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 800th 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 800th 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!
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