The Re-Enactor Issue 52, June 2013
Greetings All Summer may well have finally arrived here in the UK, albeit only for a day or two at a time but it is nice to see the sun and have some warmth. July & August are the really busy months with likes of Tewkesbury, Kelmarsh and Berkeley Castle to attend. I will also be trading at Chalke Valley, Chetwynd & Berkeley so do come over and say hello. A huge thank you to Jerry Tubbs, Middle Ages Today and Rik Fox for their excellent articles and stories. Development of Re-Enactment in Ukraine Photo by Zhanna Saganyuk
I ran out time this month and haven’t had chance to have my interview with Giles Christian but it will be here soon! I need more articles and stories for future issues so get in contact if you have something you would like to see published. Please send all correspondence to the following email address:
thereenactor@btinternet.com
Development of Re-Enactment in Ukraine Photo by Zhanna Saganyuk
Features This Month 1: A Texas Mid Summer Trek. Jerry Bird 2: Book Review-The Historical Novel Soc. 3: Development of Re-Enactment, Ukraine 4: Event Information 5: Polish Winged Hussar re-enactment.
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A Texas Mid Summer Day Trek If it is possible to contract cabin fever during the long cold winters of the north, can not the same be said for the long hot summers of the south? Here on the Texas Gulf Coast summer comes quickly and stays for a long time. During those hot and humid days I become a mole person. Hiding from the ever present bright light of the scorching sun, one tries to stay busy doing things to occupy the time. The cabin fever finally sets in and the brain and the body both agree that maybe it’s not so hot out there after all. Are we not nice a cool here in our man cave? I bet if I were to venture out on a trek it would not be so bad and I may just have a great time. Well with all common sense set aside I started planning a trek to co-inside with the full moon.
So here it is mid August with the temperatures hovering in the high nineties and humidity levels high enough to take a bath outside without the aid of pumped water. Undaunted I started gathering what gear I figured I would need for two days in the woods on my own hook. The plan was to arrive early enough of a Friday in the late afternoon and head out to one of my favorite spots on the private property I was to use for my adventure. I planned to spend the evening making a very simple camp of just two very light weight blankets and my trappings for the weekend. Saturday’s plan was to wake early and walk the fence line of the entire property making mental notes of places they might prove good to hunt deer from come the winter. I wanted to test my new pack made by Chuck Cassada to get a better understanding of what would work and what would not and to see how my shoulders would react to the weight on them. Well all the best laid plans of mice and men, you know the rest. With your kind consideration I would like to tell you just how plans can be changed by Mother Nature and the elements.
It all started the Thursday before I was to head to the woods. I had finished carefully packed all my necessities and turned to roll up the one wrap shirt I like to use but it was not to be found. It usually hangs in my bedroom on a coat rack with some of my other gear. Not locating the shirt and assuming the wife had washed it, I asked her where it might be found. Mind you she knows not to do such a ruthless thing to this shirt but sometimes she is able to get a hold of it and give it a cleaning thus undoing all the character I had put into it. A bit frustrated that she had not touched it and had not a clue where it could have gotten off to, I decided on another shirt to wear. Looking at the small pile of gear I had laid out on the bed I decided that enough was enough and that I was getting a bit carried away with my packing. Friday came and the day seemed to drag on forever but the time to leave finally arrived and off I was in a flash. About halfway to my destination I noticed the clouds were starting to roll in from the south. I could see pockets of rain in the distance and one really dark storm in my rearview mirror. The storms were coming on fast and heading the same direction I was going. Happily I was able to make it to my stepping off point which is a cabin used in the fall for deer hunting. I was pleased to have out run the storm but not happy to find the cabin doors locked. I thought to myself this is but a small set back and set about changing my clothes using the screen porch as my changing station. I wasn’t in my long hunter outfit for too long of a time when a major storm appeared from the north and was heading in my direction. Common sense stepped in and told me that I better wait to see just what was to happen as a storm from the opposite direction was about to converge with the one from the north. I was glad I did as the sky grew very dark, the wind picked up and lighting was beginning to strike all around the cabin. At times I could feel the electrical charge in the air before a bolt would hit very close by. Well, there went setting up camp that evening. Disappointed but dry I made the best of it by refreshing the edge on my knife and hawk while enjoying nature’s light show. After about two hours the storm subsided and the clouds parted to reveal the bright light of a beautiful moon rise coming through the trees. The moon seemed close enough to reach out and touch as it cleared the top of the trees. I swear it was so quiet that at one moment I thought I could hear an unearthly vibration emitting from the moon as it quietly started its path across the night sky. As I sat there watching this repeat of a heavenly dance that has happen since time first began I could not help but think of those before us who have looked up at this most wonderful display and pondered their own mortality. Many thoughts raced in my mind as I enjoyed the peace around me and felt a sense of calm I had not had in a long time. With the arrival of Joe, the ranch foreman, I sadly left my perfect repose and helped him open the cabin and bring in some of his gear. After a few pleasantries and a couple jiggers of rum it was time to fort up for the evening. The next morning my biological clock had gone off at my usual time to rise and I was up quietly gathering my gear. I open the cabin door to be greeted by a cool but extremely foggy morning. Now what, I thought to myself. Do I wait until the fog burns off which very well could be mid morning or bite the bullet and head into the soup? It did not take much time to ponder the situation as I figured better fog than the heat that would be arriving before much longer. With my smooth rifle loaded and primed I set out for my weekend adventure. I had not walked a hundred yards when I approached one of the many stock ponds. It was there at the pond that my first taste of an interesting weekend was to occur. Somewhere in the fog the sound of a deer giving a warning whistle stopped me in my tracks. I peered as hard as I could into the fog straining my eyes to see where the sound had originated. Not moving anything but my eyes I could see to my right three ghostly forms coming from the pond no less than thirty yards from where I was standing. At about the same time I spotted the deer, the lead deer spotted me and all three froze in their path. It was now a test of wits as I could see them but not see more than just an outline of their forms in the fog and I am sure that was what
they were seeing of me. As my heart raced as I stood there watching and hoping they would continue to come closer but this was not to happen. The lead deer finally had enough of this strange form in the fog so after a couple of whistles and a stomp of a hoof they melted away into the mist. This was the first of many thrills I would have this weekend and will remember for a long time.
Continuing on I made it up a steep ridge and crossed over to the main pasture. Here the fog was gently being mixed as a small breeze was passing across the pasture making visibility less than at the stock pond so I had to tread carefully being sure not to step in any meadow muffins or standing water. In this pasture stands a mock-up of one of the walls of the Alamo. This wall was built for a History Channel presentation on the history of the Alamo and the attack on it by the Mexican Army in March of 1836. I was part of the Mexican Artillery crew that fired six pound iron balls at this wall to demonstrate the effect of a siege. This was a sizable representation of the Alamo wall but at two hundred yards it looked more like a postage stamp. I will not go into detail on this subject and just say I had to stop and pay homage to “The Wall� as my friends and I call it. Crossing the pasture and heading for the tree line I was greeted by the mooing of some of the land owners steers. Not knowing exactly their location ahead of me I kept my course in hope of not disturbing them as they grazed. Well my luck ran out as I came upon a large herd of them and you would have thought they had seen a ghost. The ones that I could see stopped their chewing and let out a load warning of my approach. It was then the bull of the woods stepped out of the fog and put himself between me and the rest of the herd. I cannot say for certain I was truly in any danger but I figure it is too late now to change direction so gathering up all the courage I had and stood as tall a figure as I could make and walked on past if I was the boss and not him. It was later that I was to learn this bull is a gentle creature and was just most likely curious as to why I did not stop and feed him.
After making a rest stop to take care of nature’s calling I made it to the edge of the woods and to a point that I could see there were three trails I could take. Knowing where two lead I decided to take the one I hope less traveled by the cattle and was new to me. I had just stepped off onto the trail when out of the corner of my left eye I caught movement in the fog. Freezing in my tracks, I turned at the waist to try and capture a glance at what was out there. It turned out to be a sizable pack of wild hogs making a hasty retreat to the fence line and the safety of the neighboring property. I had the opportunity to take aim at the last little hog but that meant I would have to stop my trek and take care of the meat. Luck this time was in the favor of the hogs.
Continuing on the new trail I soon found myself stepping on a field of clover with pink flowers abundantly growing in every direction. As pretty as it was it also had a sinister side as all the blooms were covered in honey bees gathering pollen. The sound of their buzzing was loud enough to make me feel as if I was in the middle of the hive. Caring less about me and more about the work at hand, the honey bees buzzed around my feet as I moved on making my way from a pleasant trail to one full of mud and hoof prints. The ground became harder and harder to walk on as my moccasin bottoms begin to become bogged down with mud and I found myself slipping from one hoof print to another as I struggled to keep my balance. Travel became increasingly slow and tiring as I found myself having to pick and choose where my next step was to be. Luckily I was able to find a small spot of high ground under a large tree to take a break while having a quick morsel to eat and rearrange my pack. There I stood pondering if I was to continue on or turn back to the trailhead and start on a different path. The right side of my brain was arguing with the left side as to my situation and what to do when I made an executive decision to keep going on what I now dubbed “The Warrior’s Path”. So with my stomach happier, my thirst satisfied and my pack feeling better on my shoulders I stepped off into the mud to continue my trek into unknown territory. I found myself picking landmarks to use as my next goal to make. There I would stop and remove as
much mud as I could from the soles of my mocs and head for the next goal. After what seemed like hours I made it to a point where the property line ended and I had to head north on the trail. At this point I thought of turning back but the prospect of a better trail ahead and knowing that the area I wanted to camp was about a mile ahead I pushed on. Well, the trail did get better and I was making good time until I noticed the path getting narrower ahead. The path finally just stopped as the woods had closed in at this point and there was just no way to go around because of the low ground just off the path and standing water. It would appear that Mother Nature had made the decision for me to backtrack and start over. By this time the stubborn fog had lifted considerably and the warm glow of the sun was making its appearance. While backtracking I made an observation that explained to me why I was tired in such a short time. Besides the mud and hoof prints in the trail, I could see where the dew on the clover had been removed by my steps and where I had weaved back and forth in the trail. I can safely estimate that I had doubled my distance by all the weaving I had done. I had just about made my way back to the head of the trail when I walked up on a doe and a yearling fawn feeding about 20 yards ahead of me. The doe casually walked off but the fawn froze while all the time keeping an eye on me. Not wanting to scare the fawn, I gently eased to my left putting a low branch full of leaves between myself and the young deer. Using this natural blockage to my advantage I was able to get close enough to get a good look at the spots that remained on the fawn and thought to myself that these spots would soon be gone as winter approached. Feeling as if I had been given a huge dose of energy by the sight of this juvenile deer, I stepped from my blind spot and with a flick of the tail the yearling bounce off to catch up with its mother which was patient waiting and the edge of a thicket. I could feel my grin as it stretch from ear to ear and I reminded myself that this is why I love this hobby so much.
