‘Soldier at a Medieval Faire’
Arms, armor, armour, aventail, Blacktown, Blacktown Medieval Fayre, camail, chain mail, chainmail, combat, entertainment, helmet, honour, medieval costume, medieval fair, New South Wales, Norman style helmet, NSW, Nurragingy Reserve, re-enactment, reenactment, Richard Taylor, Sydney, war, warfare, Western Sydney
This is a ‘frozen’ combat image taken at the Blacktown Medieval Fayre by photographer Richard Taylor in 2011. It depicts a participant dressed in a Norman style helmet complete with a chainmail collar known as an avential or camal, and engaged in combat. The participants and combatants in medieval re-enactment groups generally pay considerable attention to detail. Their clothing and war gear is researched and often handcrafted, and when it comes to re-enacting ‘combat’ all bouts are marshalled. However, the combat is also based on an honour system, in which “every fighter must decide which blows hit hard enough for him to yield or fall dead†(For more on this, see Patrick O’Donnell, The Knights Next Door: Everyday People Living Middle Ages Dreams, Lincoln, iUniverse Inc., 2004). Re-enacted combat combines medieval fighting techniques and entertainment. In Medieval Fantasy as Performance: The Society for Creative Anachronism and the Current Middle Ages (Lanham, The Scarecrow Press, 2010), Michael Cramer observes that participation in creative anachronistic events is largely performance-driven (p.xii). That is to say, historical re-enactment is essentially theatre, and this is a significant part of the appeal.
The Blacktown Medieval Fayre is billed as “a world of medieval magic,†and is part of the annual Blacktown Fiesta, an eight day extravaganza hosted by Blacktown City Council. It is just one of several interesting medieval events held throughout the country at different times of the year.
Taylor, Richard
21 May 2011
© Richard Taylor. Some rights reserved dicktay2000
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‘The old soldier’ at the Blacktown Medieval Fayre
Arms, armor, armour, Blacktown Medieval Fayre, byrnie, chain mail, chainmail, coif, combat, fair, haubergeon, hauberk, helmet, medieval costume, New South Wales, Norman style helmet, NSW, Nurragingy Reserve, re-enactment, re-enactment, soldier, Sydney, war, warfare
This is one of a series of pre-action photographs taken by photographer Richard Taylor at Nurragingy Reserve in 2011. It shows an ‘old warrior’ displaying steely determination to survive a potentially dangerous encounter. The subject of the photograph is a participant at the Blacktown Medieval Fayre. He wears a chainmail hood (a coif) and shirt (hauberk or haubergeon), and a Norman style helmet. Chain mail was used extensively in the middle ages to fashion protective garments by interlocking thousands of metal rings to form a meshed material. Chainmail garments were worn by medieval knights and soldiers as body armour until chainmail was gradually superseded by plate armour in the fourteenth century.
The Blacktown Medieval Fayre is billed as “a world of medieval magic,†and is part of the annual Blacktown Fiesta, an eight day extravaganza hosted by Blacktown City Council. It is just one of several interesting medieval events held throughout the country at different times of the year.
Taylor, Richard
21 May 2011
© Richard Taylor. Some rights reserved dicktay2000
Hyperlink
‘The Warrior’
Adelaide Hills, Anglo-Saxons, arms, armor, armour, axe, Battle of Hastings, Bayeux Tapestry, chain mail, chainmail, francisca, Franks, gloves, Gumeracha Medieval Fair, knife, long knife, medieval fair, mitons, Normans, re-enactment, reenactment, SA, seax, South Australia, throwing axe, Wendi Donaldson
This photo, taken by photographer Wendi Donaldson at the Gumeracha Medieval Fair in South Australia in May 2011, provides a unique glimpse of a ‘living’ early medieval warrior (who could be from almost anywhere in Europe). It depicts a participant at the Fair wearing chain-mail gloves, known as mitons, and a ‘Norman’ style helmet complete with the distinctive nasal bar which was designed to protect the face from injury. He carries a francisca throwing axe, which is a weapon that was developed by the Franks but also used by early Anglo-Saxons, in one hand and a second weapon that is not clear but that is probably a long knife known as a seax (given the sheath tied to his belt) in the other. Great care is taken by festival organisers and participants alike to ensure that costumes and weapons are within the recognised parameters of the era; however, this warrior does mix early medieval chronologies. For example, both Anglo-Saxons and Normans are depicted wearing this style of helmet in the Bayeaux Tapestry at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, but no-one in the Tapestry has chain-mail gloves.
The Gumeracha Medieval Fair is an annual event sponsored by the Adelaide Hills Council. The Fair features a host of re-enactment groups from around the world, including handcraft stallholders, wandering musicians and entertainers. This is just one of several interesting medieval events held throughout the country at different times of the year.
Donaldson, Wendi
May 2011
© All images copyright Wendi Donaldson 2011
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The Esford Armoury ‘Knights Templar’ Range
arms, armoury, Brisbane, chain mail, chainmail, cloak, Crusades, dagger, Esford Armoury, Holy Land, hood, knights, Knights Templar, mail coat, medieval clothing, military order, Order of the Temple, Queensland, QLD, re-enactment society, red cross, shield, soldiers of Christ, surcoat, sword, war, warfare, weapons
This website advertises a range of Knights Templar garb and weaponry that has been designed with the guidance of ‘The Knights Templar’, a Brisbane-based re-enactment society. The Knights Templar formed what was arguably the most powerful and well-known of the Christian military orders in the medieval period. The order was endorsed by the Catholic Church in the early twelfth century and was particularly active during the Crusades. The clothing adopted by the Templar Knights was distinctive, consisting of a white surcoat with a red cross. Most of this ‘war gear’ is visually self-explanatory, thanks to films such as The Kingdom of Heaven (2003), which depicts crusading knights playing politics and fighting Saladin in the Holy Land. The Esford online catalogue promotes their version of the Templar sword, dagger, helmet, gambeson, surcoat, and hooded cloak. The purpose of the surcoat was initially to protect the wearer from the sun, although the practice was quickly adopted elsewhere, even in the northern lands where the climate did not warrant such precautions (See Mark Cruse, ‘Material Culture’ in Albrecht Classen, ed. Handbook of Medieval Studies: Terms, Methods, Trends, Vol. 1., Berlin, De Gruyter, 2010, p.841). Curiously, there are two essential items missing from the Templar’s equipment: a mail coat and a red cross emblazoned triangular shield.
Esford Swords and Armoury, Brisbane
November, 2011
Esford Swords and Armoury, 2011
Hyperlink
English
Medieval Fighting Display
armament, armour, arms, axe, battle, battle-axe, breastplate, combat, dagger, defensive armament, demonstration, display, gauntlet, halberd, handcrafted, helmet, knight, metalwork, medieval weapon, misericord, pauldron, Perth, Perth Medieval Fayre, plate armour, poleaxe, re-creation, recreation, rerebrace, sallet, soldier, staff weapons, sword, The Grey Company, throwing axe, vambrace, WA, WAMA, warfare, weaponry, Western Australia, Western Australian Medieval Alliance
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">A medieval combat demonstration performed by members of The Grey Company at the Perth Medieval Fayre. The participants here are wearing circa fifteenth-century sallet style helmets and various articles of plate armour, including breastplates to protect the chest, gauntlets to protect the hands, vambraces covering the arm from the wrist to the elbow, rerebraces extending from the elbow up to the shoulder, pauldrons to protect the shoulder and plate cuisses to cover their legs. They are fighting with examples of medieval weaponry ranging from one- and two-handed swords to throwing axes and halberds. The Grey Company is a historical re-enactment group specialising in the weapons and combat of the ‘Dark Ages’ and the medieval period more generally. For more information about The Grey Company, see </span><a href="http://greycompany.com.au/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #0000ff;">http://greycompany.com.au/</span></span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt;">. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The Perth Medieval Fayre is organised by the Western Australian Medieval Alliance (WAMA). In 2011 it was held at Supreme Court Gardens on 19 March. Enthusiasts and vendors showcased a range of medieval arts and crafts, from dancing, calligraphy and lace-making to demonstrations of the techniques, weaponry and apparel of medieval combat.</span></p>
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McEwan, Joanne
19 March 2011
No Copyright
