
amp 26th
The Sheffield Fayre Norfolk Heritage Park Sheffield
wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
August 31st amp September 1st On the Home Front 1939-45 Rufford Abbey Country Park
Notts Annual 1940s show wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
September
12th amp 13th Bexbach 1474 Call To Arms
www1474eu
14th
amp 15th
The Battle of Mortimerrsquos Cross Hampton Court Castle Herefordshire
wwwmortimerscrosscouk
September 21st amp 22nd Wimpole at War The Wimpole Estate Cambridgeshire Annual
1940s event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
September 28th amp 29th Sherwood through the ages Sherwood Forest Annual Ancient to
1980s multi-period event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
October
October 5th amp 6th Hughendenrsquos Wartime Weekend Hughenden Manor Bucks Annual
1940s event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
12th
amp 13th
International Events of Historical Crafts (EIAH) Portugal
Email artesanatocomhistoriagmailcom
November
15
th-17
th The Original Re-Enactors Market Ryton on Dunsmore Coventry UK
wwwreenactorsmarketcouk
16th
amp 17th
The National Living History Fair
wwwnlhfcouk
23rd
amp 24th
The Ludlow Medieval Christmas Fair Ludlow Castle Shropshire
httpwwwludlowcastlecompageseventsaspx
Living History Festival ldquoRatnoe Delo (Battle Skill) - 2012rdquo
By Nikolai Chebotarev
3 September 2012
Translated by Inna Drabkina
At last Irsquove got to my computer to tell you about the festival Ratnoe Delo-2012 For us
host living history societies (Legend Russian Village The Flemings) this was the
main event of the year
I am sure that our true friends from Samara and the Krasnoyarsky district where the action
unfolded found it a most pleasurable and interesting event too
Catching my breath after the festival I decided to take up the pen to commemorate the events
of the festival together with our photographers
100 Dyed-in-the-Wool Re-Enactors
The festival focuses on the confrontation of the Russian warriors and the West-European
knights of the 13th century The 13
th century was a dramatic one for the Medieval Rus it was
the age of the Mongol invasion but it was also the age of contact and conflict of the Western
Europe and the principalities of the north-west of Russia
The special appeal of the festival was its ldquoauthenticityrdquo focus In the first place only those
societies that had top-quality historical costumes military equipment household utensils
were admitted to the festival Secondly all these things had to be exact replicas of the 13th
century ones
The photographers couldnrsquot get all the re-enactors in frame
As it turned out it is not easy to gather in one place one hundred dyed-in-the-wool
ldquoauthenticrdquo re-enactors but we coped with the task The geography of the festival
participants ranges from Bryansk in Russia to Yokohama in Japan Yes you heard right
Yokohama
A year ago a Japanese guy Utah Iwasaki came to Russia to see our festival He was
fascinated by the idea of living history and historical re-enactment he told us that in the Land
of the Rising Sun there were no amateur re-enactors only professional actors playing their
parts in public shows This time he is taking to Japan not just photos from the festival but
also a chain mail Halberk - the one in the photo
ldquoIrsquom going to show the chain mail and the photos to my father I think he will be very much
impressed And then Irsquoll show them to my friends and colleagues at work maybe next time
there will be several of us comingrdquo
And who could expect that Utah would meet his compatriots amidst our steppes ldquoThere were
2 boys from Japan They come from a mixed Russian-Japanese family and they live in
Tokyo They came to Samara on a visit to their granddad and thatrsquos how we met at the
festivalrdquo
All the participants were divided into two rivaling partiesndash the East and the West A small
rivulet separated their camps The contest between the parties was the main intrigue of the
festival
The first two days - Friday and Saturday - were the time for the re-enactorsrsquo master classes
seminars and sharing their findings and ideas with each other The participant societies
prepared an extensive program including a master class in long sword and bastard sword
fencing
The wooden models of swords in the hands of the guys are the same as those used for
practicing many years ago
All the fencing movements that Mikhail Manin and Artem Rumyantsev showed were taken
from medieval fencing manuals - fechtbucher
The earliest fencing manual known as Manuscript I33 dates from about the year 1295 and
shows techniques of fencing with a sword and a small round shield (buckler)
It goes without saying that the program on Friday and Saturday was rich - tournaments
maneuvers on rough terrain etc All the participants received a lot of adrenaline and fun
Battering the palisade of the European camp with a ram
Alex Bogatikov a Samara ldquoLegendrdquo novice says This is my first time at the living history
festival and I am really enjoying it a lot of people and a lot of fun Thanks for the nice
impressions of the festival thanks to the guys from other living history societies - I expected
struggle and rivalry at the spear tournament but it turned out to be great fun a real adrenaline
rush All the re-enactors are friends they cheer each other and are very careful not to hurt
their adversaries - its cool guys
And the winners were duly rewarded
Photo link httpvkcomalbums-30578984z=photo-30578984_2882686622Fphotos-
30578984
For the victory of their fighters in an event the factions got points The total score determined
the winner who got the honorary right to raise the banner of the festival on the touristsrsquo day
This time the winner was the East Therefore the right to hoist the flag of the festival on
August19 during the solemn opening ceremony for the tourists passed to the re-enactors of
the Medieval Rus
The very festival field over which the scarlet banner flew seemed to be meant for such
activities The place is just gorgeousrdquo - our spectator Natalia Kuznetsova says ndash ldquoThe
sweet smell of wild strawberries the bridge over the river the undulating hillshellip
Unforgettable
And from the practical point of view the place was ideal too
First of all the federal highway to Ulyanovsk runs next to the festival field and therersquos a
village with a cheerful name of Stary Booyan (which in Russian sounds exactly the same as
lsquoOld Brawlerrsquo) nearby
Secondly the festival meadow is separated from the road and other marks of the modern
civilization by a copse which accounted for the effect of a real time travel
The secrets of the medieval handicrafts
After the opening of the festival a dynamic and rich program unfolded
Potters Maxim and Elena Borisov (society Mir masterov (World of Masters) Samara)
showed everyone who wished so the basics of working with clay Classes turned out to be
very exciting - the potters could not complain about the lack of public interest Their
workshop was thronged
While the enthusiasts at the market were molding clay women of fashion and glamour
gathered in the Western camp Kate Aristova from the Moscow living history club Legend
(full namesake of the Samara host society) spoke about makeup in the Middle Ages
According to her even now in the age of Oriflame and Amway the recipes that originated
eight hundred years ago can be of great interest to modern beauties as they are
environmentally friendly and work miracles with the skin
How to become a sergeant
While the women were buzzing and fussing about their jars of cream and bottles of scent
true men displayed their battle skill
On the eve of the battle Greg a fighter from The Flemings had to prove that he was ready
to become a sergeant
One doesnrsquot get promotion for a song and Greg challenged by experienced combatants had
to fight each of them in turn The task was to remain standing and he coped with it
After the duels ended ldquoThe Flemingsrdquo commander Walter asked the warriorsrsquo opinion of
Greg
I have known Greg for a very long timerdquo raised his voice the Samara Legendrsquos commander
Alexei Romanov ndash ldquoWe fought with him side by side and we also met on the battle-field as
adversaries And I believe that Greg is truly worthy of the rank of sergeant
After the duels and this praise the case was decided The commander of The Flemings with
due ceremony promoted Greg to sergeant
Clash of armour
This was followed by duels (sword ndash buckler sword - shield spears) and finally group
battles
Before the fight opponents egged each other on as best they could
And then rushed into battle
After which there happened something of the sort
Several group fights tough but fair ended in a most amicable way See for yourself
After the fights the spectators spilled out into the field - everyone wanted to be photographed
with the warriors Sometimes the result was pretty funny
Fair maidens prowess and singing arrows
Then came the turn of the womens tournament where fair maidens competed showing their
feminine prowess
To begin with they competed in throwing rolling pins into the target - of course strength and
accuracy were of utmost importance A very useful skill in family life they say And then the
ladies took their husbands battle axes and chopped cabbage with them and in general
displayed their prowess in the skills of ldquokeeping the home fires burningrdquo
Then the archers stepped on the scene The prize was contested by European infantrymen the
Mongol batyrs and of course by Russian warriors
Photo link httpvkcomphoto-30578984_288494144
Moreover women competed alongside with men
In the end the prize went to the well-known local marksman Mikhail Manin
(Novokuibyshevsk) winner of last years tournament
Medieval Jousting contest
Shortly after the tournament the mounted display Medieval Jousting was announced
This was a series of trials in which riders competed in various military disciplines Let me
first introduce the participants
Left to right - Master of the Knights Hospitaller a Mongolian horseman a Russian nobleman
in disgrace and an Arab who would not reveal his face to the audience By the way this is
only half of the participants
The first trial was mounted archery
Master of the Knights Hospitaller Note the speed of the rider And the wooden target he
has to hit is rather smallish
The second trial was ldquoThe Saracenrdquo (This is a spear game the accuracy of lance thrust is
evaluated)
Let me draw your attention to the fact that tournament lances have no heads and this is not
by chance
Just think of the force of the blow a mounted rider strikes when going at full canter
The spearhead passes through the target like a knife through butter Then one of the two
things will surely happen either the lance is stuck and the warrior gets thrown or loses his
lance or ldquoThe Saracen gets wrenched out of the earth Nobody wants it
Trial Three - mounted cutting
Itrsquos interesting that this exercise expressly shows the difference between a sword and a sabre
A sabre due to its characteristic curve of the blade cuts the head of cabbage neatly in two
But the sword chopping blows crush grind the head of cabbage
To some extent the difference is so marked because the sword blades at the festival werenrsquot
honed Honed sword blades also cut very neatly On the other hand a sabre is meant for
slashing blows and weighing less than a sword cuts very efficiently
In the photo you can see the ldquoLegendrdquo posadnik Maxim wearing a red mantle By the way he
won the ridersrsquo competition
Just in case let me explain who posadnik is The word is derived from the word posad
(pronounced as pah-lsquosad) In Russia ldquoposadrdquo was the part of town where most of the
citizens lived There was also a krom (kremlin) or citadel but only the prince with his
household and his host lived there and in the time of an enemy invasion the people flocked
to the citadel seeking protection In short posadnik is the head of the civil authority of the
town
Siege engine and storm
After the horsemenrsquos contest a ten-minute break was declared during which the audience had
a chance to walk around the festival lawn and the participants - to prepare for the impending
battle
According to our idea all the participants able to hold weapons were to meet on the
battlefield in the mass battle
Among them was the team of a medieval siege engine into which Utah Iwasaki seamlessly
blended
Thatrsquos what arcuballista looks like as seen by its aimer
The arcuballista team was under command of Vadim Sinichkin head of the living history
society ldquoSlovenerdquo from Novokuibyshevsk This society built all the siege engines of the
festival
ldquoWe are a small society that is why our only chance to influence the outcome of the battle is
to bombard the adversary with trebuchet and arcuballista projectiles We have adjusted those
things for throwing projectiles for 50 metres ndash contemporary living history festivals seldom
require more powerful siege engines with a longer range They are also rather convenient in
transportation - they can be taken apart and the parts fit on the floor of a mini-bus Thatrsquos
how actually we brought them hererdquo
The final battle
About 4 pm the master of ceremonies announced the last battle of the festival He said that
all the warriors of the festival would cross swords and break spears in the final melee The
3000 spectators began to fill the slope of the hill which became a natural amphitheater
The legend of the final battle was as follows it was a very ordinary event for the troubled
13th century A squad of European soldiers assaulted a Russian frontier guard outpost
located in the steppes of the Volga region
The European soldiers came there with a unit of Mongol warriors (which was a frequent
occasion with Genoan mercenaries from the Crimea) The Mongol warriors brought portable
siege engines to storm the outpost
The soldiers bring an arcuballista which is followed by the trebuchet Perhaps the stone
throwing engine with the help of which the women of Toulouse smashed the head of count
Simon de Montfort the legendary leader of the Crusaders looked very much the same
This unfortunate episode also took place in the 13th
century and to be absolutely precise
on June 25 1218
Having bombarded the outpost with the trebuchet projectiles the Mongols gave the European
foot soldiers the opportunity to attack it while the outpost defenders were still dazed A brief
skirmish and the outpost is takenhellip The Russian warriors retreat to the steppe Another
spell of fighting Only a handful of Russian warriors remainhellip And at the last moment
another Russian unit comes to the aid of the outpost
Irsquod better give the floor to Galina who came to the festival with her 4-year-old son Timothy
ldquoTimothy absolutely believed what he saw I myself felt enthralled ndash everything looked so
real
During the battle when only two Russian warriors remained fighting back to back
surrounded by enemies Tim thought they were about to perish and went to their aid
Photo link httpvkcomphoto7768284_287885078
White as a sheet he breathed out Im coming Hold on And ran to the rescuehellip
I could barely catch him It was hard to calm him down to persuade him it was all make-
believe
When the cavalry came to the rescue I said ldquoLook they are fine now Victoryrdquo You should
have seen the triumph and relief in his eyes
Thats how our long awaited festival ended
The spectators got into their cars and buses and went home ndash some to Samara some to
Togliatti some to Ulyanovskhellip
Photos by Olga Borisenkova Georgy Korobov Olga Nemkova Yulia Timirkhanova
Svetlana Makoveyeva Maria Gomolova Irina Yashina Natalia Kalmykova Alexey
Pleshkov Andrey Surin Ekaterina Orlova Tatiana Besschastnaya Vadim Kozin Evgeny
Krasnikov Alexandra Bunayeva Denis Khramov Nina Gubanova Yuri Chikin Ildar
Hassanov Ivan Yegorov Mikhail Pishchakov Mikhail Puzankov Olesya Strelchenko
Thank you all
Many thanks to the musicians who entertained the spectators They are Yegor Strelnikov
(psaltery Moscow) ldquoMusica Radicumrdquo (folk group Saint Petersburg)
Photo link httpcs304606userapicomv30460642737cah2D-hgjQpRsjpg
Photo link httpcs317423userapicomv31742302020a1HFnxYFD_uS0jpg
ldquoThe Eastrdquo
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Stupino)
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoSuzdalskaya Druzhina (Suzdal Host)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS ldquoTruvorrdquo (Orenburg)
LHS ldquoVityaz (Russian Knight)rdquo (Kazan)
LHS ldquoSlovenerdquo (Novokuibyshevsk)
Association ldquoNORD Rusrdquo (Samara)
ldquoMjollnirrdquo (Samara)
Individual participants
ldquoThe Westrdquo
LHS ldquoAtlit ndash Zamok Palomnika (Atlit - Pilgrimrsquos Castle)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS laquoNovum castrumraquo (Zheleznodorozhny)
LHS ldquoStary Svet (The Old World Company)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoDostoyanie (Heritage)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoFlamandtsy (The Flemings)rdquo (Odintsovo)
Individual participants
Special thanks to the artisans
Association ldquoMir masterov (World of Masters)rdquo (Samara)
ldquoNizhegorodskaya Artel Oruzheinikov (Armourersrsquo Artel)rdquo (Nizhny Novgorod)
Our valiant steeds came from ldquoRusskaya Sloboda (Russian Village)rdquo (Samara) and equestrian
club (Borskoe)
Thank you all guys for war and peace for merry feasts and fair competition
The festival took place on the 19 August 2012 near Stary Booyan in the Krasnoyarsky district
of the Samara Region
Next year our festival will be held again and we expect that our friends from Poland
Ukraine Belarus and Japan will be able to come So if you are interested in the 13th century
re-enactment welcome to Samara ldquoBattle Skill ndash 2013rdquo
Release Date May 11
th 2013
October
October 5th amp 6th Hughendenrsquos Wartime Weekend Hughenden Manor Bucks Annual
1940s event wwweventplancouk or wwwfacebookcomEventplanUK
12th
amp 13th
International Events of Historical Crafts (EIAH) Portugal
Email artesanatocomhistoriagmailcom
November
15
th-17
th The Original Re-Enactors Market Ryton on Dunsmore Coventry UK
wwwreenactorsmarketcouk
16th
amp 17th
The National Living History Fair
wwwnlhfcouk
23rd
amp 24th
The Ludlow Medieval Christmas Fair Ludlow Castle Shropshire
httpwwwludlowcastlecompageseventsaspx
Living History Festival ldquoRatnoe Delo (Battle Skill) - 2012rdquo
By Nikolai Chebotarev
3 September 2012
Translated by Inna Drabkina
At last Irsquove got to my computer to tell you about the festival Ratnoe Delo-2012 For us
host living history societies (Legend Russian Village The Flemings) this was the
main event of the year
I am sure that our true friends from Samara and the Krasnoyarsky district where the action
unfolded found it a most pleasurable and interesting event too
Catching my breath after the festival I decided to take up the pen to commemorate the events
of the festival together with our photographers
100 Dyed-in-the-Wool Re-Enactors
The festival focuses on the confrontation of the Russian warriors and the West-European
knights of the 13th century The 13
th century was a dramatic one for the Medieval Rus it was
the age of the Mongol invasion but it was also the age of contact and conflict of the Western
Europe and the principalities of the north-west of Russia
The special appeal of the festival was its ldquoauthenticityrdquo focus In the first place only those
societies that had top-quality historical costumes military equipment household utensils
were admitted to the festival Secondly all these things had to be exact replicas of the 13th
century ones
The photographers couldnrsquot get all the re-enactors in frame
As it turned out it is not easy to gather in one place one hundred dyed-in-the-wool
ldquoauthenticrdquo re-enactors but we coped with the task The geography of the festival
participants ranges from Bryansk in Russia to Yokohama in Japan Yes you heard right
Yokohama
A year ago a Japanese guy Utah Iwasaki came to Russia to see our festival He was
fascinated by the idea of living history and historical re-enactment he told us that in the Land
of the Rising Sun there were no amateur re-enactors only professional actors playing their
parts in public shows This time he is taking to Japan not just photos from the festival but
also a chain mail Halberk - the one in the photo
ldquoIrsquom going to show the chain mail and the photos to my father I think he will be very much
impressed And then Irsquoll show them to my friends and colleagues at work maybe next time
there will be several of us comingrdquo
And who could expect that Utah would meet his compatriots amidst our steppes ldquoThere were
2 boys from Japan They come from a mixed Russian-Japanese family and they live in
Tokyo They came to Samara on a visit to their granddad and thatrsquos how we met at the
festivalrdquo
All the participants were divided into two rivaling partiesndash the East and the West A small
rivulet separated their camps The contest between the parties was the main intrigue of the
festival
The first two days - Friday and Saturday - were the time for the re-enactorsrsquo master classes
seminars and sharing their findings and ideas with each other The participant societies
prepared an extensive program including a master class in long sword and bastard sword
fencing
The wooden models of swords in the hands of the guys are the same as those used for
practicing many years ago
All the fencing movements that Mikhail Manin and Artem Rumyantsev showed were taken
from medieval fencing manuals - fechtbucher
The earliest fencing manual known as Manuscript I33 dates from about the year 1295 and
shows techniques of fencing with a sword and a small round shield (buckler)
It goes without saying that the program on Friday and Saturday was rich - tournaments
maneuvers on rough terrain etc All the participants received a lot of adrenaline and fun
Battering the palisade of the European camp with a ram
Alex Bogatikov a Samara ldquoLegendrdquo novice says This is my first time at the living history
festival and I am really enjoying it a lot of people and a lot of fun Thanks for the nice
impressions of the festival thanks to the guys from other living history societies - I expected
struggle and rivalry at the spear tournament but it turned out to be great fun a real adrenaline
rush All the re-enactors are friends they cheer each other and are very careful not to hurt
their adversaries - its cool guys
And the winners were duly rewarded
Photo link httpvkcomalbums-30578984z=photo-30578984_2882686622Fphotos-
30578984
For the victory of their fighters in an event the factions got points The total score determined
the winner who got the honorary right to raise the banner of the festival on the touristsrsquo day
This time the winner was the East Therefore the right to hoist the flag of the festival on
August19 during the solemn opening ceremony for the tourists passed to the re-enactors of
the Medieval Rus
The very festival field over which the scarlet banner flew seemed to be meant for such
activities The place is just gorgeousrdquo - our spectator Natalia Kuznetsova says ndash ldquoThe
sweet smell of wild strawberries the bridge over the river the undulating hillshellip
Unforgettable
And from the practical point of view the place was ideal too
First of all the federal highway to Ulyanovsk runs next to the festival field and therersquos a
village with a cheerful name of Stary Booyan (which in Russian sounds exactly the same as
lsquoOld Brawlerrsquo) nearby
Secondly the festival meadow is separated from the road and other marks of the modern
civilization by a copse which accounted for the effect of a real time travel
The secrets of the medieval handicrafts
After the opening of the festival a dynamic and rich program unfolded
Potters Maxim and Elena Borisov (society Mir masterov (World of Masters) Samara)
showed everyone who wished so the basics of working with clay Classes turned out to be
very exciting - the potters could not complain about the lack of public interest Their
workshop was thronged
While the enthusiasts at the market were molding clay women of fashion and glamour
gathered in the Western camp Kate Aristova from the Moscow living history club Legend
(full namesake of the Samara host society) spoke about makeup in the Middle Ages
According to her even now in the age of Oriflame and Amway the recipes that originated
eight hundred years ago can be of great interest to modern beauties as they are
environmentally friendly and work miracles with the skin
How to become a sergeant
While the women were buzzing and fussing about their jars of cream and bottles of scent
true men displayed their battle skill
On the eve of the battle Greg a fighter from The Flemings had to prove that he was ready
to become a sergeant
One doesnrsquot get promotion for a song and Greg challenged by experienced combatants had
to fight each of them in turn The task was to remain standing and he coped with it
After the duels ended ldquoThe Flemingsrdquo commander Walter asked the warriorsrsquo opinion of
Greg
I have known Greg for a very long timerdquo raised his voice the Samara Legendrsquos commander
Alexei Romanov ndash ldquoWe fought with him side by side and we also met on the battle-field as
adversaries And I believe that Greg is truly worthy of the rank of sergeant
After the duels and this praise the case was decided The commander of The Flemings with
due ceremony promoted Greg to sergeant
Clash of armour
This was followed by duels (sword ndash buckler sword - shield spears) and finally group
battles
Before the fight opponents egged each other on as best they could
And then rushed into battle
After which there happened something of the sort
Several group fights tough but fair ended in a most amicable way See for yourself
After the fights the spectators spilled out into the field - everyone wanted to be photographed
with the warriors Sometimes the result was pretty funny
Fair maidens prowess and singing arrows
Then came the turn of the womens tournament where fair maidens competed showing their
feminine prowess
To begin with they competed in throwing rolling pins into the target - of course strength and
accuracy were of utmost importance A very useful skill in family life they say And then the
ladies took their husbands battle axes and chopped cabbage with them and in general
displayed their prowess in the skills of ldquokeeping the home fires burningrdquo
Then the archers stepped on the scene The prize was contested by European infantrymen the
Mongol batyrs and of course by Russian warriors
Photo link httpvkcomphoto-30578984_288494144
Moreover women competed alongside with men
In the end the prize went to the well-known local marksman Mikhail Manin
(Novokuibyshevsk) winner of last years tournament
Medieval Jousting contest
Shortly after the tournament the mounted display Medieval Jousting was announced
This was a series of trials in which riders competed in various military disciplines Let me
first introduce the participants
Left to right - Master of the Knights Hospitaller a Mongolian horseman a Russian nobleman
in disgrace and an Arab who would not reveal his face to the audience By the way this is
only half of the participants
The first trial was mounted archery
Master of the Knights Hospitaller Note the speed of the rider And the wooden target he
has to hit is rather smallish
The second trial was ldquoThe Saracenrdquo (This is a spear game the accuracy of lance thrust is
evaluated)
Let me draw your attention to the fact that tournament lances have no heads and this is not
by chance
Just think of the force of the blow a mounted rider strikes when going at full canter
The spearhead passes through the target like a knife through butter Then one of the two
things will surely happen either the lance is stuck and the warrior gets thrown or loses his
lance or ldquoThe Saracen gets wrenched out of the earth Nobody wants it
Trial Three - mounted cutting
Itrsquos interesting that this exercise expressly shows the difference between a sword and a sabre
A sabre due to its characteristic curve of the blade cuts the head of cabbage neatly in two
But the sword chopping blows crush grind the head of cabbage
To some extent the difference is so marked because the sword blades at the festival werenrsquot
honed Honed sword blades also cut very neatly On the other hand a sabre is meant for
slashing blows and weighing less than a sword cuts very efficiently
In the photo you can see the ldquoLegendrdquo posadnik Maxim wearing a red mantle By the way he
won the ridersrsquo competition
Just in case let me explain who posadnik is The word is derived from the word posad
(pronounced as pah-lsquosad) In Russia ldquoposadrdquo was the part of town where most of the