Back at the intersection of the trails I once again stopped to remove my gear and take a much needed rest in the shade of a large oak tree. Taking a sip of water from my canteen to refresh
my dry throat it dawned on me just how quite the woods had become. The birds had stopped their singing and there was a strange stillness to the trees. I looked about the woods to be sure I was the only creature in sight and not in danger of being attacked by a wild hog. Satisfied I was not in any immediate danger I scanned the sky and noticed dark clouds were starting to roll in from the north. It was then I felt a cold breeze and a chill ran down my back. With the sound of thunder in the distance I knew what was headed my way so once again mother nature was to keep me from my the area I had hoped to camp for the evening. With my gear once again on my back or about me I headed back to the cabin to fort up again and avoid being soaked by the approaching storm. I had almost made it across the pasture when the rain caught up with me. It was not a driving rain but more along the line of a gentle spring shower. Although I was getting wet the cool rain felt wonderful on my face. As fast as it had come it was over. All that was between me and the cabin was a small ridge that I had crossed earlier that morning. Determined to cross it again I begin the assent to the top. As tired as I was, this hill could have well been Mount Everest as I struggled to get to the top. With the help of my smooth rifle as a walking staff I made it to the summit and within sight of the cabin. It was there I decided to take one last rest. Not wanting to remove any of my possibles and my pack I just feel to my knees and turned over so the pack and bedroll made a support for my lower back. I am not sure when I fell asleep but I figure it wasn’t too long after I had reclined on my pack and my feet felt the load taken off of them. I probably would have been there in my quite repose for some time but the sharp pain in my right arm woke me up. Ants were covering the arm from the wrist to the elbow and all were stinging me with a vengeance. I may have been tired but I found the strength to jump to my feet and start to rid myself of the pain the little critters were inflicting on me. Once satisfied I had removed the little devils I begin the walk back to the cabin and a much earned rest. It would seem the ants had done me a favor because the rain returned and much harder this time. After I had seen to the care of my smooth rifle and my gear hung out to dry I sat down on the steps of the cabin, took a deep breath and decided I was not done yet. There was still the back twenty two acres to explore. So soon as the rain was to let up and I had rested my tired back I was to be off once again before the day’s end.
The rain stopped somewhere in the early afternoon and the sun returned to its job of scorching the earth. The one good thing about the back twenty two acres is the earth is mostly sand compared to the muddy river bottom soil of the pasture land and no cattle were allowed on it. With a renewed strength in my back and legs I once again gather my gear, check the prime in my smooth rifle and prepared to head out. The trail I took is rock covered and very hilly at first with a lot of turns in it making a challenge to the feet but adding a chance at each turn to sneak up on any animals that might be ahead. I was rewarded very quickly as I eased around the forth turn in the trail and came upon two doe feeding on grass growing along the side of the path. I tried to retrieve my camera from my haversack as quietly as I could but the sound of my rummage around in it caught their ear and off they went without even a glance back to see what had made the sound that spooked them. I knew my time was growing short before the sun would set so I made my way to a nearby stock pond to try and catch some pan fish or maybe even a catfish or two for supper. Using bacon as the bait I soon had my line cast and a nibble at the hook. It looked as if my luck was going to change and fish was going to be on the campfire soon. Not so as all I was able to catch was three very small perch for my efforts.
Still it was fun to get a line wet and do some cork watching. With the line dried off and put back into its tin, I headed off to follow the creek that feed off of the pond as best I could. I did find some nice deep pools here and there and always under the shade of a large cedar tree. Perhaps this is where the larger fish were hiding but they would have to wait until my next trip. Coming out of the thicket and back on the same trail I had headed in on, my thoughts returned to making camp for my last evening. I located a sandy clearing under a cedar tree but unfortunately the sound of vehicles on the nearby major highway made it clear that this spot would not allow for a peaceful night of rest. With that I turned to watch the sun set in a beautiful orange ball in the western horizon and with the shadows growing longer by the
minute I unloaded my gun by taking aim in a large knot in a nearby a tree and headed back to the cabin.
That evening while setting in front of the cabin and raised my eyes to view another beautiful moon rise and the canopy of stars above me. I ran the day’s events through my mind and although the past couple of days had not turned out as I had originally planned them to be, I found myself planning another trip back come the fall and cooler weather. Yes, I did get hot and covered in a greasy sweat and my arm itched from the ant bites but I still had the time of my life. I had come close to what I wished to accomplish and felt a deep satisfaction in myself as I had taken on the heat of a Texas summer day and won.
A Huge Thank you to Jerry Tubbs for this excellent story!