McEwan, Joanne, "Medieval Combat at the Perth Medieval Fayre," in Medievalism in Australian Cultural Memory, Item #416,<a href="../../../items/show/416" target="_blank"> http://ausmed.arts.uwa.edu.au/items/show/416</a><br /> <br />McEwan, Joanne, "Medieval Combat Demonstration at the Perth Medieval Fayre," in Medievalism in Australian Cultural Memory, Item #417,<a href="../../../items/show/417" target="_blank"> http://ausmed.arts.uwa.edu.au/items/show/417</a><br /><br />McEwan, Joanne, "Armoured for Combat," in Medievalism in Australian Cultural Memory, Item #418, <a href="../../../items/show/418" target="_blank">http://ausmed.arts.uwa.edu.au/items/show/418</a><br /> <br />McEwan, Joanne, "Medieval Fighting Demonstration at the Perth Medieval Fayre," in Medievalism in Australian Cultural Memory, Item #419, <a href="../../../items/show/419" target="_blank">http://ausmed.arts.uwa.edu.au/items/show/419</a><br /><br />McEwan, Joanne, "Medieval Battle at the Perth Medieval Fayre," in Medievalism in Australian Cultural Memory, Item #422, <a href="../../../items/show/422" target="_blank">http://ausmed.arts.uwa.edu.au/items/show/422</a>
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Medieval Battle at the Perth Medieval Fayre
armament, armour, arms, axe, battle, battle-axe, breastplate, combat, dagger, defensive armament, demonstration, display, gauntlet, halberd, handcrafted, helmet, knight, metalwork, medieval weapon, misericord, pauldron, Perth, Perth Medieval Fayre, plate armour, poleaxe, re-creation, recreation, rerebrace, sallet, soldier, staff weapons, sword, The Grey Company, throwing axe, vambrace, WA, WAMA, warfare, weaponry, Western Australia, Western Australian Medieval Alliance
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">A medieval combat demonstration performed by members of The Grey Company at the Perth Medieval Fayre. The participants here are wearing circa fifteenth-century sallet style helmets and various articles of plate armour, including breastplates to protect the chest, gauntlets to protect the hands, vambraces covering the arm from the wrist to the elbow, rerebraces extending from the elbow up to the shoulder, pauldrons to protect the shoulder and plate cuisses to cover their legs. They are fighting with examples of medieval weaponry ranging from one- and two-handed swords to throwing axes and halberds. The Grey Company is a historical re-enactment group specialising in the weapons and combat of the ‘Dark Ages’ and the medieval period more generally. For more information about The Grey Company, see </span><a href="http://greycompany.com.au/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #0000ff;">http://greycompany.com.au/</span></span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt;">. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The Perth Medieval Fayre is organised by the Western Australian Medieval Alliance (WAMA). In 2011 it was held at Supreme Court Gardens on 19 March. Enthusiasts and vendors showcased a range of medieval arts and crafts, from dancing, calligraphy and lace-making to demonstrations of the techniques, weaponry and apparel of medieval combat.</span></p>
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McEwan, Joanne
19 March 2011
No Copyright
McEwan, Joanne, "Medieval Combat at the Perth Medieval Fayre," in Medievalism in Australian Cultural Memory, Item #416,<a href="../../../items/show/416" target="_blank"> http://ausmed.arts.uwa.edu.au/items/show/416</a><br /> <br /> McEwan, Joanne, "Medieval Combat Demonstration at the Perth Medieval Fayre," in Medievalism in Australian Cultural Memory, Item #417,<a href="../../../items/show/417" target="_blank"> http://ausmed.arts.uwa.edu.au/items/show/417</a><br /><br />McEwan, Joanne, "Armoured for Combat," in Medievalism in Australian Cultural Memory, Item #418, <a href="../../../items/show/418" target="_blank">http://ausmed.arts.uwa.edu.au/items/show/418</a><br /> <br /> McEwan, Joanne, "Medieval Fighting Demonstration at the Perth Medieval Fayre," in Medievalism in Australian Cultural Memory, Item #419, <a href="../../../items/show/419">http://ausmed.arts.uwa.edu.au/items/show/419</a>
Digital Photograph; JPEG
Medieval Fighting Demonstration at the Perth Medieval Fayre
armament, armour, arms, axe, battle, battle-axe, breastplate, combat, dagger, defensive armament, demonstration, display, gauntlet, halberd, handcrafted, helmet, knight, metalwork, medieval weapon, misericord, pauldron, Perth, Perth Medieval Fayre, plate armour, poleaxe, re-creation, recreation, rerebrace, sallet, soldier, staff weapons, sword, The Grey Company, throwing axe, vambrace, WA, WAMA, warfare, weaponry, Western Australia, Western Australian Medieval Alliance