citizens lived There was also a krom (kremlin) or citadel but only the prince with his
household and his host lived there and in the time of an enemy invasion the people flocked
to the citadel seeking protection In short posadnik is the head of the civil authority of the
town
Siege engine and storm
After the horsemenrsquos contest a ten-minute break was declared during which the audience had
a chance to walk around the festival lawn and the participants - to prepare for the impending
battle
According to our idea all the participants able to hold weapons were to meet on the
battlefield in the mass battle
Among them was the team of a medieval siege engine into which Utah Iwasaki seamlessly
blended
Thatrsquos what arcuballista looks like as seen by its aimer
The arcuballista team was under command of Vadim Sinichkin head of the living history
society ldquoSlovenerdquo from Novokuibyshevsk This society built all the siege engines of the
festival
ldquoWe are a small society that is why our only chance to influence the outcome of the battle is
to bombard the adversary with trebuchet and arcuballista projectiles We have adjusted those
things for throwing projectiles for 50 metres ndash contemporary living history festivals seldom
require more powerful siege engines with a longer range They are also rather convenient in
transportation - they can be taken apart and the parts fit on the floor of a mini-bus Thatrsquos
how actually we brought them hererdquo
The final battle
About 4 pm the master of ceremonies announced the last battle of the festival He said that
all the warriors of the festival would cross swords and break spears in the final melee The
3000 spectators began to fill the slope of the hill which became a natural amphitheater
The legend of the final battle was as follows it was a very ordinary event for the troubled
13th century A squad of European soldiers assaulted a Russian frontier guard outpost
located in the steppes of the Volga region
The European soldiers came there with a unit of Mongol warriors (which was a frequent
occasion with Genoan mercenaries from the Crimea) The Mongol warriors brought portable
siege engines to storm the outpost
The soldiers bring an arcuballista which is followed by the trebuchet Perhaps the stone
throwing engine with the help of which the women of Toulouse smashed the head of count
Simon de Montfort the legendary leader of the Crusaders looked very much the same
This unfortunate episode also took place in the 13th
century and to be absolutely precise
on June 25 1218
Having bombarded the outpost with the trebuchet projectiles the Mongols gave the European
foot soldiers the opportunity to attack it while the outpost defenders were still dazed A brief
skirmish and the outpost is takenhellip The Russian warriors retreat to the steppe Another
spell of fighting Only a handful of Russian warriors remainhellip And at the last moment
another Russian unit comes to the aid of the outpost
Irsquod better give the floor to Galina who came to the festival with her 4-year-old son Timothy
ldquoTimothy absolutely believed what he saw I myself felt enthralled ndash everything looked so
real
During the battle when only two Russian warriors remained fighting back to back
surrounded by enemies Tim thought they were about to perish and went to their aid
Photo link httpvkcomphoto7768284_287885078
White as a sheet he breathed out Im coming Hold on And ran to the rescuehellip
I could barely catch him It was hard to calm him down to persuade him it was all make-
believe
When the cavalry came to the rescue I said ldquoLook they are fine now Victoryrdquo You should
have seen the triumph and relief in his eyes
Thats how our long awaited festival ended
The spectators got into their cars and buses and went home ndash some to Samara some to
Togliatti some to Ulyanovskhellip
Photos by Olga Borisenkova Georgy Korobov Olga Nemkova Yulia Timirkhanova
Svetlana Makoveyeva Maria Gomolova Irina Yashina Natalia Kalmykova Alexey
Pleshkov Andrey Surin Ekaterina Orlova Tatiana Besschastnaya Vadim Kozin Evgeny
Krasnikov Alexandra Bunayeva Denis Khramov Nina Gubanova Yuri Chikin Ildar
Hassanov Ivan Yegorov Mikhail Pishchakov Mikhail Puzankov Olesya Strelchenko
Thank you all
Many thanks to the musicians who entertained the spectators They are Yegor Strelnikov
(psaltery Moscow) ldquoMusica Radicumrdquo (folk group Saint Petersburg)
Photo link httpcs304606userapicomv30460642737cah2D-hgjQpRsjpg
Photo link httpcs317423userapicomv31742302020a1HFnxYFD_uS0jpg
ldquoThe Eastrdquo
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Stupino)
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoSuzdalskaya Druzhina (Suzdal Host)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS ldquoTruvorrdquo (Orenburg)
LHS ldquoVityaz (Russian Knight)rdquo (Kazan)
LHS ldquoSlovenerdquo (Novokuibyshevsk)
Association ldquoNORD Rusrdquo (Samara)
ldquoMjollnirrdquo (Samara)
Individual participants
ldquoThe Westrdquo
LHS ldquoAtlit ndash Zamok Palomnika (Atlit - Pilgrimrsquos Castle)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS laquoNovum castrumraquo (Zheleznodorozhny)
LHS ldquoStary Svet (The Old World Company)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoDostoyanie (Heritage)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoFlamandtsy (The Flemings)rdquo (Odintsovo)
Individual participants
Special thanks to the artisans
Association ldquoMir masterov (World of Masters)rdquo (Samara)
ldquoNizhegorodskaya Artel Oruzheinikov (Armourersrsquo Artel)rdquo (Nizhny Novgorod)
Our valiant steeds came from ldquoRusskaya Sloboda (Russian Village)rdquo (Samara) and equestrian
club (Borskoe)
Thank you all guys for war and peace for merry feasts and fair competition
The festival took place on the 19 August 2012 near Stary Booyan in the Krasnoyarsky district
of the Samara Region
Next year our festival will be held again and we expect that our friends from Poland
Ukraine Belarus and Japan will be able to come So if you are interested in the 13th century
re-enactment welcome to Samara ldquoBattle Skill ndash 2013rdquo
Release Date May 11
th 2013
Living History Festival ldquoRatnoe Delo (Battle Skill) - 2012rdquo
By Nikolai Chebotarev
3 September 2012
Translated by Inna Drabkina
At last Irsquove got to my computer to tell you about the festival Ratnoe Delo-2012 For us
host living history societies (Legend Russian Village The Flemings) this was the
main event of the year
I am sure that our true friends from Samara and the Krasnoyarsky district where the action
unfolded found it a most pleasurable and interesting event too
Catching my breath after the festival I decided to take up the pen to commemorate the events
of the festival together with our photographers
100 Dyed-in-the-Wool Re-Enactors
The festival focuses on the confrontation of the Russian warriors and the West-European
knights of the 13th century The 13
th century was a dramatic one for the Medieval Rus it was
the age of the Mongol invasion but it was also the age of contact and conflict of the Western
Europe and the principalities of the north-west of Russia
The special appeal of the festival was its ldquoauthenticityrdquo focus In the first place only those
societies that had top-quality historical costumes military equipment household utensils
were admitted to the festival Secondly all these things had to be exact replicas of the 13th
century ones
The photographers couldnrsquot get all the re-enactors in frame
As it turned out it is not easy to gather in one place one hundred dyed-in-the-wool
ldquoauthenticrdquo re-enactors but we coped with the task The geography of the festival
participants ranges from Bryansk in Russia to Yokohama in Japan Yes you heard right
Yokohama
A year ago a Japanese guy Utah Iwasaki came to Russia to see our festival He was
fascinated by the idea of living history and historical re-enactment he told us that in the Land
of the Rising Sun there were no amateur re-enactors only professional actors playing their
parts in public shows This time he is taking to Japan not just photos from the festival but
also a chain mail Halberk - the one in the photo
ldquoIrsquom going to show the chain mail and the photos to my father I think he will be very much
impressed And then Irsquoll show them to my friends and colleagues at work maybe next time
there will be several of us comingrdquo
And who could expect that Utah would meet his compatriots amidst our steppes ldquoThere were
2 boys from Japan They come from a mixed Russian-Japanese family and they live in
Tokyo They came to Samara on a visit to their granddad and thatrsquos how we met at the
festivalrdquo
All the participants were divided into two rivaling partiesndash the East and the West A small
rivulet separated their camps The contest between the parties was the main intrigue of the
festival
The first two days - Friday and Saturday - were the time for the re-enactorsrsquo master classes
seminars and sharing their findings and ideas with each other The participant societies
prepared an extensive program including a master class in long sword and bastard sword
fencing
The wooden models of swords in the hands of the guys are the same as those used for
practicing many years ago
All the fencing movements that Mikhail Manin and Artem Rumyantsev showed were taken
from medieval fencing manuals - fechtbucher
The earliest fencing manual known as Manuscript I33 dates from about the year 1295 and
shows techniques of fencing with a sword and a small round shield (buckler)
It goes without saying that the program on Friday and Saturday was rich - tournaments
maneuvers on rough terrain etc All the participants received a lot of adrenaline and fun
Battering the palisade of the European camp with a ram
Alex Bogatikov a Samara ldquoLegendrdquo novice says This is my first time at the living history
festival and I am really enjoying it a lot of people and a lot of fun Thanks for the nice
impressions of the festival thanks to the guys from other living history societies - I expected
struggle and rivalry at the spear tournament but it turned out to be great fun a real adrenaline
rush All the re-enactors are friends they cheer each other and are very careful not to hurt
their adversaries - its cool guys
And the winners were duly rewarded
Photo link httpvkcomalbums-30578984z=photo-30578984_2882686622Fphotos-
30578984
For the victory of their fighters in an event the factions got points The total score determined
the winner who got the honorary right to raise the banner of the festival on the touristsrsquo day
This time the winner was the East Therefore the right to hoist the flag of the festival on
August19 during the solemn opening ceremony for the tourists passed to the re-enactors of
the Medieval Rus
The very festival field over which the scarlet banner flew seemed to be meant for such
activities The place is just gorgeousrdquo - our spectator Natalia Kuznetsova says ndash ldquoThe
sweet smell of wild strawberries the bridge over the river the undulating hillshellip
Unforgettable
And from the practical point of view the place was ideal too
First of all the federal highway to Ulyanovsk runs next to the festival field and therersquos a
village with a cheerful name of Stary Booyan (which in Russian sounds exactly the same as
lsquoOld Brawlerrsquo) nearby
Secondly the festival meadow is separated from the road and other marks of the modern
civilization by a copse which accounted for the effect of a real time travel
The secrets of the medieval handicrafts
After the opening of the festival a dynamic and rich program unfolded
Potters Maxim and Elena Borisov (society Mir masterov (World of Masters) Samara)
showed everyone who wished so the basics of working with clay Classes turned out to be
very exciting - the potters could not complain about the lack of public interest Their
workshop was thronged
While the enthusiasts at the market were molding clay women of fashion and glamour
gathered in the Western camp Kate Aristova from the Moscow living history club Legend
(full namesake of the Samara host society) spoke about makeup in the Middle Ages
According to her even now in the age of Oriflame and Amway the recipes that originated
eight hundred years ago can be of great interest to modern beauties as they are
environmentally friendly and work miracles with the skin
How to become a sergeant
While the women were buzzing and fussing about their jars of cream and bottles of scent
true men displayed their battle skill
On the eve of the battle Greg a fighter from The Flemings had to prove that he was ready
to become a sergeant
One doesnrsquot get promotion for a song and Greg challenged by experienced combatants had
to fight each of them in turn The task was to remain standing and he coped with it
After the duels ended ldquoThe Flemingsrdquo commander Walter asked the warriorsrsquo opinion of
Greg
I have known Greg for a very long timerdquo raised his voice the Samara Legendrsquos commander
Alexei Romanov ndash ldquoWe fought with him side by side and we also met on the battle-field as
adversaries And I believe that Greg is truly worthy of the rank of sergeant
After the duels and this praise the case was decided The commander of The Flemings with
due ceremony promoted Greg to sergeant
Clash of armour
This was followed by duels (sword ndash buckler sword - shield spears) and finally group
battles
Before the fight opponents egged each other on as best they could
And then rushed into battle
After which there happened something of the sort
Several group fights tough but fair ended in a most amicable way See for yourself
After the fights the spectators spilled out into the field - everyone wanted to be photographed
with the warriors Sometimes the result was pretty funny
Fair maidens prowess and singing arrows
Then came the turn of the womens tournament where fair maidens competed showing their
feminine prowess
To begin with they competed in throwing rolling pins into the target - of course strength and
accuracy were of utmost importance A very useful skill in family life they say And then the
ladies took their husbands battle axes and chopped cabbage with them and in general
displayed their prowess in the skills of ldquokeeping the home fires burningrdquo
Then the archers stepped on the scene The prize was contested by European infantrymen the
Mongol batyrs and of course by Russian warriors
Photo link httpvkcomphoto-30578984_288494144
Moreover women competed alongside with men
In the end the prize went to the well-known local marksman Mikhail Manin
(Novokuibyshevsk) winner of last years tournament
Medieval Jousting contest
Shortly after the tournament the mounted display Medieval Jousting was announced
This was a series of trials in which riders competed in various military disciplines Let me
first introduce the participants
Left to right - Master of the Knights Hospitaller a Mongolian horseman a Russian nobleman
in disgrace and an Arab who would not reveal his face to the audience By the way this is
only half of the participants
The first trial was mounted archery
Master of the Knights Hospitaller Note the speed of the rider And the wooden target he
has to hit is rather smallish
The second trial was ldquoThe Saracenrdquo (This is a spear game the accuracy of lance thrust is
evaluated)
Let me draw your attention to the fact that tournament lances have no heads and this is not
by chance
Just think of the force of the blow a mounted rider strikes when going at full canter
The spearhead passes through the target like a knife through butter Then one of the two
things will surely happen either the lance is stuck and the warrior gets thrown or loses his
lance or ldquoThe Saracen gets wrenched out of the earth Nobody wants it
Trial Three - mounted cutting
Itrsquos interesting that this exercise expressly shows the difference between a sword and a sabre
A sabre due to its characteristic curve of the blade cuts the head of cabbage neatly in two
But the sword chopping blows crush grind the head of cabbage
To some extent the difference is so marked because the sword blades at the festival werenrsquot
honed Honed sword blades also cut very neatly On the other hand a sabre is meant for
slashing blows and weighing less than a sword cuts very efficiently
In the photo you can see the ldquoLegendrdquo posadnik Maxim wearing a red mantle By the way he
won the ridersrsquo competition
Just in case let me explain who posadnik is The word is derived from the word posad
(pronounced as pah-lsquosad) In Russia ldquoposadrdquo was the part of town where most of the
citizens lived There was also a krom (kremlin) or citadel but only the prince with his
household and his host lived there and in the time of an enemy invasion the people flocked
to the citadel seeking protection In short posadnik is the head of the civil authority of the
town
Siege engine and storm
After the horsemenrsquos contest a ten-minute break was declared during which the audience had
a chance to walk around the festival lawn and the participants - to prepare for the impending
battle
According to our idea all the participants able to hold weapons were to meet on the
battlefield in the mass battle
Among them was the team of a medieval siege engine into which Utah Iwasaki seamlessly
blended
Thatrsquos what arcuballista looks like as seen by its aimer
The arcuballista team was under command of Vadim Sinichkin head of the living history
society ldquoSlovenerdquo from Novokuibyshevsk This society built all the siege engines of the
festival
ldquoWe are a small society that is why our only chance to influence the outcome of the battle is
to bombard the adversary with trebuchet and arcuballista projectiles We have adjusted those
things for throwing projectiles for 50 metres ndash contemporary living history festivals seldom
require more powerful siege engines with a longer range They are also rather convenient in
transportation - they can be taken apart and the parts fit on the floor of a mini-bus Thatrsquos
how actually we brought them hererdquo
The final battle
About 4 pm the master of ceremonies announced the last battle of the festival He said that
all the warriors of the festival would cross swords and break spears in the final melee The
3000 spectators began to fill the slope of the hill which became a natural amphitheater
The legend of the final battle was as follows it was a very ordinary event for the troubled
13th century A squad of European soldiers assaulted a Russian frontier guard outpost
located in the steppes of the Volga region
The European soldiers came there with a unit of Mongol warriors (which was a frequent
occasion with Genoan mercenaries from the Crimea) The Mongol warriors brought portable
siege engines to storm the outpost
The soldiers bring an arcuballista which is followed by the trebuchet Perhaps the stone
throwing engine with the help of which the women of Toulouse smashed the head of count
Simon de Montfort the legendary leader of the Crusaders looked very much the same
This unfortunate episode also took place in the 13th
century and to be absolutely precise
on June 25 1218
Having bombarded the outpost with the trebuchet projectiles the Mongols gave the European
foot soldiers the opportunity to attack it while the outpost defenders were still dazed A brief
skirmish and the outpost is takenhellip The Russian warriors retreat to the steppe Another
spell of fighting Only a handful of Russian warriors remainhellip And at the last moment
another Russian unit comes to the aid of the outpost
Irsquod better give the floor to Galina who came to the festival with her 4-year-old son Timothy
ldquoTimothy absolutely believed what he saw I myself felt enthralled ndash everything looked so
real
During the battle when only two Russian warriors remained fighting back to back
surrounded by enemies Tim thought they were about to perish and went to their aid
Photo link httpvkcomphoto7768284_287885078
White as a sheet he breathed out Im coming Hold on And ran to the rescuehellip
I could barely catch him It was hard to calm him down to persuade him it was all make-
believe
When the cavalry came to the rescue I said ldquoLook they are fine now Victoryrdquo You should
have seen the triumph and relief in his eyes
Thats how our long awaited festival ended
The spectators got into their cars and buses and went home ndash some to Samara some to
Togliatti some to Ulyanovskhellip
Photos by Olga Borisenkova Georgy Korobov Olga Nemkova Yulia Timirkhanova
Svetlana Makoveyeva Maria Gomolova Irina Yashina Natalia Kalmykova Alexey
Pleshkov Andrey Surin Ekaterina Orlova Tatiana Besschastnaya Vadim Kozin Evgeny
Krasnikov Alexandra Bunayeva Denis Khramov Nina Gubanova Yuri Chikin Ildar
Hassanov Ivan Yegorov Mikhail Pishchakov Mikhail Puzankov Olesya Strelchenko
Thank you all
Many thanks to the musicians who entertained the spectators They are Yegor Strelnikov
(psaltery Moscow) ldquoMusica Radicumrdquo (folk group Saint Petersburg)
Photo link httpcs304606userapicomv30460642737cah2D-hgjQpRsjpg
Photo link httpcs317423userapicomv31742302020a1HFnxYFD_uS0jpg
ldquoThe Eastrdquo
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Stupino)
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoSuzdalskaya Druzhina (Suzdal Host)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS ldquoTruvorrdquo (Orenburg)
LHS ldquoVityaz (Russian Knight)rdquo (Kazan)
LHS ldquoSlovenerdquo (Novokuibyshevsk)
Association ldquoNORD Rusrdquo (Samara)
ldquoMjollnirrdquo (Samara)
Individual participants
ldquoThe Westrdquo
LHS ldquoAtlit ndash Zamok Palomnika (Atlit - Pilgrimrsquos Castle)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS laquoNovum castrumraquo (Zheleznodorozhny)
LHS ldquoStary Svet (The Old World Company)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoDostoyanie (Heritage)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoFlamandtsy (The Flemings)rdquo (Odintsovo)
Individual participants
Special thanks to the artisans
Association ldquoMir masterov (World of Masters)rdquo (Samara)
ldquoNizhegorodskaya Artel Oruzheinikov (Armourersrsquo Artel)rdquo (Nizhny Novgorod)
Our valiant steeds came from ldquoRusskaya Sloboda (Russian Village)rdquo (Samara) and equestrian
club (Borskoe)
Thank you all guys for war and peace for merry feasts and fair competition
The festival took place on the 19 August 2012 near Stary Booyan in the Krasnoyarsky district
of the Samara Region
Next year our festival will be held again and we expect that our friends from Poland
Ukraine Belarus and Japan will be able to come So if you are interested in the 13th century
re-enactment welcome to Samara ldquoBattle Skill ndash 2013rdquo
Release Date May 11
th 2013
The photographers couldnrsquot get all the re-enactors in frame
As it turned out it is not easy to gather in one place one hundred dyed-in-the-wool
ldquoauthenticrdquo re-enactors but we coped with the task The geography of the festival
participants ranges from Bryansk in Russia to Yokohama in Japan Yes you heard right
Yokohama
A year ago a Japanese guy Utah Iwasaki came to Russia to see our festival He was
fascinated by the idea of living history and historical re-enactment he told us that in the Land
of the Rising Sun there were no amateur re-enactors only professional actors playing their
parts in public shows This time he is taking to Japan not just photos from the festival but
also a chain mail Halberk - the one in the photo
ldquoIrsquom going to show the chain mail and the photos to my father I think he will be very much
impressed And then Irsquoll show them to my friends and colleagues at work maybe next time
there will be several of us comingrdquo
And who could expect that Utah would meet his compatriots amidst our steppes ldquoThere were
2 boys from Japan They come from a mixed Russian-Japanese family and they live in
Tokyo They came to Samara on a visit to their granddad and thatrsquos how we met at the
festivalrdquo
All the participants were divided into two rivaling partiesndash the East and the West A small
rivulet separated their camps The contest between the parties was the main intrigue of the
festival
The first two days - Friday and Saturday - were the time for the re-enactorsrsquo master classes
seminars and sharing their findings and ideas with each other The participant societies
prepared an extensive program including a master class in long sword and bastard sword
fencing
The wooden models of swords in the hands of the guys are the same as those used for
practicing many years ago
All the fencing movements that Mikhail Manin and Artem Rumyantsev showed were taken
from medieval fencing manuals - fechtbucher
The earliest fencing manual known as Manuscript I33 dates from about the year 1295 and
shows techniques of fencing with a sword and a small round shield (buckler)
It goes without saying that the program on Friday and Saturday was rich - tournaments
maneuvers on rough terrain etc All the participants received a lot of adrenaline and fun
Battering the palisade of the European camp with a ram
Alex Bogatikov a Samara ldquoLegendrdquo novice says This is my first time at the living history
festival and I am really enjoying it a lot of people and a lot of fun Thanks for the nice
impressions of the festival thanks to the guys from other living history societies - I expected
struggle and rivalry at the spear tournament but it turned out to be great fun a real adrenaline
rush All the re-enactors are friends they cheer each other and are very careful not to hurt
their adversaries - its cool guys
And the winners were duly rewarded
Photo link httpvkcomalbums-30578984z=photo-30578984_2882686622Fphotos-
30578984
For the victory of their fighters in an event the factions got points The total score determined
the winner who got the honorary right to raise the banner of the festival on the touristsrsquo day
This time the winner was the East Therefore the right to hoist the flag of the festival on
August19 during the solemn opening ceremony for the tourists passed to the re-enactors of
the Medieval Rus
The very festival field over which the scarlet banner flew seemed to be meant for such
activities The place is just gorgeousrdquo - our spectator Natalia Kuznetsova says ndash ldquoThe
sweet smell of wild strawberries the bridge over the river the undulating hillshellip
Unforgettable
And from the practical point of view the place was ideal too
First of all the federal highway to Ulyanovsk runs next to the festival field and therersquos a
village with a cheerful name of Stary Booyan (which in Russian sounds exactly the same as
lsquoOld Brawlerrsquo) nearby
Secondly the festival meadow is separated from the road and other marks of the modern
civilization by a copse which accounted for the effect of a real time travel
The secrets of the medieval handicrafts
After the opening of the festival a dynamic and rich program unfolded
Potters Maxim and Elena Borisov (society Mir masterov (World of Masters) Samara)
showed everyone who wished so the basics of working with clay Classes turned out to be
very exciting - the potters could not complain about the lack of public interest Their
workshop was thronged
While the enthusiasts at the market were molding clay women of fashion and glamour
gathered in the Western camp Kate Aristova from the Moscow living history club Legend
(full namesake of the Samara host society) spoke about makeup in the Middle Ages
According to her even now in the age of Oriflame and Amway the recipes that originated
eight hundred years ago can be of great interest to modern beauties as they are
environmentally friendly and work miracles with the skin
How to become a sergeant
While the women were buzzing and fussing about their jars of cream and bottles of scent
true men displayed their battle skill
On the eve of the battle Greg a fighter from The Flemings had to prove that he was ready
to become a sergeant
One doesnrsquot get promotion for a song and Greg challenged by experienced combatants had
to fight each of them in turn The task was to remain standing and he coped with it
After the duels ended ldquoThe Flemingsrdquo commander Walter asked the warriorsrsquo opinion of
Greg
I have known Greg for a very long timerdquo raised his voice the Samara Legendrsquos commander
Alexei Romanov ndash ldquoWe fought with him side by side and we also met on the battle-field as
adversaries And I believe that Greg is truly worthy of the rank of sergeant
After the duels and this praise the case was decided The commander of The Flemings with
due ceremony promoted Greg to sergeant
Clash of armour
This was followed by duels (sword ndash buckler sword - shield spears) and finally group
battles
Before the fight opponents egged each other on as best they could
And then rushed into battle
After which there happened something of the sort
