Re-enactment and Me

I started doing re-enactment roughly in 2009, becoming a member of what would become the Stirling Cell of re-enactment group Historia Normannis, while I was in my second year of University, and got serious in 2010, attending a small show in Spain during the summer of that same year.

Back then my kit was practically non-existent. I had different ideas of what I wanted to do, how I wanted to do it, and what I wanted to wear.

My first show major show was in 2011, in Whittington. Naturally it was a Normannis event and quite an important experience for me.  By that stage I had managed to get an appropriate kit for both military re-enactment and the Living History display.

When I got back to Spain, I was of course determined to continue re-enacting, but decided to change a few things. My kit had been appropriate for a Scots archer and warrior, but for Spain I not only gave myself an upgrade in terms of social class and equipment, I shifted my focus away from the Christian side of the story.

I’ve always been interested in the history of the Muslim kingdoms in Spain. It’s always seemed like a fascinating period that in my opinion doesn’t get as much attention or love as it should, either in re-enactment or popular culture. 2012 was the year of the 800^th anniversary of the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa, a major engagement during the Reconquista period between the Christian kingdoms of Spain and the Almohad caliphate of al-Andalus, and it was a perfect opportunity to apply what I’d learned in Normannis to one of my favourite historical periods and cultures.

Describing the Battle of Las Navas would take way too long: Suffice it to say it was a major turning point of the Reconquista that not only signaled the downfall of the Almohad dynasty but also the eventual dominance of the Christian kingdoms of the peninsula.

The re-enactment was organized as a celebration of the 800^th anniversary of the battle, and to date has still been one of the largest medieval re-enactments organized in Spain, with nearly 400 participants. I’ll give a more detailed account of the event at a later date, for now I’m just going to discuss how I dressed up for it so I could beat people up.

Check out my next post to see photographs and a discussion of my Moorish Knight kit!