<div class="element-text">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">A medieval combat demonstration performed by members of The Grey Company at the Perth Medieval Fayre. The participants here are wearing circa fifteenth-century sallet style helmets and various articles of plate armour, including breastplates to protect the chest, gauntlets to protect the hands, vambraces covering the arm from the wrist to the elbow, rerebraces extending from the elbow up to the shoulder, pauldrons to protect the shoulder and plate cuisses to cover their legs. They are fighting with examples of medieval weaponry ranging from one- and two-handed swords to throwing axes and halberds. The Grey Company is a historical re-enactment group specialising in the weapons and combat of the ‘Dark Ages’ and the medieval period more generally. For more information about The Grey Company, see </span><a href="http://greycompany.com.au/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #0000ff;">http://greycompany.com.au/</span></span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt;">. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The Perth Medieval Fayre is organised by the Western Australian Medieval Alliance (WAMA). In 2011 it was held at Supreme Court Gardens on 19 March. Enthusiasts and vendors showcased a range of medieval arts and crafts, from dancing, calligraphy and lace-making to demonstrations of the techniques, weaponry and apparel of medieval combat.</span></p>
</div>
McEwan, Joanne
19 March 2011
No Copyright
McEwan, Joanne, "Medieval Combat Demonstration at the Perth Medieval Fayre," in Medievalism in Australian Cultural Memory, Item #417,<br /> <a href="../../items/show/417">http://ausmed.arts.uwa.edu.au/items/show/417</a><br /> <br /> McEwan, Joanne, "Medieval Combat at the Perth Medieval Fayre," in Medievalism in Australian Cultural Memory, Item #416,<br /> <a href="../../items/show/416">http://ausmed.arts.uwa.edu.au/items/show/416</a><br /> <br /> McEwan, Joanne, "Armoured for Combat," in Medievalism in Australian Cultural Memory, Item #418, <a href="../../items/show/418">http://ausmed.arts.uwa.edu.au/items/show/418</a>
Armoured for Combat
armament, armour, arms, axe, battle, battle-axe, breastplate, combat, dagger, defensive armament, demonstration, display, gauntlet, halberd, handcrafted, helmet, knight, metalwork, medieval weapon, misericord, pauldron, Perth, Perth Medieval Fayre, plate armour, poleaxe, re-creation, recreation, rerebrace, sallet, soldier, staff weapons, sword, The Grey Company, throwing axe, vambrace, WA, WAMA, warfare, weaponry, Western Australia, Western Australian Medieval Alliance
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">A medieval combat demonstration performed by members of The Grey Company at the Perth Medieval Fayre. The participants here are wearing circa fifteenth-century sallet style helmets and various articles of plate armour, including breastplates to protect the chest, gauntlets to protect the hands, vambraces covering the arm from the wrist to the elbow, rerebraces extending from the elbow up to the shoulder, pauldrons to protect the shoulder and plate cuisses to cover their legs. They are fighting with examples of medieval weaponry ranging from one- and two-handed swords to throwing axes and halberds. The Grey Company is a historical re-enactment group specialising in the weapons and combat of the ‘Dark Ages’ and the medieval period more generally. For more information about The Grey Company, see </span><a href="http://greycompany.com.au/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #0000ff;">http://greycompany.com.au/</span></span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt;">. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The Perth Medieval Fayre is organised by the Western Australian Medieval Alliance (WAMA). In 2011 it was held at Supreme Court Gardens on 19 March. Enthusiasts and vendors showcased a range of medieval arts and crafts, from dancing, calligraphy and lace-making to demonstrations of the techniques, weaponry and apparel of medieval combat.</span></p>
McEwan, Joanne
19 March 2011
No Copyright
McEwan, Joanne, "Medieval Combat Demonstration at the Perth Medieval Fayre," in Medievalism in Australian Cultural Memory, Item #417,<br /> <a href="../../../items/show/417">http://ausmed.arts.uwa.edu.au/items/show/417</a><br /> <br /> McEwan, Joanne, "Medieval Combat at the Perth Medieval Fayre," in Medievalism in Australian Cultural Memory, Item #416,<br /> <a href="../../../items/show/416">http://ausmed.arts.uwa.edu.au/items/show/416</a><br />
Digital Photograph; JPEG