Several group fights tough but fair ended in a most amicable way See for yourself
After the fights the spectators spilled out into the field - everyone wanted to be photographed
with the warriors Sometimes the result was pretty funny
Fair maidens prowess and singing arrows
Then came the turn of the womens tournament where fair maidens competed showing their
feminine prowess
To begin with they competed in throwing rolling pins into the target - of course strength and
accuracy were of utmost importance A very useful skill in family life they say And then the
ladies took their husbands battle axes and chopped cabbage with them and in general
displayed their prowess in the skills of ldquokeeping the home fires burningrdquo
Then the archers stepped on the scene The prize was contested by European infantrymen the
Mongol batyrs and of course by Russian warriors
Photo link httpvkcomphoto-30578984_288494144
Moreover women competed alongside with men
In the end the prize went to the well-known local marksman Mikhail Manin
(Novokuibyshevsk) winner of last years tournament
Medieval Jousting contest
Shortly after the tournament the mounted display Medieval Jousting was announced
This was a series of trials in which riders competed in various military disciplines Let me
first introduce the participants
Left to right - Master of the Knights Hospitaller a Mongolian horseman a Russian nobleman
in disgrace and an Arab who would not reveal his face to the audience By the way this is
only half of the participants
The first trial was mounted archery
Master of the Knights Hospitaller Note the speed of the rider And the wooden target he
has to hit is rather smallish
The second trial was ldquoThe Saracenrdquo (This is a spear game the accuracy of lance thrust is
evaluated)
Let me draw your attention to the fact that tournament lances have no heads and this is not
by chance
Just think of the force of the blow a mounted rider strikes when going at full canter
The spearhead passes through the target like a knife through butter Then one of the two
things will surely happen either the lance is stuck and the warrior gets thrown or loses his
lance or ldquoThe Saracen gets wrenched out of the earth Nobody wants it
Trial Three - mounted cutting
Itrsquos interesting that this exercise expressly shows the difference between a sword and a sabre
A sabre due to its characteristic curve of the blade cuts the head of cabbage neatly in two
But the sword chopping blows crush grind the head of cabbage
To some extent the difference is so marked because the sword blades at the festival werenrsquot
honed Honed sword blades also cut very neatly On the other hand a sabre is meant for
slashing blows and weighing less than a sword cuts very efficiently
In the photo you can see the ldquoLegendrdquo posadnik Maxim wearing a red mantle By the way he
won the ridersrsquo competition
Just in case let me explain who posadnik is The word is derived from the word posad
(pronounced as pah-lsquosad) In Russia ldquoposadrdquo was the part of town where most of the
citizens lived There was also a krom (kremlin) or citadel but only the prince with his
household and his host lived there and in the time of an enemy invasion the people flocked
to the citadel seeking protection In short posadnik is the head of the civil authority of the
town
Siege engine and storm
After the horsemenrsquos contest a ten-minute break was declared during which the audience had
a chance to walk around the festival lawn and the participants - to prepare for the impending
battle
According to our idea all the participants able to hold weapons were to meet on the
battlefield in the mass battle
Among them was the team of a medieval siege engine into which Utah Iwasaki seamlessly
blended
Thatrsquos what arcuballista looks like as seen by its aimer
The arcuballista team was under command of Vadim Sinichkin head of the living history
society ldquoSlovenerdquo from Novokuibyshevsk This society built all the siege engines of the
festival
ldquoWe are a small society that is why our only chance to influence the outcome of the battle is
to bombard the adversary with trebuchet and arcuballista projectiles We have adjusted those
things for throwing projectiles for 50 metres ndash contemporary living history festivals seldom
require more powerful siege engines with a longer range They are also rather convenient in
transportation - they can be taken apart and the parts fit on the floor of a mini-bus Thatrsquos
how actually we brought them hererdquo
The final battle
About 4 pm the master of ceremonies announced the last battle of the festival He said that
all the warriors of the festival would cross swords and break spears in the final melee The
3000 spectators began to fill the slope of the hill which became a natural amphitheater
The legend of the final battle was as follows it was a very ordinary event for the troubled
13th century A squad of European soldiers assaulted a Russian frontier guard outpost
located in the steppes of the Volga region
The European soldiers came there with a unit of Mongol warriors (which was a frequent
occasion with Genoan mercenaries from the Crimea) The Mongol warriors brought portable
siege engines to storm the outpost
The soldiers bring an arcuballista which is followed by the trebuchet Perhaps the stone
throwing engine with the help of which the women of Toulouse smashed the head of count
Simon de Montfort the legendary leader of the Crusaders looked very much the same
This unfortunate episode also took place in the 13th
century and to be absolutely precise
on June 25 1218
Having bombarded the outpost with the trebuchet projectiles the Mongols gave the European
foot soldiers the opportunity to attack it while the outpost defenders were still dazed A brief
skirmish and the outpost is takenhellip The Russian warriors retreat to the steppe Another
spell of fighting Only a handful of Russian warriors remainhellip And at the last moment
another Russian unit comes to the aid of the outpost
Irsquod better give the floor to Galina who came to the festival with her 4-year-old son Timothy
ldquoTimothy absolutely believed what he saw I myself felt enthralled ndash everything looked so
real
During the battle when only two Russian warriors remained fighting back to back
surrounded by enemies Tim thought they were about to perish and went to their aid
Photo link httpvkcomphoto7768284_287885078
White as a sheet he breathed out Im coming Hold on And ran to the rescuehellip
I could barely catch him It was hard to calm him down to persuade him it was all make-
believe
When the cavalry came to the rescue I said ldquoLook they are fine now Victoryrdquo You should
have seen the triumph and relief in his eyes
Thats how our long awaited festival ended
The spectators got into their cars and buses and went home ndash some to Samara some to
Togliatti some to Ulyanovskhellip
Photos by Olga Borisenkova Georgy Korobov Olga Nemkova Yulia Timirkhanova
Svetlana Makoveyeva Maria Gomolova Irina Yashina Natalia Kalmykova Alexey
Pleshkov Andrey Surin Ekaterina Orlova Tatiana Besschastnaya Vadim Kozin Evgeny
Krasnikov Alexandra Bunayeva Denis Khramov Nina Gubanova Yuri Chikin Ildar
Hassanov Ivan Yegorov Mikhail Pishchakov Mikhail Puzankov Olesya Strelchenko
Thank you all
Many thanks to the musicians who entertained the spectators They are Yegor Strelnikov
(psaltery Moscow) ldquoMusica Radicumrdquo (folk group Saint Petersburg)
Photo link httpcs304606userapicomv30460642737cah2D-hgjQpRsjpg
Photo link httpcs317423userapicomv31742302020a1HFnxYFD_uS0jpg
ldquoThe Eastrdquo
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Stupino)
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoSuzdalskaya Druzhina (Suzdal Host)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS ldquoTruvorrdquo (Orenburg)
LHS ldquoVityaz (Russian Knight)rdquo (Kazan)
LHS ldquoSlovenerdquo (Novokuibyshevsk)
Association ldquoNORD Rusrdquo (Samara)
ldquoMjollnirrdquo (Samara)
Individual participants
ldquoThe Westrdquo
LHS ldquoAtlit ndash Zamok Palomnika (Atlit - Pilgrimrsquos Castle)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS laquoNovum castrumraquo (Zheleznodorozhny)
LHS ldquoStary Svet (The Old World Company)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoDostoyanie (Heritage)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoFlamandtsy (The Flemings)rdquo (Odintsovo)
Individual participants
Special thanks to the artisans
Association ldquoMir masterov (World of Masters)rdquo (Samara)
ldquoNizhegorodskaya Artel Oruzheinikov (Armourersrsquo Artel)rdquo (Nizhny Novgorod)
Our valiant steeds came from ldquoRusskaya Sloboda (Russian Village)rdquo (Samara) and equestrian
club (Borskoe)
Thank you all guys for war and peace for merry feasts and fair competition
The festival took place on the 19 August 2012 near Stary Booyan in the Krasnoyarsky district
of the Samara Region
Next year our festival will be held again and we expect that our friends from Poland
Ukraine Belarus and Japan will be able to come So if you are interested in the 13th century
re-enactment welcome to Samara ldquoBattle Skill ndash 2013rdquo
Release Date May 11
th 2013
ldquoIrsquom going to show the chain mail and the photos to my father I think he will be very much
impressed And then Irsquoll show them to my friends and colleagues at work maybe next time
there will be several of us comingrdquo
And who could expect that Utah would meet his compatriots amidst our steppes ldquoThere were
2 boys from Japan They come from a mixed Russian-Japanese family and they live in
Tokyo They came to Samara on a visit to their granddad and thatrsquos how we met at the
festivalrdquo
All the participants were divided into two rivaling partiesndash the East and the West A small
rivulet separated their camps The contest between the parties was the main intrigue of the
festival
The first two days - Friday and Saturday - were the time for the re-enactorsrsquo master classes
seminars and sharing their findings and ideas with each other The participant societies
prepared an extensive program including a master class in long sword and bastard sword
fencing
The wooden models of swords in the hands of the guys are the same as those used for
practicing many years ago
All the fencing movements that Mikhail Manin and Artem Rumyantsev showed were taken
from medieval fencing manuals - fechtbucher
The earliest fencing manual known as Manuscript I33 dates from about the year 1295 and
shows techniques of fencing with a sword and a small round shield (buckler)
It goes without saying that the program on Friday and Saturday was rich - tournaments
maneuvers on rough terrain etc All the participants received a lot of adrenaline and fun
Battering the palisade of the European camp with a ram
Alex Bogatikov a Samara ldquoLegendrdquo novice says This is my first time at the living history
festival and I am really enjoying it a lot of people and a lot of fun Thanks for the nice
impressions of the festival thanks to the guys from other living history societies - I expected
struggle and rivalry at the spear tournament but it turned out to be great fun a real adrenaline
rush All the re-enactors are friends they cheer each other and are very careful not to hurt
their adversaries - its cool guys
And the winners were duly rewarded
Photo link httpvkcomalbums-30578984z=photo-30578984_2882686622Fphotos-
30578984
For the victory of their fighters in an event the factions got points The total score determined
the winner who got the honorary right to raise the banner of the festival on the touristsrsquo day
This time the winner was the East Therefore the right to hoist the flag of the festival on
August19 during the solemn opening ceremony for the tourists passed to the re-enactors of
the Medieval Rus
The very festival field over which the scarlet banner flew seemed to be meant for such
activities The place is just gorgeousrdquo - our spectator Natalia Kuznetsova says ndash ldquoThe
sweet smell of wild strawberries the bridge over the river the undulating hillshellip
Unforgettable
And from the practical point of view the place was ideal too
First of all the federal highway to Ulyanovsk runs next to the festival field and therersquos a
village with a cheerful name of Stary Booyan (which in Russian sounds exactly the same as
lsquoOld Brawlerrsquo) nearby
Secondly the festival meadow is separated from the road and other marks of the modern
civilization by a copse which accounted for the effect of a real time travel
The secrets of the medieval handicrafts
After the opening of the festival a dynamic and rich program unfolded
Potters Maxim and Elena Borisov (society Mir masterov (World of Masters) Samara)
showed everyone who wished so the basics of working with clay Classes turned out to be
very exciting - the potters could not complain about the lack of public interest Their
workshop was thronged
While the enthusiasts at the market were molding clay women of fashion and glamour
gathered in the Western camp Kate Aristova from the Moscow living history club Legend
(full namesake of the Samara host society) spoke about makeup in the Middle Ages
According to her even now in the age of Oriflame and Amway the recipes that originated
eight hundred years ago can be of great interest to modern beauties as they are
environmentally friendly and work miracles with the skin
How to become a sergeant
While the women were buzzing and fussing about their jars of cream and bottles of scent
true men displayed their battle skill
On the eve of the battle Greg a fighter from The Flemings had to prove that he was ready
to become a sergeant
One doesnrsquot get promotion for a song and Greg challenged by experienced combatants had
to fight each of them in turn The task was to remain standing and he coped with it
After the duels ended ldquoThe Flemingsrdquo commander Walter asked the warriorsrsquo opinion of
Greg
I have known Greg for a very long timerdquo raised his voice the Samara Legendrsquos commander
Alexei Romanov ndash ldquoWe fought with him side by side and we also met on the battle-field as
adversaries And I believe that Greg is truly worthy of the rank of sergeant
After the duels and this praise the case was decided The commander of The Flemings with
due ceremony promoted Greg to sergeant
Clash of armour
This was followed by duels (sword ndash buckler sword - shield spears) and finally group
battles
Before the fight opponents egged each other on as best they could
And then rushed into battle
After which there happened something of the sort
Several group fights tough but fair ended in a most amicable way See for yourself
After the fights the spectators spilled out into the field - everyone wanted to be photographed
with the warriors Sometimes the result was pretty funny
Fair maidens prowess and singing arrows
Then came the turn of the womens tournament where fair maidens competed showing their
feminine prowess
To begin with they competed in throwing rolling pins into the target - of course strength and
accuracy were of utmost importance A very useful skill in family life they say And then the
ladies took their husbands battle axes and chopped cabbage with them and in general
displayed their prowess in the skills of ldquokeeping the home fires burningrdquo
Then the archers stepped on the scene The prize was contested by European infantrymen the
Mongol batyrs and of course by Russian warriors
Photo link httpvkcomphoto-30578984_288494144
Moreover women competed alongside with men
In the end the prize went to the well-known local marksman Mikhail Manin
(Novokuibyshevsk) winner of last years tournament
Medieval Jousting contest
Shortly after the tournament the mounted display Medieval Jousting was announced
This was a series of trials in which riders competed in various military disciplines Let me
first introduce the participants
Left to right - Master of the Knights Hospitaller a Mongolian horseman a Russian nobleman
in disgrace and an Arab who would not reveal his face to the audience By the way this is
only half of the participants
The first trial was mounted archery
Master of the Knights Hospitaller Note the speed of the rider And the wooden target he
has to hit is rather smallish
The second trial was ldquoThe Saracenrdquo (This is a spear game the accuracy of lance thrust is
evaluated)
Let me draw your attention to the fact that tournament lances have no heads and this is not
by chance
Just think of the force of the blow a mounted rider strikes when going at full canter
The spearhead passes through the target like a knife through butter Then one of the two
things will surely happen either the lance is stuck and the warrior gets thrown or loses his
lance or ldquoThe Saracen gets wrenched out of the earth Nobody wants it
Trial Three - mounted cutting
Itrsquos interesting that this exercise expressly shows the difference between a sword and a sabre
A sabre due to its characteristic curve of the blade cuts the head of cabbage neatly in two
But the sword chopping blows crush grind the head of cabbage
To some extent the difference is so marked because the sword blades at the festival werenrsquot
honed Honed sword blades also cut very neatly On the other hand a sabre is meant for
slashing blows and weighing less than a sword cuts very efficiently
In the photo you can see the ldquoLegendrdquo posadnik Maxim wearing a red mantle By the way he
won the ridersrsquo competition
Just in case let me explain who posadnik is The word is derived from the word posad
(pronounced as pah-lsquosad) In Russia ldquoposadrdquo was the part of town where most of the
citizens lived There was also a krom (kremlin) or citadel but only the prince with his
household and his host lived there and in the time of an enemy invasion the people flocked
to the citadel seeking protection In short posadnik is the head of the civil authority of the
town
Siege engine and storm
After the horsemenrsquos contest a ten-minute break was declared during which the audience had
a chance to walk around the festival lawn and the participants - to prepare for the impending
battle
According to our idea all the participants able to hold weapons were to meet on the
battlefield in the mass battle
Among them was the team of a medieval siege engine into which Utah Iwasaki seamlessly
blended
Thatrsquos what arcuballista looks like as seen by its aimer
The arcuballista team was under command of Vadim Sinichkin head of the living history
society ldquoSlovenerdquo from Novokuibyshevsk This society built all the siege engines of the
festival
ldquoWe are a small society that is why our only chance to influence the outcome of the battle is
to bombard the adversary with trebuchet and arcuballista projectiles We have adjusted those
things for throwing projectiles for 50 metres ndash contemporary living history festivals seldom
require more powerful siege engines with a longer range They are also rather convenient in
transportation - they can be taken apart and the parts fit on the floor of a mini-bus Thatrsquos
how actually we brought them hererdquo
The final battle
About 4 pm the master of ceremonies announced the last battle of the festival He said that
all the warriors of the festival would cross swords and break spears in the final melee The
3000 spectators began to fill the slope of the hill which became a natural amphitheater
The legend of the final battle was as follows it was a very ordinary event for the troubled
13th century A squad of European soldiers assaulted a Russian frontier guard outpost
located in the steppes of the Volga region
The European soldiers came there with a unit of Mongol warriors (which was a frequent
occasion with Genoan mercenaries from the Crimea) The Mongol warriors brought portable
siege engines to storm the outpost
The soldiers bring an arcuballista which is followed by the trebuchet Perhaps the stone
throwing engine with the help of which the women of Toulouse smashed the head of count
Simon de Montfort the legendary leader of the Crusaders looked very much the same
This unfortunate episode also took place in the 13th
century and to be absolutely precise
on June 25 1218
Having bombarded the outpost with the trebuchet projectiles the Mongols gave the European
foot soldiers the opportunity to attack it while the outpost defenders were still dazed A brief
skirmish and the outpost is takenhellip The Russian warriors retreat to the steppe Another
spell of fighting Only a handful of Russian warriors remainhellip And at the last moment
another Russian unit comes to the aid of the outpost
Irsquod better give the floor to Galina who came to the festival with her 4-year-old son Timothy
ldquoTimothy absolutely believed what he saw I myself felt enthralled ndash everything looked so
real
During the battle when only two Russian warriors remained fighting back to back
surrounded by enemies Tim thought they were about to perish and went to their aid
Photo link httpvkcomphoto7768284_287885078
White as a sheet he breathed out Im coming Hold on And ran to the rescuehellip
I could barely catch him It was hard to calm him down to persuade him it was all make-
believe
When the cavalry came to the rescue I said ldquoLook they are fine now Victoryrdquo You should
have seen the triumph and relief in his eyes
Thats how our long awaited festival ended
The spectators got into their cars and buses and went home ndash some to Samara some to
Togliatti some to Ulyanovskhellip
Photos by Olga Borisenkova Georgy Korobov Olga Nemkova Yulia Timirkhanova
Svetlana Makoveyeva Maria Gomolova Irina Yashina Natalia Kalmykova Alexey
Pleshkov Andrey Surin Ekaterina Orlova Tatiana Besschastnaya Vadim Kozin Evgeny
Krasnikov Alexandra Bunayeva Denis Khramov Nina Gubanova Yuri Chikin Ildar
Hassanov Ivan Yegorov Mikhail Pishchakov Mikhail Puzankov Olesya Strelchenko
Thank you all
Many thanks to the musicians who entertained the spectators They are Yegor Strelnikov
(psaltery Moscow) ldquoMusica Radicumrdquo (folk group Saint Petersburg)
Photo link httpcs304606userapicomv30460642737cah2D-hgjQpRsjpg
Photo link httpcs317423userapicomv31742302020a1HFnxYFD_uS0jpg
ldquoThe Eastrdquo
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Stupino)
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoSuzdalskaya Druzhina (Suzdal Host)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS ldquoTruvorrdquo (Orenburg)
LHS ldquoVityaz (Russian Knight)rdquo (Kazan)
LHS ldquoSlovenerdquo (Novokuibyshevsk)
Association ldquoNORD Rusrdquo (Samara)
ldquoMjollnirrdquo (Samara)
Individual participants
ldquoThe Westrdquo
LHS ldquoAtlit ndash Zamok Palomnika (Atlit - Pilgrimrsquos Castle)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS laquoNovum castrumraquo (Zheleznodorozhny)
LHS ldquoStary Svet (The Old World Company)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoDostoyanie (Heritage)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoFlamandtsy (The Flemings)rdquo (Odintsovo)
Individual participants
Special thanks to the artisans
Association ldquoMir masterov (World of Masters)rdquo (Samara)
ldquoNizhegorodskaya Artel Oruzheinikov (Armourersrsquo Artel)rdquo (Nizhny Novgorod)
Our valiant steeds came from ldquoRusskaya Sloboda (Russian Village)rdquo (Samara) and equestrian
club (Borskoe)
Thank you all guys for war and peace for merry feasts and fair competition
The festival took place on the 19 August 2012 near Stary Booyan in the Krasnoyarsky district
of the Samara Region
Next year our festival will be held again and we expect that our friends from Poland
Ukraine Belarus and Japan will be able to come So if you are interested in the 13th century
re-enactment welcome to Samara ldquoBattle Skill ndash 2013rdquo
Release Date May 11
th 2013
The wooden models of swords in the hands of the guys are the same as those used for
practicing many years ago
All the fencing movements that Mikhail Manin and Artem Rumyantsev showed were taken
from medieval fencing manuals - fechtbucher
The earliest fencing manual known as Manuscript I33 dates from about the year 1295 and
shows techniques of fencing with a sword and a small round shield (buckler)
It goes without saying that the program on Friday and Saturday was rich - tournaments
maneuvers on rough terrain etc All the participants received a lot of adrenaline and fun
Battering the palisade of the European camp with a ram
Alex Bogatikov a Samara ldquoLegendrdquo novice says This is my first time at the living history
festival and I am really enjoying it a lot of people and a lot of fun Thanks for the nice
impressions of the festival thanks to the guys from other living history societies - I expected
struggle and rivalry at the spear tournament but it turned out to be great fun a real adrenaline
rush All the re-enactors are friends they cheer each other and are very careful not to hurt
their adversaries - its cool guys
And the winners were duly rewarded
Photo link httpvkcomalbums-30578984z=photo-30578984_2882686622Fphotos-
30578984
For the victory of their fighters in an event the factions got points The total score determined
the winner who got the honorary right to raise the banner of the festival on the touristsrsquo day
This time the winner was the East Therefore the right to hoist the flag of the festival on
August19 during the solemn opening ceremony for the tourists passed to the re-enactors of
the Medieval Rus
The very festival field over which the scarlet banner flew seemed to be meant for such
activities The place is just gorgeousrdquo - our spectator Natalia Kuznetsova says ndash ldquoThe
sweet smell of wild strawberries the bridge over the river the undulating hillshellip
Unforgettable
And from the practical point of view the place was ideal too
First of all the federal highway to Ulyanovsk runs next to the festival field and therersquos a
village with a cheerful name of Stary Booyan (which in Russian sounds exactly the same as
lsquoOld Brawlerrsquo) nearby
Secondly the festival meadow is separated from the road and other marks of the modern
civilization by a copse which accounted for the effect of a real time travel
The secrets of the medieval handicrafts
After the opening of the festival a dynamic and rich program unfolded
Potters Maxim and Elena Borisov (society Mir masterov (World of Masters) Samara)
showed everyone who wished so the basics of working with clay Classes turned out to be
very exciting - the potters could not complain about the lack of public interest Their
workshop was thronged
While the enthusiasts at the market were molding clay women of fashion and glamour
gathered in the Western camp Kate Aristova from the Moscow living history club Legend
(full namesake of the Samara host society) spoke about makeup in the Middle Ages
According to her even now in the age of Oriflame and Amway the recipes that originated
eight hundred years ago can be of great interest to modern beauties as they are
environmentally friendly and work miracles with the skin
How to become a sergeant
While the women were buzzing and fussing about their jars of cream and bottles of scent
true men displayed their battle skill
On the eve of the battle Greg a fighter from The Flemings had to prove that he was ready
to become a sergeant
One doesnrsquot get promotion for a song and Greg challenged by experienced combatants had
to fight each of them in turn The task was to remain standing and he coped with it
After the duels ended ldquoThe Flemingsrdquo commander Walter asked the warriorsrsquo opinion of
Greg
I have known Greg for a very long timerdquo raised his voice the Samara Legendrsquos commander
Alexei Romanov ndash ldquoWe fought with him side by side and we also met on the battle-field as
adversaries And I believe that Greg is truly worthy of the rank of sergeant
After the duels and this praise the case was decided The commander of The Flemings with
due ceremony promoted Greg to sergeant
Clash of armour
This was followed by duels (sword ndash buckler sword - shield spears) and finally group
battles
Before the fight opponents egged each other on as best they could
And then rushed into battle
After which there happened something of the sort
Several group fights tough but fair ended in a most amicable way See for yourself
After the fights the spectators spilled out into the field - everyone wanted to be photographed
with the warriors Sometimes the result was pretty funny
Fair maidens prowess and singing arrows
Then came the turn of the womens tournament where fair maidens competed showing their
feminine prowess
To begin with they competed in throwing rolling pins into the target - of course strength and
accuracy were of utmost importance A very useful skill in family life they say And then the
ladies took their husbands battle axes and chopped cabbage with them and in general
displayed their prowess in the skills of ldquokeeping the home fires burningrdquo
Then the archers stepped on the scene The prize was contested by European infantrymen the
Mongol batyrs and of course by Russian warriors
Photo link httpvkcomphoto-30578984_288494144
Moreover women competed alongside with men
In the end the prize went to the well-known local marksman Mikhail Manin
(Novokuibyshevsk) winner of last years tournament
Medieval Jousting contest
Shortly after the tournament the mounted display Medieval Jousting was announced
This was a series of trials in which riders competed in various military disciplines Let me
first introduce the participants
Left to right - Master of the Knights Hospitaller a Mongolian horseman a Russian nobleman
in disgrace and an Arab who would not reveal his face to the audience By the way this is
only half of the participants
The first trial was mounted archery
Master of the Knights Hospitaller Note the speed of the rider And the wooden target he
has to hit is rather smallish
The second trial was ldquoThe Saracenrdquo (This is a spear game the accuracy of lance thrust is
evaluated)
Let me draw your attention to the fact that tournament lances have no heads and this is not
by chance
Just think of the force of the blow a mounted rider strikes when going at full canter
The spearhead passes through the target like a knife through butter Then one of the two
things will surely happen either the lance is stuck and the warrior gets thrown or loses his
lance or ldquoThe Saracen gets wrenched out of the earth Nobody wants it
Trial Three - mounted cutting
Itrsquos interesting that this exercise expressly shows the difference between a sword and a sabre
A sabre due to its characteristic curve of the blade cuts the head of cabbage neatly in two
But the sword chopping blows crush grind the head of cabbage
To some extent the difference is so marked because the sword blades at the festival werenrsquot
honed Honed sword blades also cut very neatly On the other hand a sabre is meant for
slashing blows and weighing less than a sword cuts very efficiently
In the photo you can see the ldquoLegendrdquo posadnik Maxim wearing a red mantle By the way he
won the ridersrsquo competition
Just in case let me explain who posadnik is The word is derived from the word posad
(pronounced as pah-lsquosad) In Russia ldquoposadrdquo was the part of town where most of the
citizens lived There was also a krom (kremlin) or citadel but only the prince with his
household and his host lived there and in the time of an enemy invasion the people flocked
to the citadel seeking protection In short posadnik is the head of the civil authority of the
town
Siege engine and storm
After the horsemenrsquos contest a ten-minute break was declared during which the audience had
a chance to walk around the festival lawn and the participants - to prepare for the impending
battle
According to our idea all the participants able to hold weapons were to meet on the
battlefield in the mass battle
Among them was the team of a medieval siege engine into which Utah Iwasaki seamlessly
blended
Thatrsquos what arcuballista looks like as seen by its aimer
The arcuballista team was under command of Vadim Sinichkin head of the living history
society ldquoSlovenerdquo from Novokuibyshevsk This society built all the siege engines of the
festival
ldquoWe are a small society that is why our only chance to influence the outcome of the battle is
to bombard the adversary with trebuchet and arcuballista projectiles We have adjusted those
things for throwing projectiles for 50 metres ndash contemporary living history festivals seldom
require more powerful siege engines with a longer range They are also rather convenient in
transportation - they can be taken apart and the parts fit on the floor of a mini-bus Thatrsquos
how actually we brought them hererdquo
The final battle
About 4 pm the master of ceremonies announced the last battle of the festival He said that
all the warriors of the festival would cross swords and break spears in the final melee The
3000 spectators began to fill the slope of the hill which became a natural amphitheater
The legend of the final battle was as follows it was a very ordinary event for the troubled
13th century A squad of European soldiers assaulted a Russian frontier guard outpost
located in the steppes of the Volga region
The European soldiers came there with a unit of Mongol warriors (which was a frequent
occasion with Genoan mercenaries from the Crimea) The Mongol warriors brought portable
siege engines to storm the outpost
The soldiers bring an arcuballista which is followed by the trebuchet Perhaps the stone
throwing engine with the help of which the women of Toulouse smashed the head of count
Simon de Montfort the legendary leader of the Crusaders looked very much the same
This unfortunate episode also took place in the 13th
century and to be absolutely precise
on June 25 1218
Having bombarded the outpost with the trebuchet projectiles the Mongols gave the European
foot soldiers the opportunity to attack it while the outpost defenders were still dazed A brief
skirmish and the outpost is takenhellip The Russian warriors retreat to the steppe Another
spell of fighting Only a handful of Russian warriors remainhellip And at the last moment
another Russian unit comes to the aid of the outpost
Irsquod better give the floor to Galina who came to the festival with her 4-year-old son Timothy
ldquoTimothy absolutely believed what he saw I myself felt enthralled ndash everything looked so
real
During the battle when only two Russian warriors remained fighting back to back
surrounded by enemies Tim thought they were about to perish and went to their aid
Photo link httpvkcomphoto7768284_287885078
White as a sheet he breathed out Im coming Hold on And ran to the rescuehellip
I could barely catch him It was hard to calm him down to persuade him it was all make-
believe
When the cavalry came to the rescue I said ldquoLook they are fine now Victoryrdquo You should
have seen the triumph and relief in his eyes
Thats how our long awaited festival ended
The spectators got into their cars and buses and went home ndash some to Samara some to
Togliatti some to Ulyanovskhellip
Photos by Olga Borisenkova Georgy Korobov Olga Nemkova Yulia Timirkhanova
Svetlana Makoveyeva Maria Gomolova Irina Yashina Natalia Kalmykova Alexey
Pleshkov Andrey Surin Ekaterina Orlova Tatiana Besschastnaya Vadim Kozin Evgeny
Krasnikov Alexandra Bunayeva Denis Khramov Nina Gubanova Yuri Chikin Ildar
Hassanov Ivan Yegorov Mikhail Pishchakov Mikhail Puzankov Olesya Strelchenko
Thank you all
Many thanks to the musicians who entertained the spectators They are Yegor Strelnikov
(psaltery Moscow) ldquoMusica Radicumrdquo (folk group Saint Petersburg)
Photo link httpcs304606userapicomv30460642737cah2D-hgjQpRsjpg
Photo link httpcs317423userapicomv31742302020a1HFnxYFD_uS0jpg
ldquoThe Eastrdquo
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Stupino)
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoSuzdalskaya Druzhina (Suzdal Host)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS ldquoTruvorrdquo (Orenburg)
LHS ldquoVityaz (Russian Knight)rdquo (Kazan)
LHS ldquoSlovenerdquo (Novokuibyshevsk)
Association ldquoNORD Rusrdquo (Samara)
ldquoMjollnirrdquo (Samara)
Individual participants
ldquoThe Westrdquo
LHS ldquoAtlit ndash Zamok Palomnika (Atlit - Pilgrimrsquos Castle)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS laquoNovum castrumraquo (Zheleznodorozhny)
LHS ldquoStary Svet (The Old World Company)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoDostoyanie (Heritage)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoFlamandtsy (The Flemings)rdquo (Odintsovo)
Individual participants
Special thanks to the artisans
Association ldquoMir masterov (World of Masters)rdquo (Samara)
ldquoNizhegorodskaya Artel Oruzheinikov (Armourersrsquo Artel)rdquo (Nizhny Novgorod)
Our valiant steeds came from ldquoRusskaya Sloboda (Russian Village)rdquo (Samara) and equestrian
club (Borskoe)
Thank you all guys for war and peace for merry feasts and fair competition
The festival took place on the 19 August 2012 near Stary Booyan in the Krasnoyarsky district
of the Samara Region
Next year our festival will be held again and we expect that our friends from Poland
Ukraine Belarus and Japan will be able to come So if you are interested in the 13th century
re-enactment welcome to Samara ldquoBattle Skill ndash 2013rdquo
Release Date May 11
th 2013
Alex Bogatikov a Samara ldquoLegendrdquo novice says This is my first time at the living history
festival and I am really enjoying it a lot of people and a lot of fun Thanks for the nice
impressions of the festival thanks to the guys from other living history societies - I expected
struggle and rivalry at the spear tournament but it turned out to be great fun a real adrenaline
rush All the re-enactors are friends they cheer each other and are very careful not to hurt
their adversaries - its cool guys
And the winners were duly rewarded
Photo link httpvkcomalbums-30578984z=photo-30578984_2882686622Fphotos-
30578984
For the victory of their fighters in an event the factions got points The total score determined
the winner who got the honorary right to raise the banner of the festival on the touristsrsquo day
This time the winner was the East Therefore the right to hoist the flag of the festival on
August19 during the solemn opening ceremony for the tourists passed to the re-enactors of
the Medieval Rus
The very festival field over which the scarlet banner flew seemed to be meant for such
activities The place is just gorgeousrdquo - our spectator Natalia Kuznetsova says ndash ldquoThe
sweet smell of wild strawberries the bridge over the river the undulating hillshellip
Unforgettable
And from the practical point of view the place was ideal too
First of all the federal highway to Ulyanovsk runs next to the festival field and therersquos a
village with a cheerful name of Stary Booyan (which in Russian sounds exactly the same as
lsquoOld Brawlerrsquo) nearby
Secondly the festival meadow is separated from the road and other marks of the modern
civilization by a copse which accounted for the effect of a real time travel
The secrets of the medieval handicrafts
After the opening of the festival a dynamic and rich program unfolded
Potters Maxim and Elena Borisov (society Mir masterov (World of Masters) Samara)
showed everyone who wished so the basics of working with clay Classes turned out to be
very exciting - the potters could not complain about the lack of public interest Their
workshop was thronged
While the enthusiasts at the market were molding clay women of fashion and glamour
gathered in the Western camp Kate Aristova from the Moscow living history club Legend
(full namesake of the Samara host society) spoke about makeup in the Middle Ages
According to her even now in the age of Oriflame and Amway the recipes that originated
eight hundred years ago can be of great interest to modern beauties as they are
environmentally friendly and work miracles with the skin
How to become a sergeant
While the women were buzzing and fussing about their jars of cream and bottles of scent
true men displayed their battle skill
On the eve of the battle Greg a fighter from The Flemings had to prove that he was ready
to become a sergeant
One doesnrsquot get promotion for a song and Greg challenged by experienced combatants had
to fight each of them in turn The task was to remain standing and he coped with it
After the duels ended ldquoThe Flemingsrdquo commander Walter asked the warriorsrsquo opinion of
Greg
I have known Greg for a very long timerdquo raised his voice the Samara Legendrsquos commander
Alexei Romanov ndash ldquoWe fought with him side by side and we also met on the battle-field as
adversaries And I believe that Greg is truly worthy of the rank of sergeant
After the duels and this praise the case was decided The commander of The Flemings with
due ceremony promoted Greg to sergeant
Clash of armour
This was followed by duels (sword ndash buckler sword - shield spears) and finally group
battles
Before the fight opponents egged each other on as best they could
And then rushed into battle
After which there happened something of the sort
Several group fights tough but fair ended in a most amicable way See for yourself
After the fights the spectators spilled out into the field - everyone wanted to be photographed
with the warriors Sometimes the result was pretty funny
Fair maidens prowess and singing arrows
Then came the turn of the womens tournament where fair maidens competed showing their
feminine prowess
To begin with they competed in throwing rolling pins into the target - of course strength and
accuracy were of utmost importance A very useful skill in family life they say And then the
ladies took their husbands battle axes and chopped cabbage with them and in general
displayed their prowess in the skills of ldquokeeping the home fires burningrdquo
Then the archers stepped on the scene The prize was contested by European infantrymen the
Mongol batyrs and of course by Russian warriors
Photo link httpvkcomphoto-30578984_288494144
Moreover women competed alongside with men
In the end the prize went to the well-known local marksman Mikhail Manin
(Novokuibyshevsk) winner of last years tournament
Medieval Jousting contest
Shortly after the tournament the mounted display Medieval Jousting was announced
This was a series of trials in which riders competed in various military disciplines Let me
first introduce the participants
Left to right - Master of the Knights Hospitaller a Mongolian horseman a Russian nobleman
in disgrace and an Arab who would not reveal his face to the audience By the way this is
only half of the participants
The first trial was mounted archery
Master of the Knights Hospitaller Note the speed of the rider And the wooden target he
has to hit is rather smallish
The second trial was ldquoThe Saracenrdquo (This is a spear game the accuracy of lance thrust is
evaluated)
Let me draw your attention to the fact that tournament lances have no heads and this is not
by chance
Just think of the force of the blow a mounted rider strikes when going at full canter
The spearhead passes through the target like a knife through butter Then one of the two
things will surely happen either the lance is stuck and the warrior gets thrown or loses his
lance or ldquoThe Saracen gets wrenched out of the earth Nobody wants it
Trial Three - mounted cutting
Itrsquos interesting that this exercise expressly shows the difference between a sword and a sabre
A sabre due to its characteristic curve of the blade cuts the head of cabbage neatly in two
But the sword chopping blows crush grind the head of cabbage
To some extent the difference is so marked because the sword blades at the festival werenrsquot
honed Honed sword blades also cut very neatly On the other hand a sabre is meant for
slashing blows and weighing less than a sword cuts very efficiently
In the photo you can see the ldquoLegendrdquo posadnik Maxim wearing a red mantle By the way he
won the ridersrsquo competition
Just in case let me explain who posadnik is The word is derived from the word posad
(pronounced as pah-lsquosad) In Russia ldquoposadrdquo was the part of town where most of the
citizens lived There was also a krom (kremlin) or citadel but only the prince with his
household and his host lived there and in the time of an enemy invasion the people flocked
to the citadel seeking protection In short posadnik is the head of the civil authority of the
town
Siege engine and storm
After the horsemenrsquos contest a ten-minute break was declared during which the audience had
a chance to walk around the festival lawn and the participants - to prepare for the impending
battle
According to our idea all the participants able to hold weapons were to meet on the
battlefield in the mass battle
Among them was the team of a medieval siege engine into which Utah Iwasaki seamlessly
blended
Thatrsquos what arcuballista looks like as seen by its aimer
The arcuballista team was under command of Vadim Sinichkin head of the living history
society ldquoSlovenerdquo from Novokuibyshevsk This society built all the siege engines of the
festival
ldquoWe are a small society that is why our only chance to influence the outcome of the battle is
to bombard the adversary with trebuchet and arcuballista projectiles We have adjusted those
things for throwing projectiles for 50 metres ndash contemporary living history festivals seldom
require more powerful siege engines with a longer range They are also rather convenient in
transportation - they can be taken apart and the parts fit on the floor of a mini-bus Thatrsquos
how actually we brought them hererdquo
The final battle
About 4 pm the master of ceremonies announced the last battle of the festival He said that
all the warriors of the festival would cross swords and break spears in the final melee The
3000 spectators began to fill the slope of the hill which became a natural amphitheater
The legend of the final battle was as follows it was a very ordinary event for the troubled
13th century A squad of European soldiers assaulted a Russian frontier guard outpost
located in the steppes of the Volga region
The European soldiers came there with a unit of Mongol warriors (which was a frequent
occasion with Genoan mercenaries from the Crimea) The Mongol warriors brought portable
siege engines to storm the outpost
The soldiers bring an arcuballista which is followed by the trebuchet Perhaps the stone
throwing engine with the help of which the women of Toulouse smashed the head of count
Simon de Montfort the legendary leader of the Crusaders looked very much the same
This unfortunate episode also took place in the 13th
century and to be absolutely precise
on June 25 1218
Having bombarded the outpost with the trebuchet projectiles the Mongols gave the European
foot soldiers the opportunity to attack it while the outpost defenders were still dazed A brief
skirmish and the outpost is takenhellip The Russian warriors retreat to the steppe Another
spell of fighting Only a handful of Russian warriors remainhellip And at the last moment
another Russian unit comes to the aid of the outpost
Irsquod better give the floor to Galina who came to the festival with her 4-year-old son Timothy
ldquoTimothy absolutely believed what he saw I myself felt enthralled ndash everything looked so
real
During the battle when only two Russian warriors remained fighting back to back
surrounded by enemies Tim thought they were about to perish and went to their aid
Photo link httpvkcomphoto7768284_287885078
White as a sheet he breathed out Im coming Hold on And ran to the rescuehellip
I could barely catch him It was hard to calm him down to persuade him it was all make-
believe
When the cavalry came to the rescue I said ldquoLook they are fine now Victoryrdquo You should
have seen the triumph and relief in his eyes
Thats how our long awaited festival ended
The spectators got into their cars and buses and went home ndash some to Samara some to
Togliatti some to Ulyanovskhellip
Photos by Olga Borisenkova Georgy Korobov Olga Nemkova Yulia Timirkhanova
Svetlana Makoveyeva Maria Gomolova Irina Yashina Natalia Kalmykova Alexey
Pleshkov Andrey Surin Ekaterina Orlova Tatiana Besschastnaya Vadim Kozin Evgeny
Krasnikov Alexandra Bunayeva Denis Khramov Nina Gubanova Yuri Chikin Ildar
Hassanov Ivan Yegorov Mikhail Pishchakov Mikhail Puzankov Olesya Strelchenko
Thank you all
Many thanks to the musicians who entertained the spectators They are Yegor Strelnikov
(psaltery Moscow) ldquoMusica Radicumrdquo (folk group Saint Petersburg)
Photo link httpcs304606userapicomv30460642737cah2D-hgjQpRsjpg
Photo link httpcs317423userapicomv31742302020a1HFnxYFD_uS0jpg
ldquoThe Eastrdquo
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Stupino)
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoSuzdalskaya Druzhina (Suzdal Host)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS ldquoTruvorrdquo (Orenburg)
LHS ldquoVityaz (Russian Knight)rdquo (Kazan)
LHS ldquoSlovenerdquo (Novokuibyshevsk)
Association ldquoNORD Rusrdquo (Samara)
ldquoMjollnirrdquo (Samara)
Individual participants
ldquoThe Westrdquo
LHS ldquoAtlit ndash Zamok Palomnika (Atlit - Pilgrimrsquos Castle)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS laquoNovum castrumraquo (Zheleznodorozhny)
LHS ldquoStary Svet (The Old World Company)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoDostoyanie (Heritage)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoFlamandtsy (The Flemings)rdquo (Odintsovo)
Individual participants
Special thanks to the artisans
Association ldquoMir masterov (World of Masters)rdquo (Samara)
ldquoNizhegorodskaya Artel Oruzheinikov (Armourersrsquo Artel)rdquo (Nizhny Novgorod)
Our valiant steeds came from ldquoRusskaya Sloboda (Russian Village)rdquo (Samara) and equestrian
club (Borskoe)
Thank you all guys for war and peace for merry feasts and fair competition
The festival took place on the 19 August 2012 near Stary Booyan in the Krasnoyarsky district
of the Samara Region
Next year our festival will be held again and we expect that our friends from Poland
Ukraine Belarus and Japan will be able to come So if you are interested in the 13th century
re-enactment welcome to Samara ldquoBattle Skill ndash 2013rdquo
Release Date May 11
th 2013
The very festival field over which the scarlet banner flew seemed to be meant for such
activities The place is just gorgeousrdquo - our spectator Natalia Kuznetsova says ndash ldquoThe
sweet smell of wild strawberries the bridge over the river the undulating hillshellip
Unforgettable
And from the practical point of view the place was ideal too
First of all the federal highway to Ulyanovsk runs next to the festival field and therersquos a
village with a cheerful name of Stary Booyan (which in Russian sounds exactly the same as
lsquoOld Brawlerrsquo) nearby
Secondly the festival meadow is separated from the road and other marks of the modern
civilization by a copse which accounted for the effect of a real time travel
The secrets of the medieval handicrafts
After the opening of the festival a dynamic and rich program unfolded
Potters Maxim and Elena Borisov (society Mir masterov (World of Masters) Samara)
showed everyone who wished so the basics of working with clay Classes turned out to be
very exciting - the potters could not complain about the lack of public interest Their
workshop was thronged
While the enthusiasts at the market were molding clay women of fashion and glamour
gathered in the Western camp Kate Aristova from the Moscow living history club Legend
(full namesake of the Samara host society) spoke about makeup in the Middle Ages
According to her even now in the age of Oriflame and Amway the recipes that originated
eight hundred years ago can be of great interest to modern beauties as they are
environmentally friendly and work miracles with the skin
How to become a sergeant
While the women were buzzing and fussing about their jars of cream and bottles of scent
true men displayed their battle skill
On the eve of the battle Greg a fighter from The Flemings had to prove that he was ready
to become a sergeant
One doesnrsquot get promotion for a song and Greg challenged by experienced combatants had
to fight each of them in turn The task was to remain standing and he coped with it
After the duels ended ldquoThe Flemingsrdquo commander Walter asked the warriorsrsquo opinion of
Greg
I have known Greg for a very long timerdquo raised his voice the Samara Legendrsquos commander
Alexei Romanov ndash ldquoWe fought with him side by side and we also met on the battle-field as
adversaries And I believe that Greg is truly worthy of the rank of sergeant
After the duels and this praise the case was decided The commander of The Flemings with
due ceremony promoted Greg to sergeant
Clash of armour
This was followed by duels (sword ndash buckler sword - shield spears) and finally group
battles
Before the fight opponents egged each other on as best they could
And then rushed into battle
After which there happened something of the sort
Several group fights tough but fair ended in a most amicable way See for yourself
After the fights the spectators spilled out into the field - everyone wanted to be photographed
with the warriors Sometimes the result was pretty funny
Fair maidens prowess and singing arrows
Then came the turn of the womens tournament where fair maidens competed showing their
feminine prowess
To begin with they competed in throwing rolling pins into the target - of course strength and
accuracy were of utmost importance A very useful skill in family life they say And then the
ladies took their husbands battle axes and chopped cabbage with them and in general
displayed their prowess in the skills of ldquokeeping the home fires burningrdquo
Then the archers stepped on the scene The prize was contested by European infantrymen the
Mongol batyrs and of course by Russian warriors
Photo link httpvkcomphoto-30578984_288494144
Moreover women competed alongside with men
In the end the prize went to the well-known local marksman Mikhail Manin
(Novokuibyshevsk) winner of last years tournament
Medieval Jousting contest
Shortly after the tournament the mounted display Medieval Jousting was announced
This was a series of trials in which riders competed in various military disciplines Let me
first introduce the participants
Left to right - Master of the Knights Hospitaller a Mongolian horseman a Russian nobleman
in disgrace and an Arab who would not reveal his face to the audience By the way this is
only half of the participants
The first trial was mounted archery
Master of the Knights Hospitaller Note the speed of the rider And the wooden target he
has to hit is rather smallish
The second trial was ldquoThe Saracenrdquo (This is a spear game the accuracy of lance thrust is
evaluated)
Let me draw your attention to the fact that tournament lances have no heads and this is not
by chance
Just think of the force of the blow a mounted rider strikes when going at full canter
The spearhead passes through the target like a knife through butter Then one of the two
things will surely happen either the lance is stuck and the warrior gets thrown or loses his
lance or ldquoThe Saracen gets wrenched out of the earth Nobody wants it
Trial Three - mounted cutting
Itrsquos interesting that this exercise expressly shows the difference between a sword and a sabre
A sabre due to its characteristic curve of the blade cuts the head of cabbage neatly in two
But the sword chopping blows crush grind the head of cabbage
To some extent the difference is so marked because the sword blades at the festival werenrsquot
honed Honed sword blades also cut very neatly On the other hand a sabre is meant for
slashing blows and weighing less than a sword cuts very efficiently
In the photo you can see the ldquoLegendrdquo posadnik Maxim wearing a red mantle By the way he
won the ridersrsquo competition
Just in case let me explain who posadnik is The word is derived from the word posad
(pronounced as pah-lsquosad) In Russia ldquoposadrdquo was the part of town where most of the
citizens lived There was also a krom (kremlin) or citadel but only the prince with his
household and his host lived there and in the time of an enemy invasion the people flocked
to the citadel seeking protection In short posadnik is the head of the civil authority of the
town
Siege engine and storm
After the horsemenrsquos contest a ten-minute break was declared during which the audience had
a chance to walk around the festival lawn and the participants - to prepare for the impending
battle
According to our idea all the participants able to hold weapons were to meet on the
battlefield in the mass battle
Among them was the team of a medieval siege engine into which Utah Iwasaki seamlessly
blended
Thatrsquos what arcuballista looks like as seen by its aimer
The arcuballista team was under command of Vadim Sinichkin head of the living history
society ldquoSlovenerdquo from Novokuibyshevsk This society built all the siege engines of the
festival
ldquoWe are a small society that is why our only chance to influence the outcome of the battle is
to bombard the adversary with trebuchet and arcuballista projectiles We have adjusted those
things for throwing projectiles for 50 metres ndash contemporary living history festivals seldom
require more powerful siege engines with a longer range They are also rather convenient in
transportation - they can be taken apart and the parts fit on the floor of a mini-bus Thatrsquos
how actually we brought them hererdquo
The final battle
About 4 pm the master of ceremonies announced the last battle of the festival He said that
all the warriors of the festival would cross swords and break spears in the final melee The
