From: mittle@watson.ibm.com (Josh Mittleman)
Subject: Re-creating Period Tournaments #3
Date: Mon, 05 Oct 92 20:10:33 GMT
Organization: IBM T. J. Watson Research

Greetings from Arval!

Today I'd like to describe another attempt to re-create a 12th century
tournament, undertaken by Master Korwyn Ariannaid, Mistress Margaret
Swynford of Bristow, Lady Elaine de Montgris, and the Shire of Dragon's
Mist in September of 1991.  The event was called Tournament of the Lions;
some of you may find that familiar: Master Korwyn borrowed the general idea
from an event in Ansteorra.  Master Korwyn, Lady Elaine, and Dragon's Mist
ran the event again last month; my discussion is drawn from my knowledge of
the 1991 event.

The event was an attempt at consistent medieval re-creation.  It was set in
the year 1188 in the city of Toulouse, and all the activities were focussed
on creating and maintaining that atmosphere.  Over the preceding six
months, the organizers distributed three newsletters describing what the
event was, what sort of activities were planned, and how to participate.
It gave historical background on 12th century Toulouse, patterns for garb,
and suggestions for other preparations for the event.  Much of this was
presented in the form of letters from residents of Toulouse to friends or
relatives, discussing current events, styles, and the upcoming tournament.
Also included were a bibliography of references on relevent topics, advice
for heralds, musicians, ladies, entertainers, and complete rules and
guidelines for the tournament itself.  Anyone interested in seeing these
newsletters and any other material for the event should contact Lady Elaine
de Montgris, who address I can provide.

To describe the tournament, I can hardly do better than to quote the
newsletters themselves.

  The Tournament of the Lions is a multiple "day" tournament, where each
  "day" is a segment of combat lasting between 10 and 45 minutes.  Each day
  showcases specific types of combat... which are based on tounaments and
  pageants of the Middle Ages.  Victory in this tournament is determined
  not just by the strength of arms of the fighters but also by the courtesy
  of their conduct and how well they participate in a medival tournament.
  Between 5 and 7 fighters from the tournament will be chosen as the "Pride
  of the Lions".  [Each member of the Pride received a spear with elaborate
  knotwork decoration.]  The Ladies' Gallery names the first fighter to the
  Pride... The ruling noble, Baron Korwyn Ariannaid, names the remainer of
  the Pride, with advice from the nobility and the ladies' gallery.

  You may participate in the combats of any day.  If you are wounded or
  bested, you will retire from the day's combats to heal such wounds as you
  have received.  The sole exception to this is for those fighters who are
  knocked from the bridge...  If you do not feel sage with a given day's
  combats, do not participate that day.  You gain no worship by hurting
  yourself or others.  

  If you are bested in battle, surrdner your principal weapon for the bout
  to your opponent.  When you pay your ransom your opponent returns the
  weapon...

  Heralds are present at each gate onto the fields of honor.  If you find
  that the announcement of your entry or exit from the field does not suit
  your station you are free to engage a Herald of your own.  The Heralds
  are provided as a courtesy.  Suitable pay for these Heralds, of course,
  improves the quality of your announcement.

The days of combat ran as follows:

1) Challenges fought with limited blows.  If neither fighter is bested
within three blows, the challenge may cease or they may swtich to another
weapon form.  Fighters indicated their interest in accepting challenges by
setting up a shield of their arms at the list.

2) Challenges a cheval.  Combat by lance or sword only, fought as if riding
a horse.  (Discussion of that point later.)

3) Holding the field.  Single fighters or teams hold the field until bested
or until they choose to withdraw.

4) Bridge battles.  A fighter or team holds the bridge until bested or
until he/they withdraw.  If the attacking team crosses the bridge, they
have won.

5) Grand melee a cheval.  A melee between two teams, including all
fighters, the first passage conducted as a charge.  There was a refuge
where fighters could rst in safety.  Fighting continued until roughly half
the fighters had withdrawn or were bested.

6) Judicial combat a outrance to resolve any disputes arising in the first
5 days.  Wounds received in combat a outrance were considered to take more
time to heal, with the details being decided by the ruling noble.

7) The Pride of the Lions and certain other nobles and chiivalry stand
against all others.  At least three combats.


In combat a cheval, fighters were required to move as if they were on
horseback.  They could not stop or turn suddenly, lest they be unhorsed.
The fighters could not move backward or sideways except slowly, and then
only for a short distance.  The marshals judged when a fighter was
unhorsed.  Only spears (uncouched for safety) and sword & shield were
permitted in combat a cheval.  Fighters passed each other at a trot,
exchanging one or perhaps two blows per pass.  Blows below the hip were
considered to have struck the horse, a foul, and the fighter who struck
such a blow was withdrawn from that day's combat.  This may sound a little
peculiar and very silly, but it actually worked: The fighters found it an
interesting variation, and many of them threw themselves into the spirit of
the thing, riding their invisible horses with great skill!


What made this tournament special was the way it was presented, the way a
variety of forms of combat were combined, and the atmosphere that
surrounded it.  It mixed single combat with group combat, and introduced
new ideas like limited blows and combat a cheval in a context where they
made sense, but with plenty of alterantives to please all tastes.  The
entire event was carefully organized: The day started with a ceremony
involving the ruling nobles and their heralds.  Heralds were coached to
compete with one another in announcing their patrons, to delight the
spectators and to entice greater rewards.  Fighters were encouraged to
bring and give ransoms appropriate to their stations.  Entertainers were
arranged for the Ladies' Gallery, which was placed to afford a good view of
the tournament.  Lots of people devoted themselves to preserving the
atmosphere with their activities, their garb, and their manner.  All this
preparation drew all the participants into the event more completely, and
focussed their attention at and around the tournament.

The form and style of the tournament adrew in part from periods later than
the 12th century.  The goal was not so much to hold a perfect re-creation,
but to introduce lots of people to the idea of the tournament as
re-creation, to prove that we can fight and be medieval at the same time,
and still have fun.  The event proved one other important lesson: making a
tournament more medieval is more work, just like making your garb more
medieval, but it's worth it.


My next posting will discuss a tournament of a later period, the passage of
arms.

===========================================================================
Arval Benicoeur                                       mittle@watson.ibm.com
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca