This week, the worlds of role-playing, live-action role-playing, cosplay and military re-enactment will collide in France at the first ever Battle of the Nations, a “world championship” for medieval combat.
Held in Aigues Mortes, 22 nations will be taking place, from the obvious (France, Britain, Germany) to contestants from places that aren’t even real countries (Quebec). Even far-flung colonies like the USA and Australia have sent teams.
The competition originated in Eastern Europe, but this year will be the first time contestants from all over the world have joined in. You can see some footage of an earlier event below. Game of Thrones this ain’t.
There’s a great profile in the New York Times on the American team, including news that it will be taking a support team of over 50 people, including a “psychologist specializing in head trauma, cooks, armorers, knight marshals, squires and a masseuse”.
Squires!
The competition is spread over multiple events, ranging from 1v1 duels to “mass battles”, which pit “armies” of 21 combatants against each other.
The action begins today and runs all weekend.
Top picture: Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times
Comments
9 responses to “The ‘World Championships’ Of Medieval Combat Are On This Week”
Holy shit i want this in my life
The Abbey medieval fair is coming up soon. It has all of that stuff.
You want to join a group called the SCA (society for/of creative anachronism) then, they’re the blokes doing this stuff.
http://www.waroftherosesthegame.com/ from the comfort of your own home.
Join your local chapter of creative anachronisms. A few large universities in Australia offer it but it’s an expensive hobby, you get beaten up and you can only really wear your metal prom dress about 3-4 times a year when you have a little tourney.
………
BRING ME MY ARMOUR
Yes – I would totally watch that.
By all means suit up and beat each other up, but why the f*** must you get horses involved? That barbaric crap is best left to history.
So if anyone wants to give this a shot and live in Melbourne, come down to the Princes oval (Next to Optus oval off Royal Parade) where a group called Swordcraft set up shop for fun battles every Friday night from 6:30 if you want to fight, or 7:30-8:00 if you want to watch.