3000 spectators began to fill the slope of the hill which became a natural amphitheater
The legend of the final battle was as follows it was a very ordinary event for the troubled
13th century A squad of European soldiers assaulted a Russian frontier guard outpost
located in the steppes of the Volga region
The European soldiers came there with a unit of Mongol warriors (which was a frequent
occasion with Genoan mercenaries from the Crimea) The Mongol warriors brought portable
siege engines to storm the outpost
The soldiers bring an arcuballista which is followed by the trebuchet Perhaps the stone
throwing engine with the help of which the women of Toulouse smashed the head of count
Simon de Montfort the legendary leader of the Crusaders looked very much the same
This unfortunate episode also took place in the 13th
century and to be absolutely precise
on June 25 1218
Having bombarded the outpost with the trebuchet projectiles the Mongols gave the European
foot soldiers the opportunity to attack it while the outpost defenders were still dazed A brief
skirmish and the outpost is takenhellip The Russian warriors retreat to the steppe Another
spell of fighting Only a handful of Russian warriors remainhellip And at the last moment
another Russian unit comes to the aid of the outpost
Irsquod better give the floor to Galina who came to the festival with her 4-year-old son Timothy
ldquoTimothy absolutely believed what he saw I myself felt enthralled ndash everything looked so
real
During the battle when only two Russian warriors remained fighting back to back
surrounded by enemies Tim thought they were about to perish and went to their aid
Photo link httpvkcomphoto7768284_287885078
White as a sheet he breathed out Im coming Hold on And ran to the rescuehellip
I could barely catch him It was hard to calm him down to persuade him it was all make-
believe
When the cavalry came to the rescue I said ldquoLook they are fine now Victoryrdquo You should
have seen the triumph and relief in his eyes
Thats how our long awaited festival ended
The spectators got into their cars and buses and went home ndash some to Samara some to
Togliatti some to Ulyanovskhellip
Photos by Olga Borisenkova Georgy Korobov Olga Nemkova Yulia Timirkhanova
Svetlana Makoveyeva Maria Gomolova Irina Yashina Natalia Kalmykova Alexey
Pleshkov Andrey Surin Ekaterina Orlova Tatiana Besschastnaya Vadim Kozin Evgeny
Krasnikov Alexandra Bunayeva Denis Khramov Nina Gubanova Yuri Chikin Ildar
Hassanov Ivan Yegorov Mikhail Pishchakov Mikhail Puzankov Olesya Strelchenko
Thank you all
Many thanks to the musicians who entertained the spectators They are Yegor Strelnikov
(psaltery Moscow) ldquoMusica Radicumrdquo (folk group Saint Petersburg)
Photo link httpcs304606userapicomv30460642737cah2D-hgjQpRsjpg
Photo link httpcs317423userapicomv31742302020a1HFnxYFD_uS0jpg
ldquoThe Eastrdquo
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Stupino)
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoSuzdalskaya Druzhina (Suzdal Host)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS ldquoTruvorrdquo (Orenburg)
LHS ldquoVityaz (Russian Knight)rdquo (Kazan)
LHS ldquoSlovenerdquo (Novokuibyshevsk)
Association ldquoNORD Rusrdquo (Samara)
ldquoMjollnirrdquo (Samara)
Individual participants
ldquoThe Westrdquo
LHS ldquoAtlit ndash Zamok Palomnika (Atlit - Pilgrimrsquos Castle)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS laquoNovum castrumraquo (Zheleznodorozhny)
LHS ldquoStary Svet (The Old World Company)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoDostoyanie (Heritage)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoFlamandtsy (The Flemings)rdquo (Odintsovo)
Individual participants
Special thanks to the artisans
Association ldquoMir masterov (World of Masters)rdquo (Samara)
ldquoNizhegorodskaya Artel Oruzheinikov (Armourersrsquo Artel)rdquo (Nizhny Novgorod)
Our valiant steeds came from ldquoRusskaya Sloboda (Russian Village)rdquo (Samara) and equestrian
club (Borskoe)
Thank you all guys for war and peace for merry feasts and fair competition
The festival took place on the 19 August 2012 near Stary Booyan in the Krasnoyarsky district
of the Samara Region
Next year our festival will be held again and we expect that our friends from Poland
Ukraine Belarus and Japan will be able to come So if you are interested in the 13th century
re-enactment welcome to Samara ldquoBattle Skill ndash 2013rdquo
Release Date May 11
th 2013
While the enthusiasts at the market were molding clay women of fashion and glamour
gathered in the Western camp Kate Aristova from the Moscow living history club Legend
(full namesake of the Samara host society) spoke about makeup in the Middle Ages
According to her even now in the age of Oriflame and Amway the recipes that originated
eight hundred years ago can be of great interest to modern beauties as they are
environmentally friendly and work miracles with the skin
How to become a sergeant
While the women were buzzing and fussing about their jars of cream and bottles of scent
true men displayed their battle skill
On the eve of the battle Greg a fighter from The Flemings had to prove that he was ready
to become a sergeant
One doesnrsquot get promotion for a song and Greg challenged by experienced combatants had
to fight each of them in turn The task was to remain standing and he coped with it
After the duels ended ldquoThe Flemingsrdquo commander Walter asked the warriorsrsquo opinion of
Greg
I have known Greg for a very long timerdquo raised his voice the Samara Legendrsquos commander
Alexei Romanov ndash ldquoWe fought with him side by side and we also met on the battle-field as
adversaries And I believe that Greg is truly worthy of the rank of sergeant
After the duels and this praise the case was decided The commander of The Flemings with
due ceremony promoted Greg to sergeant
Clash of armour
This was followed by duels (sword ndash buckler sword - shield spears) and finally group
battles
Before the fight opponents egged each other on as best they could
And then rushed into battle
After which there happened something of the sort
Several group fights tough but fair ended in a most amicable way See for yourself
After the fights the spectators spilled out into the field - everyone wanted to be photographed
with the warriors Sometimes the result was pretty funny
Fair maidens prowess and singing arrows
Then came the turn of the womens tournament where fair maidens competed showing their
feminine prowess
To begin with they competed in throwing rolling pins into the target - of course strength and
accuracy were of utmost importance A very useful skill in family life they say And then the
ladies took their husbands battle axes and chopped cabbage with them and in general
displayed their prowess in the skills of ldquokeeping the home fires burningrdquo
Then the archers stepped on the scene The prize was contested by European infantrymen the
Mongol batyrs and of course by Russian warriors
Photo link httpvkcomphoto-30578984_288494144
Moreover women competed alongside with men
In the end the prize went to the well-known local marksman Mikhail Manin
(Novokuibyshevsk) winner of last years tournament
Medieval Jousting contest
Shortly after the tournament the mounted display Medieval Jousting was announced
This was a series of trials in which riders competed in various military disciplines Let me
first introduce the participants
Left to right - Master of the Knights Hospitaller a Mongolian horseman a Russian nobleman
in disgrace and an Arab who would not reveal his face to the audience By the way this is
only half of the participants
The first trial was mounted archery
Master of the Knights Hospitaller Note the speed of the rider And the wooden target he
has to hit is rather smallish
The second trial was ldquoThe Saracenrdquo (This is a spear game the accuracy of lance thrust is
evaluated)
Let me draw your attention to the fact that tournament lances have no heads and this is not
by chance
Just think of the force of the blow a mounted rider strikes when going at full canter
The spearhead passes through the target like a knife through butter Then one of the two
things will surely happen either the lance is stuck and the warrior gets thrown or loses his
lance or ldquoThe Saracen gets wrenched out of the earth Nobody wants it
Trial Three - mounted cutting
Itrsquos interesting that this exercise expressly shows the difference between a sword and a sabre
A sabre due to its characteristic curve of the blade cuts the head of cabbage neatly in two
But the sword chopping blows crush grind the head of cabbage
To some extent the difference is so marked because the sword blades at the festival werenrsquot
honed Honed sword blades also cut very neatly On the other hand a sabre is meant for
slashing blows and weighing less than a sword cuts very efficiently
In the photo you can see the ldquoLegendrdquo posadnik Maxim wearing a red mantle By the way he
won the ridersrsquo competition
Just in case let me explain who posadnik is The word is derived from the word posad
(pronounced as pah-lsquosad) In Russia ldquoposadrdquo was the part of town where most of the
citizens lived There was also a krom (kremlin) or citadel but only the prince with his
household and his host lived there and in the time of an enemy invasion the people flocked
to the citadel seeking protection In short posadnik is the head of the civil authority of the
town
Siege engine and storm
After the horsemenrsquos contest a ten-minute break was declared during which the audience had
a chance to walk around the festival lawn and the participants - to prepare for the impending
battle
According to our idea all the participants able to hold weapons were to meet on the
battlefield in the mass battle
Among them was the team of a medieval siege engine into which Utah Iwasaki seamlessly
blended
Thatrsquos what arcuballista looks like as seen by its aimer
The arcuballista team was under command of Vadim Sinichkin head of the living history
society ldquoSlovenerdquo from Novokuibyshevsk This society built all the siege engines of the
festival
ldquoWe are a small society that is why our only chance to influence the outcome of the battle is
to bombard the adversary with trebuchet and arcuballista projectiles We have adjusted those
things for throwing projectiles for 50 metres ndash contemporary living history festivals seldom
require more powerful siege engines with a longer range They are also rather convenient in
transportation - they can be taken apart and the parts fit on the floor of a mini-bus Thatrsquos
how actually we brought them hererdquo
The final battle
About 4 pm the master of ceremonies announced the last battle of the festival He said that
all the warriors of the festival would cross swords and break spears in the final melee The
3000 spectators began to fill the slope of the hill which became a natural amphitheater
The legend of the final battle was as follows it was a very ordinary event for the troubled
13th century A squad of European soldiers assaulted a Russian frontier guard outpost
located in the steppes of the Volga region
The European soldiers came there with a unit of Mongol warriors (which was a frequent
occasion with Genoan mercenaries from the Crimea) The Mongol warriors brought portable
siege engines to storm the outpost
The soldiers bring an arcuballista which is followed by the trebuchet Perhaps the stone
throwing engine with the help of which the women of Toulouse smashed the head of count
Simon de Montfort the legendary leader of the Crusaders looked very much the same
This unfortunate episode also took place in the 13th
century and to be absolutely precise
on June 25 1218
Having bombarded the outpost with the trebuchet projectiles the Mongols gave the European
foot soldiers the opportunity to attack it while the outpost defenders were still dazed A brief
skirmish and the outpost is takenhellip The Russian warriors retreat to the steppe Another
spell of fighting Only a handful of Russian warriors remainhellip And at the last moment
another Russian unit comes to the aid of the outpost
Irsquod better give the floor to Galina who came to the festival with her 4-year-old son Timothy
ldquoTimothy absolutely believed what he saw I myself felt enthralled ndash everything looked so
real
During the battle when only two Russian warriors remained fighting back to back
surrounded by enemies Tim thought they were about to perish and went to their aid
Photo link httpvkcomphoto7768284_287885078
White as a sheet he breathed out Im coming Hold on And ran to the rescuehellip
I could barely catch him It was hard to calm him down to persuade him it was all make-
believe
When the cavalry came to the rescue I said ldquoLook they are fine now Victoryrdquo You should
have seen the triumph and relief in his eyes
Thats how our long awaited festival ended
The spectators got into their cars and buses and went home ndash some to Samara some to
Togliatti some to Ulyanovskhellip
Photos by Olga Borisenkova Georgy Korobov Olga Nemkova Yulia Timirkhanova
Svetlana Makoveyeva Maria Gomolova Irina Yashina Natalia Kalmykova Alexey
Pleshkov Andrey Surin Ekaterina Orlova Tatiana Besschastnaya Vadim Kozin Evgeny
Krasnikov Alexandra Bunayeva Denis Khramov Nina Gubanova Yuri Chikin Ildar
Hassanov Ivan Yegorov Mikhail Pishchakov Mikhail Puzankov Olesya Strelchenko
Thank you all
Many thanks to the musicians who entertained the spectators They are Yegor Strelnikov
(psaltery Moscow) ldquoMusica Radicumrdquo (folk group Saint Petersburg)
Photo link httpcs304606userapicomv30460642737cah2D-hgjQpRsjpg
Photo link httpcs317423userapicomv31742302020a1HFnxYFD_uS0jpg
ldquoThe Eastrdquo
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Stupino)
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoSuzdalskaya Druzhina (Suzdal Host)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS ldquoTruvorrdquo (Orenburg)
LHS ldquoVityaz (Russian Knight)rdquo (Kazan)
LHS ldquoSlovenerdquo (Novokuibyshevsk)
Association ldquoNORD Rusrdquo (Samara)
ldquoMjollnirrdquo (Samara)
Individual participants
ldquoThe Westrdquo
LHS ldquoAtlit ndash Zamok Palomnika (Atlit - Pilgrimrsquos Castle)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS laquoNovum castrumraquo (Zheleznodorozhny)
LHS ldquoStary Svet (The Old World Company)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoDostoyanie (Heritage)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoFlamandtsy (The Flemings)rdquo (Odintsovo)
Individual participants
Special thanks to the artisans
Association ldquoMir masterov (World of Masters)rdquo (Samara)
ldquoNizhegorodskaya Artel Oruzheinikov (Armourersrsquo Artel)rdquo (Nizhny Novgorod)
Our valiant steeds came from ldquoRusskaya Sloboda (Russian Village)rdquo (Samara) and equestrian
club (Borskoe)
Thank you all guys for war and peace for merry feasts and fair competition
The festival took place on the 19 August 2012 near Stary Booyan in the Krasnoyarsky district
of the Samara Region
Next year our festival will be held again and we expect that our friends from Poland
Ukraine Belarus and Japan will be able to come So if you are interested in the 13th century
re-enactment welcome to Samara ldquoBattle Skill ndash 2013rdquo
Release Date May 11
th 2013
How to become a sergeant
While the women were buzzing and fussing about their jars of cream and bottles of scent
true men displayed their battle skill
On the eve of the battle Greg a fighter from The Flemings had to prove that he was ready
to become a sergeant
One doesnrsquot get promotion for a song and Greg challenged by experienced combatants had
to fight each of them in turn The task was to remain standing and he coped with it
After the duels ended ldquoThe Flemingsrdquo commander Walter asked the warriorsrsquo opinion of
Greg
I have known Greg for a very long timerdquo raised his voice the Samara Legendrsquos commander
Alexei Romanov ndash ldquoWe fought with him side by side and we also met on the battle-field as
adversaries And I believe that Greg is truly worthy of the rank of sergeant
After the duels and this praise the case was decided The commander of The Flemings with
due ceremony promoted Greg to sergeant
Clash of armour
This was followed by duels (sword ndash buckler sword - shield spears) and finally group
battles
Before the fight opponents egged each other on as best they could
And then rushed into battle
After which there happened something of the sort
Several group fights tough but fair ended in a most amicable way See for yourself
After the fights the spectators spilled out into the field - everyone wanted to be photographed
with the warriors Sometimes the result was pretty funny
Fair maidens prowess and singing arrows
Then came the turn of the womens tournament where fair maidens competed showing their
feminine prowess
To begin with they competed in throwing rolling pins into the target - of course strength and
accuracy were of utmost importance A very useful skill in family life they say And then the
ladies took their husbands battle axes and chopped cabbage with them and in general
displayed their prowess in the skills of ldquokeeping the home fires burningrdquo
Then the archers stepped on the scene The prize was contested by European infantrymen the
Mongol batyrs and of course by Russian warriors
Photo link httpvkcomphoto-30578984_288494144
Moreover women competed alongside with men
In the end the prize went to the well-known local marksman Mikhail Manin
(Novokuibyshevsk) winner of last years tournament
Medieval Jousting contest
Shortly after the tournament the mounted display Medieval Jousting was announced
This was a series of trials in which riders competed in various military disciplines Let me
first introduce the participants
Left to right - Master of the Knights Hospitaller a Mongolian horseman a Russian nobleman
in disgrace and an Arab who would not reveal his face to the audience By the way this is
only half of the participants
The first trial was mounted archery
Master of the Knights Hospitaller Note the speed of the rider And the wooden target he
has to hit is rather smallish
The second trial was ldquoThe Saracenrdquo (This is a spear game the accuracy of lance thrust is
evaluated)
Let me draw your attention to the fact that tournament lances have no heads and this is not
by chance
Just think of the force of the blow a mounted rider strikes when going at full canter
The spearhead passes through the target like a knife through butter Then one of the two
things will surely happen either the lance is stuck and the warrior gets thrown or loses his
lance or ldquoThe Saracen gets wrenched out of the earth Nobody wants it
Trial Three - mounted cutting
Itrsquos interesting that this exercise expressly shows the difference between a sword and a sabre
A sabre due to its characteristic curve of the blade cuts the head of cabbage neatly in two
But the sword chopping blows crush grind the head of cabbage
To some extent the difference is so marked because the sword blades at the festival werenrsquot
honed Honed sword blades also cut very neatly On the other hand a sabre is meant for
slashing blows and weighing less than a sword cuts very efficiently
In the photo you can see the ldquoLegendrdquo posadnik Maxim wearing a red mantle By the way he
won the ridersrsquo competition
Just in case let me explain who posadnik is The word is derived from the word posad
(pronounced as pah-lsquosad) In Russia ldquoposadrdquo was the part of town where most of the
citizens lived There was also a krom (kremlin) or citadel but only the prince with his
household and his host lived there and in the time of an enemy invasion the people flocked
to the citadel seeking protection In short posadnik is the head of the civil authority of the
town
Siege engine and storm
After the horsemenrsquos contest a ten-minute break was declared during which the audience had
a chance to walk around the festival lawn and the participants - to prepare for the impending
battle
According to our idea all the participants able to hold weapons were to meet on the
battlefield in the mass battle
Among them was the team of a medieval siege engine into which Utah Iwasaki seamlessly
blended
Thatrsquos what arcuballista looks like as seen by its aimer
The arcuballista team was under command of Vadim Sinichkin head of the living history
society ldquoSlovenerdquo from Novokuibyshevsk This society built all the siege engines of the
festival
ldquoWe are a small society that is why our only chance to influence the outcome of the battle is
to bombard the adversary with trebuchet and arcuballista projectiles We have adjusted those
things for throwing projectiles for 50 metres ndash contemporary living history festivals seldom
require more powerful siege engines with a longer range They are also rather convenient in
transportation - they can be taken apart and the parts fit on the floor of a mini-bus Thatrsquos
how actually we brought them hererdquo
The final battle
About 4 pm the master of ceremonies announced the last battle of the festival He said that
all the warriors of the festival would cross swords and break spears in the final melee The
3000 spectators began to fill the slope of the hill which became a natural amphitheater
The legend of the final battle was as follows it was a very ordinary event for the troubled
13th century A squad of European soldiers assaulted a Russian frontier guard outpost
located in the steppes of the Volga region
The European soldiers came there with a unit of Mongol warriors (which was a frequent
occasion with Genoan mercenaries from the Crimea) The Mongol warriors brought portable
siege engines to storm the outpost
The soldiers bring an arcuballista which is followed by the trebuchet Perhaps the stone
throwing engine with the help of which the women of Toulouse smashed the head of count
Simon de Montfort the legendary leader of the Crusaders looked very much the same
This unfortunate episode also took place in the 13th
century and to be absolutely precise
on June 25 1218
Having bombarded the outpost with the trebuchet projectiles the Mongols gave the European
foot soldiers the opportunity to attack it while the outpost defenders were still dazed A brief
skirmish and the outpost is takenhellip The Russian warriors retreat to the steppe Another
spell of fighting Only a handful of Russian warriors remainhellip And at the last moment
another Russian unit comes to the aid of the outpost
Irsquod better give the floor to Galina who came to the festival with her 4-year-old son Timothy
ldquoTimothy absolutely believed what he saw I myself felt enthralled ndash everything looked so
real
During the battle when only two Russian warriors remained fighting back to back
surrounded by enemies Tim thought they were about to perish and went to their aid
Photo link httpvkcomphoto7768284_287885078
White as a sheet he breathed out Im coming Hold on And ran to the rescuehellip
I could barely catch him It was hard to calm him down to persuade him it was all make-
believe
When the cavalry came to the rescue I said ldquoLook they are fine now Victoryrdquo You should
have seen the triumph and relief in his eyes
Thats how our long awaited festival ended
The spectators got into their cars and buses and went home ndash some to Samara some to
Togliatti some to Ulyanovskhellip
Photos by Olga Borisenkova Georgy Korobov Olga Nemkova Yulia Timirkhanova
Svetlana Makoveyeva Maria Gomolova Irina Yashina Natalia Kalmykova Alexey
Pleshkov Andrey Surin Ekaterina Orlova Tatiana Besschastnaya Vadim Kozin Evgeny
Krasnikov Alexandra Bunayeva Denis Khramov Nina Gubanova Yuri Chikin Ildar
Hassanov Ivan Yegorov Mikhail Pishchakov Mikhail Puzankov Olesya Strelchenko
Thank you all
Many thanks to the musicians who entertained the spectators They are Yegor Strelnikov
(psaltery Moscow) ldquoMusica Radicumrdquo (folk group Saint Petersburg)
Photo link httpcs304606userapicomv30460642737cah2D-hgjQpRsjpg
Photo link httpcs317423userapicomv31742302020a1HFnxYFD_uS0jpg
ldquoThe Eastrdquo
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Stupino)
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoSuzdalskaya Druzhina (Suzdal Host)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS ldquoTruvorrdquo (Orenburg)
LHS ldquoVityaz (Russian Knight)rdquo (Kazan)
LHS ldquoSlovenerdquo (Novokuibyshevsk)
Association ldquoNORD Rusrdquo (Samara)
ldquoMjollnirrdquo (Samara)
Individual participants
ldquoThe Westrdquo
LHS ldquoAtlit ndash Zamok Palomnika (Atlit - Pilgrimrsquos Castle)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS laquoNovum castrumraquo (Zheleznodorozhny)
LHS ldquoStary Svet (The Old World Company)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoDostoyanie (Heritage)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoFlamandtsy (The Flemings)rdquo (Odintsovo)
Individual participants
Special thanks to the artisans
Association ldquoMir masterov (World of Masters)rdquo (Samara)
ldquoNizhegorodskaya Artel Oruzheinikov (Armourersrsquo Artel)rdquo (Nizhny Novgorod)
Our valiant steeds came from ldquoRusskaya Sloboda (Russian Village)rdquo (Samara) and equestrian
club (Borskoe)
Thank you all guys for war and peace for merry feasts and fair competition
The festival took place on the 19 August 2012 near Stary Booyan in the Krasnoyarsky district
of the Samara Region
Next year our festival will be held again and we expect that our friends from Poland
Ukraine Belarus and Japan will be able to come So if you are interested in the 13th century
re-enactment welcome to Samara ldquoBattle Skill ndash 2013rdquo
Release Date May 11
th 2013
And then rushed into battle
After which there happened something of the sort
Several group fights tough but fair ended in a most amicable way See for yourself
After the fights the spectators spilled out into the field - everyone wanted to be photographed
with the warriors Sometimes the result was pretty funny
Fair maidens prowess and singing arrows
Then came the turn of the womens tournament where fair maidens competed showing their
feminine prowess
To begin with they competed in throwing rolling pins into the target - of course strength and
accuracy were of utmost importance A very useful skill in family life they say And then the
ladies took their husbands battle axes and chopped cabbage with them and in general
displayed their prowess in the skills of ldquokeeping the home fires burningrdquo
Then the archers stepped on the scene The prize was contested by European infantrymen the
Mongol batyrs and of course by Russian warriors
Photo link httpvkcomphoto-30578984_288494144
Moreover women competed alongside with men
In the end the prize went to the well-known local marksman Mikhail Manin
(Novokuibyshevsk) winner of last years tournament
Medieval Jousting contest
Shortly after the tournament the mounted display Medieval Jousting was announced
This was a series of trials in which riders competed in various military disciplines Let me
first introduce the participants
Left to right - Master of the Knights Hospitaller a Mongolian horseman a Russian nobleman
in disgrace and an Arab who would not reveal his face to the audience By the way this is
only half of the participants
The first trial was mounted archery
Master of the Knights Hospitaller Note the speed of the rider And the wooden target he
has to hit is rather smallish
The second trial was ldquoThe Saracenrdquo (This is a spear game the accuracy of lance thrust is
evaluated)
Let me draw your attention to the fact that tournament lances have no heads and this is not
by chance
Just think of the force of the blow a mounted rider strikes when going at full canter
The spearhead passes through the target like a knife through butter Then one of the two
things will surely happen either the lance is stuck and the warrior gets thrown or loses his
lance or ldquoThe Saracen gets wrenched out of the earth Nobody wants it
Trial Three - mounted cutting
Itrsquos interesting that this exercise expressly shows the difference between a sword and a sabre
A sabre due to its characteristic curve of the blade cuts the head of cabbage neatly in two
But the sword chopping blows crush grind the head of cabbage
To some extent the difference is so marked because the sword blades at the festival werenrsquot
honed Honed sword blades also cut very neatly On the other hand a sabre is meant for
slashing blows and weighing less than a sword cuts very efficiently
In the photo you can see the ldquoLegendrdquo posadnik Maxim wearing a red mantle By the way he
won the ridersrsquo competition
Just in case let me explain who posadnik is The word is derived from the word posad
(pronounced as pah-lsquosad) In Russia ldquoposadrdquo was the part of town where most of the
citizens lived There was also a krom (kremlin) or citadel but only the prince with his
household and his host lived there and in the time of an enemy invasion the people flocked
to the citadel seeking protection In short posadnik is the head of the civil authority of the
town
Siege engine and storm
After the horsemenrsquos contest a ten-minute break was declared during which the audience had
a chance to walk around the festival lawn and the participants - to prepare for the impending
battle
According to our idea all the participants able to hold weapons were to meet on the
battlefield in the mass battle
Among them was the team of a medieval siege engine into which Utah Iwasaki seamlessly
blended
Thatrsquos what arcuballista looks like as seen by its aimer
The arcuballista team was under command of Vadim Sinichkin head of the living history
society ldquoSlovenerdquo from Novokuibyshevsk This society built all the siege engines of the
festival
ldquoWe are a small society that is why our only chance to influence the outcome of the battle is
to bombard the adversary with trebuchet and arcuballista projectiles We have adjusted those
things for throwing projectiles for 50 metres ndash contemporary living history festivals seldom
require more powerful siege engines with a longer range They are also rather convenient in
transportation - they can be taken apart and the parts fit on the floor of a mini-bus Thatrsquos
how actually we brought them hererdquo
The final battle
About 4 pm the master of ceremonies announced the last battle of the festival He said that
all the warriors of the festival would cross swords and break spears in the final melee The
3000 spectators began to fill the slope of the hill which became a natural amphitheater
The legend of the final battle was as follows it was a very ordinary event for the troubled
13th century A squad of European soldiers assaulted a Russian frontier guard outpost
located in the steppes of the Volga region
The European soldiers came there with a unit of Mongol warriors (which was a frequent
occasion with Genoan mercenaries from the Crimea) The Mongol warriors brought portable
siege engines to storm the outpost
The soldiers bring an arcuballista which is followed by the trebuchet Perhaps the stone
throwing engine with the help of which the women of Toulouse smashed the head of count
Simon de Montfort the legendary leader of the Crusaders looked very much the same
This unfortunate episode also took place in the 13th
century and to be absolutely precise
on June 25 1218
Having bombarded the outpost with the trebuchet projectiles the Mongols gave the European
foot soldiers the opportunity to attack it while the outpost defenders were still dazed A brief
skirmish and the outpost is takenhellip The Russian warriors retreat to the steppe Another
spell of fighting Only a handful of Russian warriors remainhellip And at the last moment
another Russian unit comes to the aid of the outpost
Irsquod better give the floor to Galina who came to the festival with her 4-year-old son Timothy
ldquoTimothy absolutely believed what he saw I myself felt enthralled ndash everything looked so
real
During the battle when only two Russian warriors remained fighting back to back
surrounded by enemies Tim thought they were about to perish and went to their aid
Photo link httpvkcomphoto7768284_287885078
White as a sheet he breathed out Im coming Hold on And ran to the rescuehellip
I could barely catch him It was hard to calm him down to persuade him it was all make-
believe
When the cavalry came to the rescue I said ldquoLook they are fine now Victoryrdquo You should
have seen the triumph and relief in his eyes
Thats how our long awaited festival ended
The spectators got into their cars and buses and went home ndash some to Samara some to
Togliatti some to Ulyanovskhellip
Photos by Olga Borisenkova Georgy Korobov Olga Nemkova Yulia Timirkhanova
Svetlana Makoveyeva Maria Gomolova Irina Yashina Natalia Kalmykova Alexey
Pleshkov Andrey Surin Ekaterina Orlova Tatiana Besschastnaya Vadim Kozin Evgeny
Krasnikov Alexandra Bunayeva Denis Khramov Nina Gubanova Yuri Chikin Ildar
Hassanov Ivan Yegorov Mikhail Pishchakov Mikhail Puzankov Olesya Strelchenko
Thank you all
Many thanks to the musicians who entertained the spectators They are Yegor Strelnikov
(psaltery Moscow) ldquoMusica Radicumrdquo (folk group Saint Petersburg)
Photo link httpcs304606userapicomv30460642737cah2D-hgjQpRsjpg
Photo link httpcs317423userapicomv31742302020a1HFnxYFD_uS0jpg
ldquoThe Eastrdquo
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Stupino)
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoSuzdalskaya Druzhina (Suzdal Host)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS ldquoTruvorrdquo (Orenburg)
LHS ldquoVityaz (Russian Knight)rdquo (Kazan)
LHS ldquoSlovenerdquo (Novokuibyshevsk)
Association ldquoNORD Rusrdquo (Samara)
ldquoMjollnirrdquo (Samara)
Individual participants
ldquoThe Westrdquo
LHS ldquoAtlit ndash Zamok Palomnika (Atlit - Pilgrimrsquos Castle)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS laquoNovum castrumraquo (Zheleznodorozhny)
LHS ldquoStary Svet (The Old World Company)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoDostoyanie (Heritage)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoFlamandtsy (The Flemings)rdquo (Odintsovo)
Individual participants
Special thanks to the artisans
Association ldquoMir masterov (World of Masters)rdquo (Samara)
ldquoNizhegorodskaya Artel Oruzheinikov (Armourersrsquo Artel)rdquo (Nizhny Novgorod)
Our valiant steeds came from ldquoRusskaya Sloboda (Russian Village)rdquo (Samara) and equestrian
club (Borskoe)
Thank you all guys for war and peace for merry feasts and fair competition
The festival took place on the 19 August 2012 near Stary Booyan in the Krasnoyarsky district
of the Samara Region
Next year our festival will be held again and we expect that our friends from Poland
Ukraine Belarus and Japan will be able to come So if you are interested in the 13th century
re-enactment welcome to Samara ldquoBattle Skill ndash 2013rdquo
Release Date May 11
th 2013
Several group fights tough but fair ended in a most amicable way See for yourself
After the fights the spectators spilled out into the field - everyone wanted to be photographed
with the warriors Sometimes the result was pretty funny
Fair maidens prowess and singing arrows
Then came the turn of the womens tournament where fair maidens competed showing their
feminine prowess
To begin with they competed in throwing rolling pins into the target - of course strength and
accuracy were of utmost importance A very useful skill in family life they say And then the
ladies took their husbands battle axes and chopped cabbage with them and in general
displayed their prowess in the skills of ldquokeeping the home fires burningrdquo
Then the archers stepped on the scene The prize was contested by European infantrymen the
Mongol batyrs and of course by Russian warriors
Photo link httpvkcomphoto-30578984_288494144
Moreover women competed alongside with men
In the end the prize went to the well-known local marksman Mikhail Manin
(Novokuibyshevsk) winner of last years tournament
Medieval Jousting contest
Shortly after the tournament the mounted display Medieval Jousting was announced
This was a series of trials in which riders competed in various military disciplines Let me
first introduce the participants
Left to right - Master of the Knights Hospitaller a Mongolian horseman a Russian nobleman
in disgrace and an Arab who would not reveal his face to the audience By the way this is
only half of the participants
The first trial was mounted archery
Master of the Knights Hospitaller Note the speed of the rider And the wooden target he
has to hit is rather smallish
The second trial was ldquoThe Saracenrdquo (This is a spear game the accuracy of lance thrust is
evaluated)
Let me draw your attention to the fact that tournament lances have no heads and this is not
by chance
Just think of the force of the blow a mounted rider strikes when going at full canter
The spearhead passes through the target like a knife through butter Then one of the two
things will surely happen either the lance is stuck and the warrior gets thrown or loses his
lance or ldquoThe Saracen gets wrenched out of the earth Nobody wants it
Trial Three - mounted cutting
Itrsquos interesting that this exercise expressly shows the difference between a sword and a sabre
A sabre due to its characteristic curve of the blade cuts the head of cabbage neatly in two
But the sword chopping blows crush grind the head of cabbage
To some extent the difference is so marked because the sword blades at the festival werenrsquot
honed Honed sword blades also cut very neatly On the other hand a sabre is meant for
slashing blows and weighing less than a sword cuts very efficiently
In the photo you can see the ldquoLegendrdquo posadnik Maxim wearing a red mantle By the way he
won the ridersrsquo competition
Just in case let me explain who posadnik is The word is derived from the word posad
(pronounced as pah-lsquosad) In Russia ldquoposadrdquo was the part of town where most of the
citizens lived There was also a krom (kremlin) or citadel but only the prince with his
household and his host lived there and in the time of an enemy invasion the people flocked
to the citadel seeking protection In short posadnik is the head of the civil authority of the
town
Siege engine and storm
After the horsemenrsquos contest a ten-minute break was declared during which the audience had
a chance to walk around the festival lawn and the participants - to prepare for the impending
battle
According to our idea all the participants able to hold weapons were to meet on the
battlefield in the mass battle
Among them was the team of a medieval siege engine into which Utah Iwasaki seamlessly
blended
Thatrsquos what arcuballista looks like as seen by its aimer
The arcuballista team was under command of Vadim Sinichkin head of the living history
society ldquoSlovenerdquo from Novokuibyshevsk This society built all the siege engines of the
festival
ldquoWe are a small society that is why our only chance to influence the outcome of the battle is
to bombard the adversary with trebuchet and arcuballista projectiles We have adjusted those
things for throwing projectiles for 50 metres ndash contemporary living history festivals seldom
require more powerful siege engines with a longer range They are also rather convenient in
transportation - they can be taken apart and the parts fit on the floor of a mini-bus Thatrsquos
how actually we brought them hererdquo
The final battle
About 4 pm the master of ceremonies announced the last battle of the festival He said that
all the warriors of the festival would cross swords and break spears in the final melee The
3000 spectators began to fill the slope of the hill which became a natural amphitheater
The legend of the final battle was as follows it was a very ordinary event for the troubled
13th century A squad of European soldiers assaulted a Russian frontier guard outpost
located in the steppes of the Volga region
The European soldiers came there with a unit of Mongol warriors (which was a frequent
occasion with Genoan mercenaries from the Crimea) The Mongol warriors brought portable
siege engines to storm the outpost
The soldiers bring an arcuballista which is followed by the trebuchet Perhaps the stone
throwing engine with the help of which the women of Toulouse smashed the head of count
Simon de Montfort the legendary leader of the Crusaders looked very much the same
This unfortunate episode also took place in the 13th
century and to be absolutely precise
on June 25 1218
Having bombarded the outpost with the trebuchet projectiles the Mongols gave the European
foot soldiers the opportunity to attack it while the outpost defenders were still dazed A brief
skirmish and the outpost is takenhellip The Russian warriors retreat to the steppe Another
spell of fighting Only a handful of Russian warriors remainhellip And at the last moment
another Russian unit comes to the aid of the outpost
Irsquod better give the floor to Galina who came to the festival with her 4-year-old son Timothy
ldquoTimothy absolutely believed what he saw I myself felt enthralled ndash everything looked so
real
During the battle when only two Russian warriors remained fighting back to back
surrounded by enemies Tim thought they were about to perish and went to their aid
Photo link httpvkcomphoto7768284_287885078
White as a sheet he breathed out Im coming Hold on And ran to the rescuehellip
I could barely catch him It was hard to calm him down to persuade him it was all make-
believe
When the cavalry came to the rescue I said ldquoLook they are fine now Victoryrdquo You should
have seen the triumph and relief in his eyes
Thats how our long awaited festival ended
The spectators got into their cars and buses and went home ndash some to Samara some to
Togliatti some to Ulyanovskhellip
Photos by Olga Borisenkova Georgy Korobov Olga Nemkova Yulia Timirkhanova
Svetlana Makoveyeva Maria Gomolova Irina Yashina Natalia Kalmykova Alexey
Pleshkov Andrey Surin Ekaterina Orlova Tatiana Besschastnaya Vadim Kozin Evgeny
Krasnikov Alexandra Bunayeva Denis Khramov Nina Gubanova Yuri Chikin Ildar
Hassanov Ivan Yegorov Mikhail Pishchakov Mikhail Puzankov Olesya Strelchenko
Thank you all
Many thanks to the musicians who entertained the spectators They are Yegor Strelnikov
(psaltery Moscow) ldquoMusica Radicumrdquo (folk group Saint Petersburg)
Photo link httpcs304606userapicomv30460642737cah2D-hgjQpRsjpg
Photo link httpcs317423userapicomv31742302020a1HFnxYFD_uS0jpg
ldquoThe Eastrdquo
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Stupino)
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoSuzdalskaya Druzhina (Suzdal Host)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS ldquoTruvorrdquo (Orenburg)
LHS ldquoVityaz (Russian Knight)rdquo (Kazan)
LHS ldquoSlovenerdquo (Novokuibyshevsk)
Association ldquoNORD Rusrdquo (Samara)
ldquoMjollnirrdquo (Samara)
Individual participants
ldquoThe Westrdquo
LHS ldquoAtlit ndash Zamok Palomnika (Atlit - Pilgrimrsquos Castle)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS laquoNovum castrumraquo (Zheleznodorozhny)
LHS ldquoStary Svet (The Old World Company)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoDostoyanie (Heritage)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoFlamandtsy (The Flemings)rdquo (Odintsovo)
Individual participants
Special thanks to the artisans
Association ldquoMir masterov (World of Masters)rdquo (Samara)
ldquoNizhegorodskaya Artel Oruzheinikov (Armourersrsquo Artel)rdquo (Nizhny Novgorod)
Our valiant steeds came from ldquoRusskaya Sloboda (Russian Village)rdquo (Samara) and equestrian
club (Borskoe)
Thank you all guys for war and peace for merry feasts and fair competition
The festival took place on the 19 August 2012 near Stary Booyan in the Krasnoyarsky district
of the Samara Region
Next year our festival will be held again and we expect that our friends from Poland
Ukraine Belarus and Japan will be able to come So if you are interested in the 13th century
re-enactment welcome to Samara ldquoBattle Skill ndash 2013rdquo
Release Date May 11
th 2013
Fair maidens prowess and singing arrows
Then came the turn of the womens tournament where fair maidens competed showing their
feminine prowess
To begin with they competed in throwing rolling pins into the target - of course strength and
accuracy were of utmost importance A very useful skill in family life they say And then the
ladies took their husbands battle axes and chopped cabbage with them and in general
displayed their prowess in the skills of ldquokeeping the home fires burningrdquo
Then the archers stepped on the scene The prize was contested by European infantrymen the
Mongol batyrs and of course by Russian warriors
Photo link httpvkcomphoto-30578984_288494144
Moreover women competed alongside with men
In the end the prize went to the well-known local marksman Mikhail Manin
(Novokuibyshevsk) winner of last years tournament
Medieval Jousting contest
Shortly after the tournament the mounted display Medieval Jousting was announced
This was a series of trials in which riders competed in various military disciplines Let me
first introduce the participants
Left to right - Master of the Knights Hospitaller a Mongolian horseman a Russian nobleman
in disgrace and an Arab who would not reveal his face to the audience By the way this is
only half of the participants
The first trial was mounted archery
Master of the Knights Hospitaller Note the speed of the rider And the wooden target he
has to hit is rather smallish
The second trial was ldquoThe Saracenrdquo (This is a spear game the accuracy of lance thrust is
evaluated)
Let me draw your attention to the fact that tournament lances have no heads and this is not
by chance
Just think of the force of the blow a mounted rider strikes when going at full canter
The spearhead passes through the target like a knife through butter Then one of the two
things will surely happen either the lance is stuck and the warrior gets thrown or loses his
lance or ldquoThe Saracen gets wrenched out of the earth Nobody wants it
Trial Three - mounted cutting
Itrsquos interesting that this exercise expressly shows the difference between a sword and a sabre
A sabre due to its characteristic curve of the blade cuts the head of cabbage neatly in two
But the sword chopping blows crush grind the head of cabbage
To some extent the difference is so marked because the sword blades at the festival werenrsquot
honed Honed sword blades also cut very neatly On the other hand a sabre is meant for
slashing blows and weighing less than a sword cuts very efficiently
In the photo you can see the ldquoLegendrdquo posadnik Maxim wearing a red mantle By the way he
won the ridersrsquo competition
Just in case let me explain who posadnik is The word is derived from the word posad
(pronounced as pah-lsquosad) In Russia ldquoposadrdquo was the part of town where most of the
citizens lived There was also a krom (kremlin) or citadel but only the prince with his
household and his host lived there and in the time of an enemy invasion the people flocked
to the citadel seeking protection In short posadnik is the head of the civil authority of the
town
Siege engine and storm
After the horsemenrsquos contest a ten-minute break was declared during which the audience had
a chance to walk around the festival lawn and the participants - to prepare for the impending
battle
According to our idea all the participants able to hold weapons were to meet on the
battlefield in the mass battle
Among them was the team of a medieval siege engine into which Utah Iwasaki seamlessly
blended
Thatrsquos what arcuballista looks like as seen by its aimer
The arcuballista team was under command of Vadim Sinichkin head of the living history
society ldquoSlovenerdquo from Novokuibyshevsk This society built all the siege engines of the
festival
ldquoWe are a small society that is why our only chance to influence the outcome of the battle is
to bombard the adversary with trebuchet and arcuballista projectiles We have adjusted those
things for throwing projectiles for 50 metres ndash contemporary living history festivals seldom
require more powerful siege engines with a longer range They are also rather convenient in
transportation - they can be taken apart and the parts fit on the floor of a mini-bus Thatrsquos
how actually we brought them hererdquo
The final battle
About 4 pm the master of ceremonies announced the last battle of the festival He said that
all the warriors of the festival would cross swords and break spears in the final melee The
3000 spectators began to fill the slope of the hill which became a natural amphitheater
The legend of the final battle was as follows it was a very ordinary event for the troubled
13th century A squad of European soldiers assaulted a Russian frontier guard outpost
located in the steppes of the Volga region
The European soldiers came there with a unit of Mongol warriors (which was a frequent
occasion with Genoan mercenaries from the Crimea) The Mongol warriors brought portable
siege engines to storm the outpost
The soldiers bring an arcuballista which is followed by the trebuchet Perhaps the stone
throwing engine with the help of which the women of Toulouse smashed the head of count
Simon de Montfort the legendary leader of the Crusaders looked very much the same
This unfortunate episode also took place in the 13th
century and to be absolutely precise
on June 25 1218
Having bombarded the outpost with the trebuchet projectiles the Mongols gave the European
foot soldiers the opportunity to attack it while the outpost defenders were still dazed A brief
skirmish and the outpost is takenhellip The Russian warriors retreat to the steppe Another
spell of fighting Only a handful of Russian warriors remainhellip And at the last moment
another Russian unit comes to the aid of the outpost
Irsquod better give the floor to Galina who came to the festival with her 4-year-old son Timothy
ldquoTimothy absolutely believed what he saw I myself felt enthralled ndash everything looked so
real
During the battle when only two Russian warriors remained fighting back to back
surrounded by enemies Tim thought they were about to perish and went to their aid
Photo link httpvkcomphoto7768284_287885078
White as a sheet he breathed out Im coming Hold on And ran to the rescuehellip
I could barely catch him It was hard to calm him down to persuade him it was all make-
believe
When the cavalry came to the rescue I said ldquoLook they are fine now Victoryrdquo You should
have seen the triumph and relief in his eyes
Thats how our long awaited festival ended
The spectators got into their cars and buses and went home ndash some to Samara some to
Togliatti some to Ulyanovskhellip
Photos by Olga Borisenkova Georgy Korobov Olga Nemkova Yulia Timirkhanova
Svetlana Makoveyeva Maria Gomolova Irina Yashina Natalia Kalmykova Alexey
Pleshkov Andrey Surin Ekaterina Orlova Tatiana Besschastnaya Vadim Kozin Evgeny
Krasnikov Alexandra Bunayeva Denis Khramov Nina Gubanova Yuri Chikin Ildar
Hassanov Ivan Yegorov Mikhail Pishchakov Mikhail Puzankov Olesya Strelchenko
Thank you all
Many thanks to the musicians who entertained the spectators They are Yegor Strelnikov
(psaltery Moscow) ldquoMusica Radicumrdquo (folk group Saint Petersburg)
Photo link httpcs304606userapicomv30460642737cah2D-hgjQpRsjpg
Photo link httpcs317423userapicomv31742302020a1HFnxYFD_uS0jpg
ldquoThe Eastrdquo
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Stupino)
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoSuzdalskaya Druzhina (Suzdal Host)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS ldquoTruvorrdquo (Orenburg)
LHS ldquoVityaz (Russian Knight)rdquo (Kazan)
LHS ldquoSlovenerdquo (Novokuibyshevsk)
Association ldquoNORD Rusrdquo (Samara)
ldquoMjollnirrdquo (Samara)
Individual participants
ldquoThe Westrdquo
LHS ldquoAtlit ndash Zamok Palomnika (Atlit - Pilgrimrsquos Castle)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS laquoNovum castrumraquo (Zheleznodorozhny)
LHS ldquoStary Svet (The Old World Company)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoDostoyanie (Heritage)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoFlamandtsy (The Flemings)rdquo (Odintsovo)
Individual participants
Special thanks to the artisans
Association ldquoMir masterov (World of Masters)rdquo (Samara)
ldquoNizhegorodskaya Artel Oruzheinikov (Armourersrsquo Artel)rdquo (Nizhny Novgorod)
Our valiant steeds came from ldquoRusskaya Sloboda (Russian Village)rdquo (Samara) and equestrian
club (Borskoe)
Thank you all guys for war and peace for merry feasts and fair competition
The festival took place on the 19 August 2012 near Stary Booyan in the Krasnoyarsky district
of the Samara Region
Next year our festival will be held again and we expect that our friends from Poland
Ukraine Belarus and Japan will be able to come So if you are interested in the 13th century
re-enactment welcome to Samara ldquoBattle Skill ndash 2013rdquo
Release Date May 11
th 2013
Then the archers stepped on the scene The prize was contested by European infantrymen the
Mongol batyrs and of course by Russian warriors
Photo link httpvkcomphoto-30578984_288494144
Moreover women competed alongside with men
In the end the prize went to the well-known local marksman Mikhail Manin
(Novokuibyshevsk) winner of last years tournament
Medieval Jousting contest
Shortly after the tournament the mounted display Medieval Jousting was announced
This was a series of trials in which riders competed in various military disciplines Let me
first introduce the participants
Left to right - Master of the Knights Hospitaller a Mongolian horseman a Russian nobleman
in disgrace and an Arab who would not reveal his face to the audience By the way this is
only half of the participants
The first trial was mounted archery
Master of the Knights Hospitaller Note the speed of the rider And the wooden target he
has to hit is rather smallish
The second trial was ldquoThe Saracenrdquo (This is a spear game the accuracy of lance thrust is
evaluated)
Let me draw your attention to the fact that tournament lances have no heads and this is not
by chance
Just think of the force of the blow a mounted rider strikes when going at full canter
The spearhead passes through the target like a knife through butter Then one of the two
things will surely happen either the lance is stuck and the warrior gets thrown or loses his
lance or ldquoThe Saracen gets wrenched out of the earth Nobody wants it
Trial Three - mounted cutting
Itrsquos interesting that this exercise expressly shows the difference between a sword and a sabre
A sabre due to its characteristic curve of the blade cuts the head of cabbage neatly in two
But the sword chopping blows crush grind the head of cabbage
To some extent the difference is so marked because the sword blades at the festival werenrsquot
honed Honed sword blades also cut very neatly On the other hand a sabre is meant for
slashing blows and weighing less than a sword cuts very efficiently
In the photo you can see the ldquoLegendrdquo posadnik Maxim wearing a red mantle By the way he
won the ridersrsquo competition
Just in case let me explain who posadnik is The word is derived from the word posad
(pronounced as pah-lsquosad) In Russia ldquoposadrdquo was the part of town where most of the
citizens lived There was also a krom (kremlin) or citadel but only the prince with his
household and his host lived there and in the time of an enemy invasion the people flocked
to the citadel seeking protection In short posadnik is the head of the civil authority of the
town
Siege engine and storm
After the horsemenrsquos contest a ten-minute break was declared during which the audience had
a chance to walk around the festival lawn and the participants - to prepare for the impending
battle
According to our idea all the participants able to hold weapons were to meet on the
battlefield in the mass battle
Among them was the team of a medieval siege engine into which Utah Iwasaki seamlessly
blended
Thatrsquos what arcuballista looks like as seen by its aimer
The arcuballista team was under command of Vadim Sinichkin head of the living history
society ldquoSlovenerdquo from Novokuibyshevsk This society built all the siege engines of the
festival
ldquoWe are a small society that is why our only chance to influence the outcome of the battle is
to bombard the adversary with trebuchet and arcuballista projectiles We have adjusted those
things for throwing projectiles for 50 metres ndash contemporary living history festivals seldom
require more powerful siege engines with a longer range They are also rather convenient in
transportation - they can be taken apart and the parts fit on the floor of a mini-bus Thatrsquos
how actually we brought them hererdquo
The final battle
About 4 pm the master of ceremonies announced the last battle of the festival He said that
all the warriors of the festival would cross swords and break spears in the final melee The
3000 spectators began to fill the slope of the hill which became a natural amphitheater
The legend of the final battle was as follows it was a very ordinary event for the troubled
13th century A squad of European soldiers assaulted a Russian frontier guard outpost
located in the steppes of the Volga region
The European soldiers came there with a unit of Mongol warriors (which was a frequent
occasion with Genoan mercenaries from the Crimea) The Mongol warriors brought portable
siege engines to storm the outpost
The soldiers bring an arcuballista which is followed by the trebuchet Perhaps the stone
throwing engine with the help of which the women of Toulouse smashed the head of count
