"Medieval combat - the real thing" Topic

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Wolfhag

Of course nothing like real medieval combat.

Aaaaasome!

I don't know, if these are the ACL guys (and it looks like they are) they do train extensively based on surviving source material. So they way the fight is probably as close as you're going to find to real. But the event of course is closer to a tournament than a battle, since they aren't trying to kill/seriously injure each other.

-Will

Nothing at all like medieval combat. More like a game of British Bulldog in armour. Without the intent to damage the armour, or get the pointy end between the plates into the squishy human beneath it is reduced to little more than a brawl.

I remember British Bulldog from years ago! And it seems the Major can remember 'real medieval combat'!

I broke a tooth last time I played British Bulldog – on someones head! Still we won so it was worth it.

Ahhh, they were the days of unsupervised, free for all, full contact sport in the school playground!

And on the news today they're talkig about banning rugby from schools as its too dangerous…….

"Nothing like?" That's extreme. Armor, hand weapons, full strength blows. This is the same kind of training that medieval tournaments were like. Why else would tournament referees go around and drape a hankie over someone deemed "hors de combat"? Some guys just don't know when they are dead yet. So somebody has to tell them: you've been hit several too any times already, go down and stay out! These guys get told. And medieval referees did the same thing.

So this is a lot like medieval combat, tournament style.

Medieval battles of any sort were rare. Tournaments were common as the NFL (I think there was a movie making that comparison a few years ago ;) ). Tournaments were training for war. Nowadays tournaments are merely a fun spectacle. That's the only significant difference that I see….

The "black sluggard" is quite funny. He takes a full hit in the visor from a two-handed axe and keeps on fighting until his attempt to drag an opponent off his feet ends up with the BS on his own backside, from which position he surveys the world. Then he's walking around with a hand axe hanging from the left hinge of his visor, oblivious. He finally gets clobbered in the back of the head and leans way over and the axe falls out/off. He still never saw it.

When repeated weapon blows don't convince, use your gauntlet. I saw one guy pounding with his fist on the back of an opponent's helmet, as if it say, "go down! do down! you silly fool!"

Perhaps the silliest vignette was c. 9:30 in, where over against the fence two are pounding on one, repeated visor hits with a two-handed glaive, and the other guy is trying to kick the outnumbered man in the fork. Finally the glaive wielder swings so hard that he falls down. HeeHee! So the refs don't always do their job very well. The glaive-wielder didn't bother trying to get up. I guess he was bushed. The outnumbered dude finally got grappled and pulled down and that was that. Once these fights have gone on for a while, it seems that when you are down, down is a good, restful place to be! :)

Some guys just don't know when they are dead yet. So somebody has to tell them: you've been hit several too any times already, go down and stay out! These guys get told. And medieval referees did the same thing.

So you were there too? How come I never saw you?

He back-stabbed you Major. This is simply your wound delirium. Someone get the monk. :p

Looks interesting and fun…would love to do it or watch. But, still looked too much like a wrestling match as opposed to what it would have been with real weapons -- of course!

Totes Amazballs real! Especially the commentary. I recall hearing a recording of the Battle of Hastings, very similar – "And Harold is surveying the field, he can see…OMFG…that's an arrow, he's gone and with no King on the bench the Saxons are without their quarterback for the rest of the match…."

As for banning tackle rugby from schools in England that is quite silly. However as England can't tackle at any level of the game its unimportant. Thanks for a nice hosting of the RWC though, NZ enjoyed successfully defending the cup and will do so again for the next 8 – 12 years!

Actually my understanding of that 'combat' is that a 'kill' occurs when someone is knocked off their feet.

Doesn't matter where or how often you are hit it is when hitting the ground that you 'die.'

Actually in medieval tourneys 'foining' (thrusting/stabbing) was prohibited. As noted that is how people get killed in full armor.

Great link Wolfhag, thanks for posting.

I fought at the Battle of the nations National tourney in Poland ,France and IMCF tourney in Spain. I used a 7pnd poleaxe that hits like a car wreck and is for sure doing serious damage to armor and god forbid exposed flesh. These fights are nasty and brutal but one hell of a lot of fun.

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Hmmm. Very pretty arms and armor….

Just curious: what does a suit of armour like they are wearing cost these days? I'd guess it's pretty pricey (no different from the Middle Ages, I suppose).

I was at the 600th anniversary of Azincourt. The Medieval Combat Society really went for it in rehearsals but toned things down for the crowds.

I chatted with several 'big hitters'. Apparently the most common wound is a slash to the face. This is caused by the back-swing of an over enthusiastic front rank man on one of his own side in the next rank! The next most common injury is bleeding knuckles from the use of proper gauntlets on real people. Obviously getting battered and bruised is normal. It seemed no worse than a game of rugby. However, the duration of the events (in full armour) visibly stripped energy out of people.

On both days some brave 'French' knights agreed to face the arrow storm at 200 metres. The arrows had foam tips. They still were knocking people back on their feet or off balance. Apparently the latest thinking is that many of the French died from shock of impact at the actual battle. Certainly 100 metres was considered as a serious risk to life. Besides shock injuries there was a great fear of split arrows going through eye slits.

My conclusion: the modern stuff is not combat, but neither is it inconsequential.

It amazes me at how many people have access to time travel so they can see actual medieval tournament battles so they can declare this 'nothing like real combat'…