Simon de Montfort the legendary leader of the Crusaders looked very much the same
This unfortunate episode also took place in the 13th
century and to be absolutely precise
on June 25 1218
Having bombarded the outpost with the trebuchet projectiles the Mongols gave the European
foot soldiers the opportunity to attack it while the outpost defenders were still dazed A brief
skirmish and the outpost is takenhellip The Russian warriors retreat to the steppe Another
spell of fighting Only a handful of Russian warriors remainhellip And at the last moment
another Russian unit comes to the aid of the outpost
Irsquod better give the floor to Galina who came to the festival with her 4-year-old son Timothy
ldquoTimothy absolutely believed what he saw I myself felt enthralled ndash everything looked so
real
During the battle when only two Russian warriors remained fighting back to back
surrounded by enemies Tim thought they were about to perish and went to their aid
Photo link httpvkcomphoto7768284_287885078
White as a sheet he breathed out Im coming Hold on And ran to the rescuehellip
I could barely catch him It was hard to calm him down to persuade him it was all make-
believe
When the cavalry came to the rescue I said ldquoLook they are fine now Victoryrdquo You should
have seen the triumph and relief in his eyes
Thats how our long awaited festival ended
The spectators got into their cars and buses and went home ndash some to Samara some to
Togliatti some to Ulyanovskhellip
Photos by Olga Borisenkova Georgy Korobov Olga Nemkova Yulia Timirkhanova
Svetlana Makoveyeva Maria Gomolova Irina Yashina Natalia Kalmykova Alexey
Pleshkov Andrey Surin Ekaterina Orlova Tatiana Besschastnaya Vadim Kozin Evgeny
Krasnikov Alexandra Bunayeva Denis Khramov Nina Gubanova Yuri Chikin Ildar
Hassanov Ivan Yegorov Mikhail Pishchakov Mikhail Puzankov Olesya Strelchenko
Thank you all
Many thanks to the musicians who entertained the spectators They are Yegor Strelnikov
(psaltery Moscow) ldquoMusica Radicumrdquo (folk group Saint Petersburg)
Photo link httpcs304606userapicomv30460642737cah2D-hgjQpRsjpg
Photo link httpcs317423userapicomv31742302020a1HFnxYFD_uS0jpg
ldquoThe Eastrdquo
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Stupino)
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoSuzdalskaya Druzhina (Suzdal Host)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS ldquoTruvorrdquo (Orenburg)
LHS ldquoVityaz (Russian Knight)rdquo (Kazan)
LHS ldquoSlovenerdquo (Novokuibyshevsk)
Association ldquoNORD Rusrdquo (Samara)
ldquoMjollnirrdquo (Samara)
Individual participants
ldquoThe Westrdquo
LHS ldquoAtlit ndash Zamok Palomnika (Atlit - Pilgrimrsquos Castle)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS laquoNovum castrumraquo (Zheleznodorozhny)
LHS ldquoStary Svet (The Old World Company)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoDostoyanie (Heritage)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoFlamandtsy (The Flemings)rdquo (Odintsovo)
Individual participants
Special thanks to the artisans
Association ldquoMir masterov (World of Masters)rdquo (Samara)
ldquoNizhegorodskaya Artel Oruzheinikov (Armourersrsquo Artel)rdquo (Nizhny Novgorod)
Our valiant steeds came from ldquoRusskaya Sloboda (Russian Village)rdquo (Samara) and equestrian
club (Borskoe)
Thank you all guys for war and peace for merry feasts and fair competition
The festival took place on the 19 August 2012 near Stary Booyan in the Krasnoyarsky district
of the Samara Region
Next year our festival will be held again and we expect that our friends from Poland
Ukraine Belarus and Japan will be able to come So if you are interested in the 13th century
re-enactment welcome to Samara ldquoBattle Skill ndash 2013rdquo
Release Date May 11
th 2013
Photo link httpvkcomphoto-30578984_288494144
Moreover women competed alongside with men
In the end the prize went to the well-known local marksman Mikhail Manin
(Novokuibyshevsk) winner of last years tournament
Medieval Jousting contest
Shortly after the tournament the mounted display Medieval Jousting was announced
This was a series of trials in which riders competed in various military disciplines Let me
first introduce the participants
Left to right - Master of the Knights Hospitaller a Mongolian horseman a Russian nobleman
in disgrace and an Arab who would not reveal his face to the audience By the way this is
only half of the participants
The first trial was mounted archery
Master of the Knights Hospitaller Note the speed of the rider And the wooden target he
has to hit is rather smallish
The second trial was ldquoThe Saracenrdquo (This is a spear game the accuracy of lance thrust is
evaluated)
Let me draw your attention to the fact that tournament lances have no heads and this is not
by chance
Just think of the force of the blow a mounted rider strikes when going at full canter
The spearhead passes through the target like a knife through butter Then one of the two
things will surely happen either the lance is stuck and the warrior gets thrown or loses his
lance or ldquoThe Saracen gets wrenched out of the earth Nobody wants it
Trial Three - mounted cutting
Itrsquos interesting that this exercise expressly shows the difference between a sword and a sabre
A sabre due to its characteristic curve of the blade cuts the head of cabbage neatly in two
But the sword chopping blows crush grind the head of cabbage
To some extent the difference is so marked because the sword blades at the festival werenrsquot
honed Honed sword blades also cut very neatly On the other hand a sabre is meant for
slashing blows and weighing less than a sword cuts very efficiently
In the photo you can see the ldquoLegendrdquo posadnik Maxim wearing a red mantle By the way he
won the ridersrsquo competition
Just in case let me explain who posadnik is The word is derived from the word posad
(pronounced as pah-lsquosad) In Russia ldquoposadrdquo was the part of town where most of the
citizens lived There was also a krom (kremlin) or citadel but only the prince with his
household and his host lived there and in the time of an enemy invasion the people flocked
to the citadel seeking protection In short posadnik is the head of the civil authority of the
town
Siege engine and storm
After the horsemenrsquos contest a ten-minute break was declared during which the audience had
a chance to walk around the festival lawn and the participants - to prepare for the impending
battle
According to our idea all the participants able to hold weapons were to meet on the
battlefield in the mass battle
Among them was the team of a medieval siege engine into which Utah Iwasaki seamlessly
blended
Thatrsquos what arcuballista looks like as seen by its aimer
The arcuballista team was under command of Vadim Sinichkin head of the living history
society ldquoSlovenerdquo from Novokuibyshevsk This society built all the siege engines of the
festival
ldquoWe are a small society that is why our only chance to influence the outcome of the battle is
to bombard the adversary with trebuchet and arcuballista projectiles We have adjusted those
things for throwing projectiles for 50 metres ndash contemporary living history festivals seldom
require more powerful siege engines with a longer range They are also rather convenient in
transportation - they can be taken apart and the parts fit on the floor of a mini-bus Thatrsquos
how actually we brought them hererdquo
The final battle
About 4 pm the master of ceremonies announced the last battle of the festival He said that
all the warriors of the festival would cross swords and break spears in the final melee The
3000 spectators began to fill the slope of the hill which became a natural amphitheater
The legend of the final battle was as follows it was a very ordinary event for the troubled
13th century A squad of European soldiers assaulted a Russian frontier guard outpost
located in the steppes of the Volga region
The European soldiers came there with a unit of Mongol warriors (which was a frequent
occasion with Genoan mercenaries from the Crimea) The Mongol warriors brought portable
siege engines to storm the outpost
The soldiers bring an arcuballista which is followed by the trebuchet Perhaps the stone
throwing engine with the help of which the women of Toulouse smashed the head of count
Simon de Montfort the legendary leader of the Crusaders looked very much the same
This unfortunate episode also took place in the 13th
century and to be absolutely precise
on June 25 1218
Having bombarded the outpost with the trebuchet projectiles the Mongols gave the European
foot soldiers the opportunity to attack it while the outpost defenders were still dazed A brief
skirmish and the outpost is takenhellip The Russian warriors retreat to the steppe Another
spell of fighting Only a handful of Russian warriors remainhellip And at the last moment
another Russian unit comes to the aid of the outpost
Irsquod better give the floor to Galina who came to the festival with her 4-year-old son Timothy
ldquoTimothy absolutely believed what he saw I myself felt enthralled ndash everything looked so
real
During the battle when only two Russian warriors remained fighting back to back
surrounded by enemies Tim thought they were about to perish and went to their aid
Photo link httpvkcomphoto7768284_287885078
White as a sheet he breathed out Im coming Hold on And ran to the rescuehellip
I could barely catch him It was hard to calm him down to persuade him it was all make-
believe
When the cavalry came to the rescue I said ldquoLook they are fine now Victoryrdquo You should
have seen the triumph and relief in his eyes
Thats how our long awaited festival ended
The spectators got into their cars and buses and went home ndash some to Samara some to
Togliatti some to Ulyanovskhellip
Photos by Olga Borisenkova Georgy Korobov Olga Nemkova Yulia Timirkhanova
Svetlana Makoveyeva Maria Gomolova Irina Yashina Natalia Kalmykova Alexey
Pleshkov Andrey Surin Ekaterina Orlova Tatiana Besschastnaya Vadim Kozin Evgeny
Krasnikov Alexandra Bunayeva Denis Khramov Nina Gubanova Yuri Chikin Ildar
Hassanov Ivan Yegorov Mikhail Pishchakov Mikhail Puzankov Olesya Strelchenko
Thank you all
Many thanks to the musicians who entertained the spectators They are Yegor Strelnikov
(psaltery Moscow) ldquoMusica Radicumrdquo (folk group Saint Petersburg)
Photo link httpcs304606userapicomv30460642737cah2D-hgjQpRsjpg
Photo link httpcs317423userapicomv31742302020a1HFnxYFD_uS0jpg
ldquoThe Eastrdquo
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Stupino)
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoSuzdalskaya Druzhina (Suzdal Host)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS ldquoTruvorrdquo (Orenburg)
LHS ldquoVityaz (Russian Knight)rdquo (Kazan)
LHS ldquoSlovenerdquo (Novokuibyshevsk)
Association ldquoNORD Rusrdquo (Samara)
ldquoMjollnirrdquo (Samara)
Individual participants
ldquoThe Westrdquo
LHS ldquoAtlit ndash Zamok Palomnika (Atlit - Pilgrimrsquos Castle)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS laquoNovum castrumraquo (Zheleznodorozhny)
LHS ldquoStary Svet (The Old World Company)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoDostoyanie (Heritage)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoFlamandtsy (The Flemings)rdquo (Odintsovo)
Individual participants
Special thanks to the artisans
Association ldquoMir masterov (World of Masters)rdquo (Samara)
ldquoNizhegorodskaya Artel Oruzheinikov (Armourersrsquo Artel)rdquo (Nizhny Novgorod)
Our valiant steeds came from ldquoRusskaya Sloboda (Russian Village)rdquo (Samara) and equestrian
club (Borskoe)
Thank you all guys for war and peace for merry feasts and fair competition
The festival took place on the 19 August 2012 near Stary Booyan in the Krasnoyarsky district
of the Samara Region
Next year our festival will be held again and we expect that our friends from Poland
Ukraine Belarus and Japan will be able to come So if you are interested in the 13th century
re-enactment welcome to Samara ldquoBattle Skill ndash 2013rdquo
Release Date May 11
th 2013
Medieval Jousting contest
Shortly after the tournament the mounted display Medieval Jousting was announced
This was a series of trials in which riders competed in various military disciplines Let me
first introduce the participants
Left to right - Master of the Knights Hospitaller a Mongolian horseman a Russian nobleman
in disgrace and an Arab who would not reveal his face to the audience By the way this is
only half of the participants
The first trial was mounted archery
Master of the Knights Hospitaller Note the speed of the rider And the wooden target he
has to hit is rather smallish
The second trial was ldquoThe Saracenrdquo (This is a spear game the accuracy of lance thrust is
evaluated)
Let me draw your attention to the fact that tournament lances have no heads and this is not
by chance
Just think of the force of the blow a mounted rider strikes when going at full canter
The spearhead passes through the target like a knife through butter Then one of the two
things will surely happen either the lance is stuck and the warrior gets thrown or loses his
lance or ldquoThe Saracen gets wrenched out of the earth Nobody wants it
Trial Three - mounted cutting
Itrsquos interesting that this exercise expressly shows the difference between a sword and a sabre
A sabre due to its characteristic curve of the blade cuts the head of cabbage neatly in two
But the sword chopping blows crush grind the head of cabbage
To some extent the difference is so marked because the sword blades at the festival werenrsquot
honed Honed sword blades also cut very neatly On the other hand a sabre is meant for
slashing blows and weighing less than a sword cuts very efficiently
In the photo you can see the ldquoLegendrdquo posadnik Maxim wearing a red mantle By the way he
won the ridersrsquo competition
Just in case let me explain who posadnik is The word is derived from the word posad
(pronounced as pah-lsquosad) In Russia ldquoposadrdquo was the part of town where most of the
citizens lived There was also a krom (kremlin) or citadel but only the prince with his
household and his host lived there and in the time of an enemy invasion the people flocked
to the citadel seeking protection In short posadnik is the head of the civil authority of the
town
Siege engine and storm
After the horsemenrsquos contest a ten-minute break was declared during which the audience had
a chance to walk around the festival lawn and the participants - to prepare for the impending
battle
According to our idea all the participants able to hold weapons were to meet on the
battlefield in the mass battle
Among them was the team of a medieval siege engine into which Utah Iwasaki seamlessly
blended
Thatrsquos what arcuballista looks like as seen by its aimer
The arcuballista team was under command of Vadim Sinichkin head of the living history
society ldquoSlovenerdquo from Novokuibyshevsk This society built all the siege engines of the
festival
ldquoWe are a small society that is why our only chance to influence the outcome of the battle is
to bombard the adversary with trebuchet and arcuballista projectiles We have adjusted those
things for throwing projectiles for 50 metres ndash contemporary living history festivals seldom
require more powerful siege engines with a longer range They are also rather convenient in
transportation - they can be taken apart and the parts fit on the floor of a mini-bus Thatrsquos
how actually we brought them hererdquo
The final battle
About 4 pm the master of ceremonies announced the last battle of the festival He said that
all the warriors of the festival would cross swords and break spears in the final melee The
3000 spectators began to fill the slope of the hill which became a natural amphitheater
The legend of the final battle was as follows it was a very ordinary event for the troubled
13th century A squad of European soldiers assaulted a Russian frontier guard outpost
located in the steppes of the Volga region
The European soldiers came there with a unit of Mongol warriors (which was a frequent
occasion with Genoan mercenaries from the Crimea) The Mongol warriors brought portable
siege engines to storm the outpost
The soldiers bring an arcuballista which is followed by the trebuchet Perhaps the stone
throwing engine with the help of which the women of Toulouse smashed the head of count
Simon de Montfort the legendary leader of the Crusaders looked very much the same
This unfortunate episode also took place in the 13th
century and to be absolutely precise
on June 25 1218
Having bombarded the outpost with the trebuchet projectiles the Mongols gave the European
foot soldiers the opportunity to attack it while the outpost defenders were still dazed A brief
skirmish and the outpost is takenhellip The Russian warriors retreat to the steppe Another
spell of fighting Only a handful of Russian warriors remainhellip And at the last moment
another Russian unit comes to the aid of the outpost
Irsquod better give the floor to Galina who came to the festival with her 4-year-old son Timothy
ldquoTimothy absolutely believed what he saw I myself felt enthralled ndash everything looked so
real
During the battle when only two Russian warriors remained fighting back to back
surrounded by enemies Tim thought they were about to perish and went to their aid
Photo link httpvkcomphoto7768284_287885078
White as a sheet he breathed out Im coming Hold on And ran to the rescuehellip
I could barely catch him It was hard to calm him down to persuade him it was all make-
believe
When the cavalry came to the rescue I said ldquoLook they are fine now Victoryrdquo You should
have seen the triumph and relief in his eyes
Thats how our long awaited festival ended
The spectators got into their cars and buses and went home ndash some to Samara some to
Togliatti some to Ulyanovskhellip
Photos by Olga Borisenkova Georgy Korobov Olga Nemkova Yulia Timirkhanova
Svetlana Makoveyeva Maria Gomolova Irina Yashina Natalia Kalmykova Alexey
Pleshkov Andrey Surin Ekaterina Orlova Tatiana Besschastnaya Vadim Kozin Evgeny
Krasnikov Alexandra Bunayeva Denis Khramov Nina Gubanova Yuri Chikin Ildar
Hassanov Ivan Yegorov Mikhail Pishchakov Mikhail Puzankov Olesya Strelchenko
Thank you all
Many thanks to the musicians who entertained the spectators They are Yegor Strelnikov
(psaltery Moscow) ldquoMusica Radicumrdquo (folk group Saint Petersburg)
Photo link httpcs304606userapicomv30460642737cah2D-hgjQpRsjpg
Photo link httpcs317423userapicomv31742302020a1HFnxYFD_uS0jpg
ldquoThe Eastrdquo
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Stupino)
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoSuzdalskaya Druzhina (Suzdal Host)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS ldquoTruvorrdquo (Orenburg)
LHS ldquoVityaz (Russian Knight)rdquo (Kazan)
LHS ldquoSlovenerdquo (Novokuibyshevsk)
Association ldquoNORD Rusrdquo (Samara)
ldquoMjollnirrdquo (Samara)
Individual participants
ldquoThe Westrdquo
LHS ldquoAtlit ndash Zamok Palomnika (Atlit - Pilgrimrsquos Castle)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS laquoNovum castrumraquo (Zheleznodorozhny)
LHS ldquoStary Svet (The Old World Company)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoDostoyanie (Heritage)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoFlamandtsy (The Flemings)rdquo (Odintsovo)
Individual participants
Special thanks to the artisans
Association ldquoMir masterov (World of Masters)rdquo (Samara)
ldquoNizhegorodskaya Artel Oruzheinikov (Armourersrsquo Artel)rdquo (Nizhny Novgorod)
Our valiant steeds came from ldquoRusskaya Sloboda (Russian Village)rdquo (Samara) and equestrian
club (Borskoe)
Thank you all guys for war and peace for merry feasts and fair competition
The festival took place on the 19 August 2012 near Stary Booyan in the Krasnoyarsky district
of the Samara Region
Next year our festival will be held again and we expect that our friends from Poland
Ukraine Belarus and Japan will be able to come So if you are interested in the 13th century
re-enactment welcome to Samara ldquoBattle Skill ndash 2013rdquo
Release Date May 11
th 2013
The second trial was ldquoThe Saracenrdquo (This is a spear game the accuracy of lance thrust is
evaluated)
Let me draw your attention to the fact that tournament lances have no heads and this is not
by chance
Just think of the force of the blow a mounted rider strikes when going at full canter
The spearhead passes through the target like a knife through butter Then one of the two
things will surely happen either the lance is stuck and the warrior gets thrown or loses his
lance or ldquoThe Saracen gets wrenched out of the earth Nobody wants it
Trial Three - mounted cutting
Itrsquos interesting that this exercise expressly shows the difference between a sword and a sabre
A sabre due to its characteristic curve of the blade cuts the head of cabbage neatly in two
But the sword chopping blows crush grind the head of cabbage
To some extent the difference is so marked because the sword blades at the festival werenrsquot
honed Honed sword blades also cut very neatly On the other hand a sabre is meant for
slashing blows and weighing less than a sword cuts very efficiently
In the photo you can see the ldquoLegendrdquo posadnik Maxim wearing a red mantle By the way he
won the ridersrsquo competition
Just in case let me explain who posadnik is The word is derived from the word posad
(pronounced as pah-lsquosad) In Russia ldquoposadrdquo was the part of town where most of the
citizens lived There was also a krom (kremlin) or citadel but only the prince with his
household and his host lived there and in the time of an enemy invasion the people flocked
to the citadel seeking protection In short posadnik is the head of the civil authority of the
town
Siege engine and storm
After the horsemenrsquos contest a ten-minute break was declared during which the audience had
a chance to walk around the festival lawn and the participants - to prepare for the impending
battle
According to our idea all the participants able to hold weapons were to meet on the
battlefield in the mass battle
Among them was the team of a medieval siege engine into which Utah Iwasaki seamlessly
blended
Thatrsquos what arcuballista looks like as seen by its aimer
The arcuballista team was under command of Vadim Sinichkin head of the living history
society ldquoSlovenerdquo from Novokuibyshevsk This society built all the siege engines of the
festival
ldquoWe are a small society that is why our only chance to influence the outcome of the battle is
to bombard the adversary with trebuchet and arcuballista projectiles We have adjusted those
things for throwing projectiles for 50 metres ndash contemporary living history festivals seldom
require more powerful siege engines with a longer range They are also rather convenient in
transportation - they can be taken apart and the parts fit on the floor of a mini-bus Thatrsquos
how actually we brought them hererdquo
The final battle
About 4 pm the master of ceremonies announced the last battle of the festival He said that
all the warriors of the festival would cross swords and break spears in the final melee The
3000 spectators began to fill the slope of the hill which became a natural amphitheater
The legend of the final battle was as follows it was a very ordinary event for the troubled
13th century A squad of European soldiers assaulted a Russian frontier guard outpost
located in the steppes of the Volga region
The European soldiers came there with a unit of Mongol warriors (which was a frequent
occasion with Genoan mercenaries from the Crimea) The Mongol warriors brought portable
siege engines to storm the outpost
The soldiers bring an arcuballista which is followed by the trebuchet Perhaps the stone
throwing engine with the help of which the women of Toulouse smashed the head of count
Simon de Montfort the legendary leader of the Crusaders looked very much the same
This unfortunate episode also took place in the 13th
century and to be absolutely precise
on June 25 1218
Having bombarded the outpost with the trebuchet projectiles the Mongols gave the European
foot soldiers the opportunity to attack it while the outpost defenders were still dazed A brief
skirmish and the outpost is takenhellip The Russian warriors retreat to the steppe Another
spell of fighting Only a handful of Russian warriors remainhellip And at the last moment
another Russian unit comes to the aid of the outpost
Irsquod better give the floor to Galina who came to the festival with her 4-year-old son Timothy
ldquoTimothy absolutely believed what he saw I myself felt enthralled ndash everything looked so
real
During the battle when only two Russian warriors remained fighting back to back
surrounded by enemies Tim thought they were about to perish and went to their aid
Photo link httpvkcomphoto7768284_287885078
White as a sheet he breathed out Im coming Hold on And ran to the rescuehellip
I could barely catch him It was hard to calm him down to persuade him it was all make-
believe
When the cavalry came to the rescue I said ldquoLook they are fine now Victoryrdquo You should
have seen the triumph and relief in his eyes
Thats how our long awaited festival ended
The spectators got into their cars and buses and went home ndash some to Samara some to
Togliatti some to Ulyanovskhellip
Photos by Olga Borisenkova Georgy Korobov Olga Nemkova Yulia Timirkhanova
Svetlana Makoveyeva Maria Gomolova Irina Yashina Natalia Kalmykova Alexey
Pleshkov Andrey Surin Ekaterina Orlova Tatiana Besschastnaya Vadim Kozin Evgeny
Krasnikov Alexandra Bunayeva Denis Khramov Nina Gubanova Yuri Chikin Ildar
Hassanov Ivan Yegorov Mikhail Pishchakov Mikhail Puzankov Olesya Strelchenko
Thank you all
Many thanks to the musicians who entertained the spectators They are Yegor Strelnikov
(psaltery Moscow) ldquoMusica Radicumrdquo (folk group Saint Petersburg)
Photo link httpcs304606userapicomv30460642737cah2D-hgjQpRsjpg
Photo link httpcs317423userapicomv31742302020a1HFnxYFD_uS0jpg
ldquoThe Eastrdquo
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Stupino)
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoSuzdalskaya Druzhina (Suzdal Host)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS ldquoTruvorrdquo (Orenburg)
LHS ldquoVityaz (Russian Knight)rdquo (Kazan)
LHS ldquoSlovenerdquo (Novokuibyshevsk)
Association ldquoNORD Rusrdquo (Samara)
ldquoMjollnirrdquo (Samara)
Individual participants
ldquoThe Westrdquo
LHS ldquoAtlit ndash Zamok Palomnika (Atlit - Pilgrimrsquos Castle)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS laquoNovum castrumraquo (Zheleznodorozhny)
LHS ldquoStary Svet (The Old World Company)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoDostoyanie (Heritage)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoFlamandtsy (The Flemings)rdquo (Odintsovo)
Individual participants
Special thanks to the artisans
Association ldquoMir masterov (World of Masters)rdquo (Samara)
ldquoNizhegorodskaya Artel Oruzheinikov (Armourersrsquo Artel)rdquo (Nizhny Novgorod)
Our valiant steeds came from ldquoRusskaya Sloboda (Russian Village)rdquo (Samara) and equestrian
club (Borskoe)
Thank you all guys for war and peace for merry feasts and fair competition
The festival took place on the 19 August 2012 near Stary Booyan in the Krasnoyarsky district
of the Samara Region
Next year our festival will be held again and we expect that our friends from Poland
Ukraine Belarus and Japan will be able to come So if you are interested in the 13th century
re-enactment welcome to Samara ldquoBattle Skill ndash 2013rdquo
Release Date May 11
th 2013
To some extent the difference is so marked because the sword blades at the festival werenrsquot
honed Honed sword blades also cut very neatly On the other hand a sabre is meant for
slashing blows and weighing less than a sword cuts very efficiently
In the photo you can see the ldquoLegendrdquo posadnik Maxim wearing a red mantle By the way he
won the ridersrsquo competition
Just in case let me explain who posadnik is The word is derived from the word posad
(pronounced as pah-lsquosad) In Russia ldquoposadrdquo was the part of town where most of the
citizens lived There was also a krom (kremlin) or citadel but only the prince with his
household and his host lived there and in the time of an enemy invasion the people flocked
to the citadel seeking protection In short posadnik is the head of the civil authority of the
town
Siege engine and storm
After the horsemenrsquos contest a ten-minute break was declared during which the audience had
a chance to walk around the festival lawn and the participants - to prepare for the impending
battle
According to our idea all the participants able to hold weapons were to meet on the
battlefield in the mass battle
Among them was the team of a medieval siege engine into which Utah Iwasaki seamlessly
blended
Thatrsquos what arcuballista looks like as seen by its aimer
The arcuballista team was under command of Vadim Sinichkin head of the living history
society ldquoSlovenerdquo from Novokuibyshevsk This society built all the siege engines of the
festival
ldquoWe are a small society that is why our only chance to influence the outcome of the battle is
to bombard the adversary with trebuchet and arcuballista projectiles We have adjusted those
things for throwing projectiles for 50 metres ndash contemporary living history festivals seldom
require more powerful siege engines with a longer range They are also rather convenient in
transportation - they can be taken apart and the parts fit on the floor of a mini-bus Thatrsquos
how actually we brought them hererdquo
The final battle
About 4 pm the master of ceremonies announced the last battle of the festival He said that
all the warriors of the festival would cross swords and break spears in the final melee The
3000 spectators began to fill the slope of the hill which became a natural amphitheater
The legend of the final battle was as follows it was a very ordinary event for the troubled
13th century A squad of European soldiers assaulted a Russian frontier guard outpost
located in the steppes of the Volga region
The European soldiers came there with a unit of Mongol warriors (which was a frequent
occasion with Genoan mercenaries from the Crimea) The Mongol warriors brought portable
siege engines to storm the outpost
The soldiers bring an arcuballista which is followed by the trebuchet Perhaps the stone
throwing engine with the help of which the women of Toulouse smashed the head of count
Simon de Montfort the legendary leader of the Crusaders looked very much the same
This unfortunate episode also took place in the 13th
century and to be absolutely precise
on June 25 1218
Having bombarded the outpost with the trebuchet projectiles the Mongols gave the European
foot soldiers the opportunity to attack it while the outpost defenders were still dazed A brief
skirmish and the outpost is takenhellip The Russian warriors retreat to the steppe Another
spell of fighting Only a handful of Russian warriors remainhellip And at the last moment
another Russian unit comes to the aid of the outpost
Irsquod better give the floor to Galina who came to the festival with her 4-year-old son Timothy
ldquoTimothy absolutely believed what he saw I myself felt enthralled ndash everything looked so
real
During the battle when only two Russian warriors remained fighting back to back
surrounded by enemies Tim thought they were about to perish and went to their aid
Photo link httpvkcomphoto7768284_287885078
White as a sheet he breathed out Im coming Hold on And ran to the rescuehellip
I could barely catch him It was hard to calm him down to persuade him it was all make-
believe
When the cavalry came to the rescue I said ldquoLook they are fine now Victoryrdquo You should
have seen the triumph and relief in his eyes
Thats how our long awaited festival ended
The spectators got into their cars and buses and went home ndash some to Samara some to
Togliatti some to Ulyanovskhellip
Photos by Olga Borisenkova Georgy Korobov Olga Nemkova Yulia Timirkhanova
Svetlana Makoveyeva Maria Gomolova Irina Yashina Natalia Kalmykova Alexey
Pleshkov Andrey Surin Ekaterina Orlova Tatiana Besschastnaya Vadim Kozin Evgeny
Krasnikov Alexandra Bunayeva Denis Khramov Nina Gubanova Yuri Chikin Ildar
Hassanov Ivan Yegorov Mikhail Pishchakov Mikhail Puzankov Olesya Strelchenko
Thank you all
Many thanks to the musicians who entertained the spectators They are Yegor Strelnikov
(psaltery Moscow) ldquoMusica Radicumrdquo (folk group Saint Petersburg)
Photo link httpcs304606userapicomv30460642737cah2D-hgjQpRsjpg
Photo link httpcs317423userapicomv31742302020a1HFnxYFD_uS0jpg
ldquoThe Eastrdquo
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Stupino)
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoSuzdalskaya Druzhina (Suzdal Host)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS ldquoTruvorrdquo (Orenburg)
LHS ldquoVityaz (Russian Knight)rdquo (Kazan)
LHS ldquoSlovenerdquo (Novokuibyshevsk)
Association ldquoNORD Rusrdquo (Samara)
ldquoMjollnirrdquo (Samara)
Individual participants
ldquoThe Westrdquo
LHS ldquoAtlit ndash Zamok Palomnika (Atlit - Pilgrimrsquos Castle)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS laquoNovum castrumraquo (Zheleznodorozhny)
LHS ldquoStary Svet (The Old World Company)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoDostoyanie (Heritage)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoFlamandtsy (The Flemings)rdquo (Odintsovo)
Individual participants
Special thanks to the artisans
Association ldquoMir masterov (World of Masters)rdquo (Samara)
ldquoNizhegorodskaya Artel Oruzheinikov (Armourersrsquo Artel)rdquo (Nizhny Novgorod)
Our valiant steeds came from ldquoRusskaya Sloboda (Russian Village)rdquo (Samara) and equestrian
club (Borskoe)
Thank you all guys for war and peace for merry feasts and fair competition
The festival took place on the 19 August 2012 near Stary Booyan in the Krasnoyarsky district
of the Samara Region
Next year our festival will be held again and we expect that our friends from Poland
Ukraine Belarus and Japan will be able to come So if you are interested in the 13th century
re-enactment welcome to Samara ldquoBattle Skill ndash 2013rdquo
Release Date May 11
th 2013
Just in case let me explain who posadnik is The word is derived from the word posad
(pronounced as pah-lsquosad) In Russia ldquoposadrdquo was the part of town where most of the
citizens lived There was also a krom (kremlin) or citadel but only the prince with his
household and his host lived there and in the time of an enemy invasion the people flocked
to the citadel seeking protection In short posadnik is the head of the civil authority of the
town
Siege engine and storm
After the horsemenrsquos contest a ten-minute break was declared during which the audience had
a chance to walk around the festival lawn and the participants - to prepare for the impending
battle
According to our idea all the participants able to hold weapons were to meet on the
battlefield in the mass battle
Among them was the team of a medieval siege engine into which Utah Iwasaki seamlessly
blended
Thatrsquos what arcuballista looks like as seen by its aimer
The arcuballista team was under command of Vadim Sinichkin head of the living history
society ldquoSlovenerdquo from Novokuibyshevsk This society built all the siege engines of the
festival
ldquoWe are a small society that is why our only chance to influence the outcome of the battle is
to bombard the adversary with trebuchet and arcuballista projectiles We have adjusted those
things for throwing projectiles for 50 metres ndash contemporary living history festivals seldom
require more powerful siege engines with a longer range They are also rather convenient in
transportation - they can be taken apart and the parts fit on the floor of a mini-bus Thatrsquos
how actually we brought them hererdquo
The final battle
About 4 pm the master of ceremonies announced the last battle of the festival He said that
all the warriors of the festival would cross swords and break spears in the final melee The
3000 spectators began to fill the slope of the hill which became a natural amphitheater
The legend of the final battle was as follows it was a very ordinary event for the troubled
13th century A squad of European soldiers assaulted a Russian frontier guard outpost
located in the steppes of the Volga region
The European soldiers came there with a unit of Mongol warriors (which was a frequent
occasion with Genoan mercenaries from the Crimea) The Mongol warriors brought portable
siege engines to storm the outpost
The soldiers bring an arcuballista which is followed by the trebuchet Perhaps the stone
throwing engine with the help of which the women of Toulouse smashed the head of count
Simon de Montfort the legendary leader of the Crusaders looked very much the same
This unfortunate episode also took place in the 13th
century and to be absolutely precise
on June 25 1218
Having bombarded the outpost with the trebuchet projectiles the Mongols gave the European
foot soldiers the opportunity to attack it while the outpost defenders were still dazed A brief
skirmish and the outpost is takenhellip The Russian warriors retreat to the steppe Another
spell of fighting Only a handful of Russian warriors remainhellip And at the last moment
another Russian unit comes to the aid of the outpost
Irsquod better give the floor to Galina who came to the festival with her 4-year-old son Timothy
ldquoTimothy absolutely believed what he saw I myself felt enthralled ndash everything looked so
real
During the battle when only two Russian warriors remained fighting back to back
surrounded by enemies Tim thought they were about to perish and went to their aid
Photo link httpvkcomphoto7768284_287885078
White as a sheet he breathed out Im coming Hold on And ran to the rescuehellip
I could barely catch him It was hard to calm him down to persuade him it was all make-
believe
When the cavalry came to the rescue I said ldquoLook they are fine now Victoryrdquo You should
have seen the triumph and relief in his eyes
Thats how our long awaited festival ended
The spectators got into their cars and buses and went home ndash some to Samara some to
Togliatti some to Ulyanovskhellip
Photos by Olga Borisenkova Georgy Korobov Olga Nemkova Yulia Timirkhanova
Svetlana Makoveyeva Maria Gomolova Irina Yashina Natalia Kalmykova Alexey
Pleshkov Andrey Surin Ekaterina Orlova Tatiana Besschastnaya Vadim Kozin Evgeny
Krasnikov Alexandra Bunayeva Denis Khramov Nina Gubanova Yuri Chikin Ildar
Hassanov Ivan Yegorov Mikhail Pishchakov Mikhail Puzankov Olesya Strelchenko
Thank you all
Many thanks to the musicians who entertained the spectators They are Yegor Strelnikov
(psaltery Moscow) ldquoMusica Radicumrdquo (folk group Saint Petersburg)
Photo link httpcs304606userapicomv30460642737cah2D-hgjQpRsjpg
Photo link httpcs317423userapicomv31742302020a1HFnxYFD_uS0jpg
ldquoThe Eastrdquo
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Stupino)
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoSuzdalskaya Druzhina (Suzdal Host)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS ldquoTruvorrdquo (Orenburg)
LHS ldquoVityaz (Russian Knight)rdquo (Kazan)
LHS ldquoSlovenerdquo (Novokuibyshevsk)
Association ldquoNORD Rusrdquo (Samara)
ldquoMjollnirrdquo (Samara)
Individual participants
ldquoThe Westrdquo
LHS ldquoAtlit ndash Zamok Palomnika (Atlit - Pilgrimrsquos Castle)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS laquoNovum castrumraquo (Zheleznodorozhny)
LHS ldquoStary Svet (The Old World Company)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoDostoyanie (Heritage)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoFlamandtsy (The Flemings)rdquo (Odintsovo)
Individual participants
Special thanks to the artisans
Association ldquoMir masterov (World of Masters)rdquo (Samara)
ldquoNizhegorodskaya Artel Oruzheinikov (Armourersrsquo Artel)rdquo (Nizhny Novgorod)
Our valiant steeds came from ldquoRusskaya Sloboda (Russian Village)rdquo (Samara) and equestrian
club (Borskoe)
Thank you all guys for war and peace for merry feasts and fair competition
The festival took place on the 19 August 2012 near Stary Booyan in the Krasnoyarsky district
of the Samara Region
Next year our festival will be held again and we expect that our friends from Poland
Ukraine Belarus and Japan will be able to come So if you are interested in the 13th century
re-enactment welcome to Samara ldquoBattle Skill ndash 2013rdquo
Release Date May 11
th 2013
require more powerful siege engines with a longer range They are also rather convenient in
transportation - they can be taken apart and the parts fit on the floor of a mini-bus Thatrsquos
how actually we brought them hererdquo
The final battle
About 4 pm the master of ceremonies announced the last battle of the festival He said that
all the warriors of the festival would cross swords and break spears in the final melee The
3000 spectators began to fill the slope of the hill which became a natural amphitheater
The legend of the final battle was as follows it was a very ordinary event for the troubled
13th century A squad of European soldiers assaulted a Russian frontier guard outpost
located in the steppes of the Volga region
The European soldiers came there with a unit of Mongol warriors (which was a frequent
occasion with Genoan mercenaries from the Crimea) The Mongol warriors brought portable
siege engines to storm the outpost
The soldiers bring an arcuballista which is followed by the trebuchet Perhaps the stone
throwing engine with the help of which the women of Toulouse smashed the head of count
Simon de Montfort the legendary leader of the Crusaders looked very much the same
This unfortunate episode also took place in the 13th
century and to be absolutely precise
on June 25 1218
Having bombarded the outpost with the trebuchet projectiles the Mongols gave the European
foot soldiers the opportunity to attack it while the outpost defenders were still dazed A brief
skirmish and the outpost is takenhellip The Russian warriors retreat to the steppe Another
spell of fighting Only a handful of Russian warriors remainhellip And at the last moment
another Russian unit comes to the aid of the outpost
Irsquod better give the floor to Galina who came to the festival with her 4-year-old son Timothy
ldquoTimothy absolutely believed what he saw I myself felt enthralled ndash everything looked so
real
During the battle when only two Russian warriors remained fighting back to back
surrounded by enemies Tim thought they were about to perish and went to their aid
Photo link httpvkcomphoto7768284_287885078
White as a sheet he breathed out Im coming Hold on And ran to the rescuehellip
I could barely catch him It was hard to calm him down to persuade him it was all make-
believe
When the cavalry came to the rescue I said ldquoLook they are fine now Victoryrdquo You should
have seen the triumph and relief in his eyes
Thats how our long awaited festival ended
The spectators got into their cars and buses and went home ndash some to Samara some to
Togliatti some to Ulyanovskhellip
Photos by Olga Borisenkova Georgy Korobov Olga Nemkova Yulia Timirkhanova
Svetlana Makoveyeva Maria Gomolova Irina Yashina Natalia Kalmykova Alexey
Pleshkov Andrey Surin Ekaterina Orlova Tatiana Besschastnaya Vadim Kozin Evgeny
Krasnikov Alexandra Bunayeva Denis Khramov Nina Gubanova Yuri Chikin Ildar
Hassanov Ivan Yegorov Mikhail Pishchakov Mikhail Puzankov Olesya Strelchenko
Thank you all
Many thanks to the musicians who entertained the spectators They are Yegor Strelnikov
(psaltery Moscow) ldquoMusica Radicumrdquo (folk group Saint Petersburg)
Photo link httpcs304606userapicomv30460642737cah2D-hgjQpRsjpg
Photo link httpcs317423userapicomv31742302020a1HFnxYFD_uS0jpg
ldquoThe Eastrdquo
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Stupino)
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoSuzdalskaya Druzhina (Suzdal Host)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS ldquoTruvorrdquo (Orenburg)
LHS ldquoVityaz (Russian Knight)rdquo (Kazan)
LHS ldquoSlovenerdquo (Novokuibyshevsk)
Association ldquoNORD Rusrdquo (Samara)
ldquoMjollnirrdquo (Samara)
Individual participants
ldquoThe Westrdquo
LHS ldquoAtlit ndash Zamok Palomnika (Atlit - Pilgrimrsquos Castle)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS laquoNovum castrumraquo (Zheleznodorozhny)
LHS ldquoStary Svet (The Old World Company)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoDostoyanie (Heritage)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoFlamandtsy (The Flemings)rdquo (Odintsovo)
Individual participants
Special thanks to the artisans
Association ldquoMir masterov (World of Masters)rdquo (Samara)
ldquoNizhegorodskaya Artel Oruzheinikov (Armourersrsquo Artel)rdquo (Nizhny Novgorod)
Our valiant steeds came from ldquoRusskaya Sloboda (Russian Village)rdquo (Samara) and equestrian
club (Borskoe)
Thank you all guys for war and peace for merry feasts and fair competition
The festival took place on the 19 August 2012 near Stary Booyan in the Krasnoyarsky district
of the Samara Region
Next year our festival will be held again and we expect that our friends from Poland
Ukraine Belarus and Japan will be able to come So if you are interested in the 13th century
re-enactment welcome to Samara ldquoBattle Skill ndash 2013rdquo
Release Date May 11
th 2013
The soldiers bring an arcuballista which is followed by the trebuchet Perhaps the stone
throwing engine with the help of which the women of Toulouse smashed the head of count
Simon de Montfort the legendary leader of the Crusaders looked very much the same
This unfortunate episode also took place in the 13th
century and to be absolutely precise
on June 25 1218
Having bombarded the outpost with the trebuchet projectiles the Mongols gave the European
foot soldiers the opportunity to attack it while the outpost defenders were still dazed A brief
skirmish and the outpost is takenhellip The Russian warriors retreat to the steppe Another
spell of fighting Only a handful of Russian warriors remainhellip And at the last moment
another Russian unit comes to the aid of the outpost
Irsquod better give the floor to Galina who came to the festival with her 4-year-old son Timothy
ldquoTimothy absolutely believed what he saw I myself felt enthralled ndash everything looked so
real
During the battle when only two Russian warriors remained fighting back to back
surrounded by enemies Tim thought they were about to perish and went to their aid
Photo link httpvkcomphoto7768284_287885078
White as a sheet he breathed out Im coming Hold on And ran to the rescuehellip
I could barely catch him It was hard to calm him down to persuade him it was all make-
believe
When the cavalry came to the rescue I said ldquoLook they are fine now Victoryrdquo You should
have seen the triumph and relief in his eyes
Thats how our long awaited festival ended
The spectators got into their cars and buses and went home ndash some to Samara some to
Togliatti some to Ulyanovskhellip
Photos by Olga Borisenkova Georgy Korobov Olga Nemkova Yulia Timirkhanova
Svetlana Makoveyeva Maria Gomolova Irina Yashina Natalia Kalmykova Alexey
Pleshkov Andrey Surin Ekaterina Orlova Tatiana Besschastnaya Vadim Kozin Evgeny
Krasnikov Alexandra Bunayeva Denis Khramov Nina Gubanova Yuri Chikin Ildar
Hassanov Ivan Yegorov Mikhail Pishchakov Mikhail Puzankov Olesya Strelchenko
Thank you all
Many thanks to the musicians who entertained the spectators They are Yegor Strelnikov
(psaltery Moscow) ldquoMusica Radicumrdquo (folk group Saint Petersburg)
Photo link httpcs304606userapicomv30460642737cah2D-hgjQpRsjpg
Photo link httpcs317423userapicomv31742302020a1HFnxYFD_uS0jpg
ldquoThe Eastrdquo
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Stupino)
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoSuzdalskaya Druzhina (Suzdal Host)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS ldquoTruvorrdquo (Orenburg)
LHS ldquoVityaz (Russian Knight)rdquo (Kazan)
LHS ldquoSlovenerdquo (Novokuibyshevsk)
Association ldquoNORD Rusrdquo (Samara)
ldquoMjollnirrdquo (Samara)
Individual participants
ldquoThe Westrdquo
LHS ldquoAtlit ndash Zamok Palomnika (Atlit - Pilgrimrsquos Castle)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS laquoNovum castrumraquo (Zheleznodorozhny)
LHS ldquoStary Svet (The Old World Company)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoDostoyanie (Heritage)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoFlamandtsy (The Flemings)rdquo (Odintsovo)
Individual participants
Special thanks to the artisans
Association ldquoMir masterov (World of Masters)rdquo (Samara)
ldquoNizhegorodskaya Artel Oruzheinikov (Armourersrsquo Artel)rdquo (Nizhny Novgorod)
Our valiant steeds came from ldquoRusskaya Sloboda (Russian Village)rdquo (Samara) and equestrian
club (Borskoe)
Thank you all guys for war and peace for merry feasts and fair competition
The festival took place on the 19 August 2012 near Stary Booyan in the Krasnoyarsky district
of the Samara Region
Next year our festival will be held again and we expect that our friends from Poland
Ukraine Belarus and Japan will be able to come So if you are interested in the 13th century
re-enactment welcome to Samara ldquoBattle Skill ndash 2013rdquo
Release Date May 11
th 2013
During the battle when only two Russian warriors remained fighting back to back
surrounded by enemies Tim thought they were about to perish and went to their aid
Photo link httpvkcomphoto7768284_287885078
White as a sheet he breathed out Im coming Hold on And ran to the rescuehellip
I could barely catch him It was hard to calm him down to persuade him it was all make-
believe
When the cavalry came to the rescue I said ldquoLook they are fine now Victoryrdquo You should
have seen the triumph and relief in his eyes
Thats how our long awaited festival ended
The spectators got into their cars and buses and went home ndash some to Samara some to
Togliatti some to Ulyanovskhellip
Photos by Olga Borisenkova Georgy Korobov Olga Nemkova Yulia Timirkhanova
Svetlana Makoveyeva Maria Gomolova Irina Yashina Natalia Kalmykova Alexey
Pleshkov Andrey Surin Ekaterina Orlova Tatiana Besschastnaya Vadim Kozin Evgeny
Krasnikov Alexandra Bunayeva Denis Khramov Nina Gubanova Yuri Chikin Ildar
Hassanov Ivan Yegorov Mikhail Pishchakov Mikhail Puzankov Olesya Strelchenko
Thank you all
Many thanks to the musicians who entertained the spectators They are Yegor Strelnikov
(psaltery Moscow) ldquoMusica Radicumrdquo (folk group Saint Petersburg)
Photo link httpcs304606userapicomv30460642737cah2D-hgjQpRsjpg
Photo link httpcs317423userapicomv31742302020a1HFnxYFD_uS0jpg
ldquoThe Eastrdquo
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Stupino)
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoSuzdalskaya Druzhina (Suzdal Host)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS ldquoTruvorrdquo (Orenburg)
LHS ldquoVityaz (Russian Knight)rdquo (Kazan)
LHS ldquoSlovenerdquo (Novokuibyshevsk)
Association ldquoNORD Rusrdquo (Samara)
ldquoMjollnirrdquo (Samara)
Individual participants
ldquoThe Westrdquo
LHS ldquoAtlit ndash Zamok Palomnika (Atlit - Pilgrimrsquos Castle)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS laquoNovum castrumraquo (Zheleznodorozhny)
LHS ldquoStary Svet (The Old World Company)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoDostoyanie (Heritage)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoFlamandtsy (The Flemings)rdquo (Odintsovo)
Individual participants
Special thanks to the artisans
Association ldquoMir masterov (World of Masters)rdquo (Samara)
ldquoNizhegorodskaya Artel Oruzheinikov (Armourersrsquo Artel)rdquo (Nizhny Novgorod)
Our valiant steeds came from ldquoRusskaya Sloboda (Russian Village)rdquo (Samara) and equestrian
club (Borskoe)
Thank you all guys for war and peace for merry feasts and fair competition
The festival took place on the 19 August 2012 near Stary Booyan in the Krasnoyarsky district
of the Samara Region
Next year our festival will be held again and we expect that our friends from Poland
Ukraine Belarus and Japan will be able to come So if you are interested in the 13th century
re-enactment welcome to Samara ldquoBattle Skill ndash 2013rdquo
Release Date May 11
th 2013
I could barely catch him It was hard to calm him down to persuade him it was all make-
believe
When the cavalry came to the rescue I said ldquoLook they are fine now Victoryrdquo You should
have seen the triumph and relief in his eyes
Thats how our long awaited festival ended
The spectators got into their cars and buses and went home ndash some to Samara some to
Togliatti some to Ulyanovskhellip
Photos by Olga Borisenkova Georgy Korobov Olga Nemkova Yulia Timirkhanova
Svetlana Makoveyeva Maria Gomolova Irina Yashina Natalia Kalmykova Alexey
Pleshkov Andrey Surin Ekaterina Orlova Tatiana Besschastnaya Vadim Kozin Evgeny
Krasnikov Alexandra Bunayeva Denis Khramov Nina Gubanova Yuri Chikin Ildar
Hassanov Ivan Yegorov Mikhail Pishchakov Mikhail Puzankov Olesya Strelchenko
Thank you all
Many thanks to the musicians who entertained the spectators They are Yegor Strelnikov
(psaltery Moscow) ldquoMusica Radicumrdquo (folk group Saint Petersburg)
Photo link httpcs304606userapicomv30460642737cah2D-hgjQpRsjpg
Photo link httpcs317423userapicomv31742302020a1HFnxYFD_uS0jpg
ldquoThe Eastrdquo
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Stupino)
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoSuzdalskaya Druzhina (Suzdal Host)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS ldquoTruvorrdquo (Orenburg)
LHS ldquoVityaz (Russian Knight)rdquo (Kazan)
LHS ldquoSlovenerdquo (Novokuibyshevsk)
Association ldquoNORD Rusrdquo (Samara)
ldquoMjollnirrdquo (Samara)
Individual participants
ldquoThe Westrdquo
LHS ldquoAtlit ndash Zamok Palomnika (Atlit - Pilgrimrsquos Castle)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS laquoNovum castrumraquo (Zheleznodorozhny)
LHS ldquoStary Svet (The Old World Company)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoDostoyanie (Heritage)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoFlamandtsy (The Flemings)rdquo (Odintsovo)
Individual participants
Special thanks to the artisans
Association ldquoMir masterov (World of Masters)rdquo (Samara)
ldquoNizhegorodskaya Artel Oruzheinikov (Armourersrsquo Artel)rdquo (Nizhny Novgorod)
Our valiant steeds came from ldquoRusskaya Sloboda (Russian Village)rdquo (Samara) and equestrian
club (Borskoe)
Thank you all guys for war and peace for merry feasts and fair competition
The festival took place on the 19 August 2012 near Stary Booyan in the Krasnoyarsky district
of the Samara Region
Next year our festival will be held again and we expect that our friends from Poland
Ukraine Belarus and Japan will be able to come So if you are interested in the 13th century
re-enactment welcome to Samara ldquoBattle Skill ndash 2013rdquo
Release Date May 11
th 2013
Photo link httpcs317423userapicomv31742302020a1HFnxYFD_uS0jpg
ldquoThe Eastrdquo
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Stupino)
LHS ldquoLegendrdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoSuzdalskaya Druzhina (Suzdal Host)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS ldquoTruvorrdquo (Orenburg)
LHS ldquoVityaz (Russian Knight)rdquo (Kazan)
LHS ldquoSlovenerdquo (Novokuibyshevsk)
Association ldquoNORD Rusrdquo (Samara)
ldquoMjollnirrdquo (Samara)
Individual participants
ldquoThe Westrdquo
LHS ldquoAtlit ndash Zamok Palomnika (Atlit - Pilgrimrsquos Castle)rdquo (Moscow)
LHS laquoNovum castrumraquo (Zheleznodorozhny)
LHS ldquoStary Svet (The Old World Company)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoDostoyanie (Heritage)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoFlamandtsy (The Flemings)rdquo (Odintsovo)
Individual participants
Special thanks to the artisans
Association ldquoMir masterov (World of Masters)rdquo (Samara)
ldquoNizhegorodskaya Artel Oruzheinikov (Armourersrsquo Artel)rdquo (Nizhny Novgorod)
Our valiant steeds came from ldquoRusskaya Sloboda (Russian Village)rdquo (Samara) and equestrian
club (Borskoe)
Thank you all guys for war and peace for merry feasts and fair competition
The festival took place on the 19 August 2012 near Stary Booyan in the Krasnoyarsky district
of the Samara Region
Next year our festival will be held again and we expect that our friends from Poland
Ukraine Belarus and Japan will be able to come So if you are interested in the 13th century
re-enactment welcome to Samara ldquoBattle Skill ndash 2013rdquo
Release Date May 11
th 2013
LHS laquoNovum castrumraquo (Zheleznodorozhny)
LHS ldquoStary Svet (The Old World Company)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoDostoyanie (Heritage)rdquo (Samara)
LHS ldquoFlamandtsy (The Flemings)rdquo (Odintsovo)
Individual participants
Special thanks to the artisans
Association ldquoMir masterov (World of Masters)rdquo (Samara)
ldquoNizhegorodskaya Artel Oruzheinikov (Armourersrsquo Artel)rdquo (Nizhny Novgorod)
Our valiant steeds came from ldquoRusskaya Sloboda (Russian Village)rdquo (Samara) and equestrian
club (Borskoe)
Thank you all guys for war and peace for merry feasts and fair competition
The festival took place on the 19 August 2012 near Stary Booyan in the Krasnoyarsky district
of the Samara Region
Next year our festival will be held again and we expect that our friends from Poland
Ukraine Belarus and Japan will be able to come So if you are interested in the 13th century
re-enactment welcome to Samara ldquoBattle Skill ndash 2013rdquo
Release Date May 11
th 2013
Release Date May 11
th 2013