WOLVES IN ARMOUR BY IAIN CAMPBELL
This is the first book of the author’s Norman Conquest trilogy. It tells the story of a young Norman noble, Sir Alan Gauville, who joins William the Conqueror’s army just before the crossing to England. At Hastings he intervenes to help the Duke, and is later rewarded by being granted a manor and associated “Hundred”, a collection of villages in the area of Colchester. Once there he settles to the task of fortifying the manor, building an army and dealing with Viking invaders, local bandits, and a romantic thread in the form of his wooing and eventual marriage to a local Saxon noblewomen. Campbell clearly enjoys his historical detail and he has spent a lot of time researching life, traditions, customs and legal affairs of the 11th century, with much of his gleaned information forming the narrative background. Which, from a historical view is highly interesting, but perhaps at the cost of slowing the pace of the plot down. The author has created a detailed, well developed world of early Norman England, but attention to more characterization would have enhanced the storyline. Wolves In Armour could benefit from some of the in-depth details being trimmed down to allow the underlying over-shadowed story to come to the fore. There is a story here – a very good one. Campbell has a deep interest for this period; to bring his characters to life and expand their portrayal he needs to liberate that passion into the fictional element as well as the historical. However, for readers who prefer to learn something from the fiction they read, this is an ideal exploration of England during the early years of the Norman Conquest.
For other great reviews checkout http://historicalnovelsociety.org
Development of reenactment in Ukraine: East and West Any relatively big country has regional peculiarities. Difference in history, in traditions, difference in ethnic groups and difference in languages or dialects – all these aspects have impact on a definite territory. Ukraine, as one of the biggest countries in Europe is also divided into such regions, which can be identified like West and East, and in some situations the division into South and North can be considered. Traditional division of Ukraine into West and East has always been the reason for misunderstanding on the political arena, but at the same time on both sides of Dnieper people of the same nationality live, they are united by common traditions despite some differences. And one can’t say whether it’s good or bad. Historical reenactment as a mass movement, that requires great time and effort costs from its representatives, surely feels the impact of the regional peculiarities. Historical reenactment in the West and in the East of Ukraine is different and this difference is supported by many reasons. Festival activity. Western Ukraine is leading in festival activity now. A good proof for this is the list of high quality events like Forpost, Porta Temporis, Legends of Lviv, Silver Tatosh, Medieval Hotyn, Medzhybish etc. The top festival city now is Kamianets-Podilskyi, because starting from the 1st of May one by one high quality festivals take place there almost every week. The festivals are well prepared, they are advertised, they are waited for. Fortress sieges, that attract reenactors so much during May role-playing games, returned to the programs of the festivals, equestrian tournaments appear in Ukraine step by step. For Ukraine equestrian tournaments in reenactment will be a great step forward. Of course they have already been organized before, but very seldom. And this spring the equestrian tournament of great interest is the one in Medieval Hotyn, where even horse archers was competed. At the same time in the East of Ukraine there isn’t such a big number of festivals. Most of the events happening have sport tournament character and the level of reenactment of arms and armor quality accepted is much lower. What are the reasons? The true reason can’t be only one, so let’s try to figure out all possible reasons. The first thing to be mentioned is the geographical position and peculiarities connected with it. In Western Ukraine there are dozens of castles and many of them are in rather good condition for the tournament to take place in. Of course it is more interesting to have a knightly tournament in a castle, it becomes easier to advertise it, more spectators will come, maybe even foreigners will come. In Southern and Eastern Ukraine there are fewer castles and they do not attract so much attention. Of course special attention should be paid to an enormous in size Genoese fortress in the city of Sudak (Crimea). But this fortress doesn’t have any problems with festivals, though in quality they can’t be even compared with festivals of Western Ukraine. We have already mentioned foreigners. It is a very important factor because when foreigners submit applications to the festivals at once it gets called international. And it doesn’t matter whether the festival is worth to be called international or not. But anyway the possibility to compete with foreigners attracts everyone and sharing the experience between reenactors in such cases helps to development the movement. It is closer to get to Western Ukraine form Europe and Belarus and their participation also increases the level of events. At the same time from Russia it is closer to go to Eastern Ukraine but anyway they usually go to Western Ukraine, and that also shows the level of festivals.
Foreigners do not come to the sport-tournament events and I don’t think they will. After all the visual appeal is very important at the knightly tournament, and if the tournament doesn’t have it, then it loses its emotive power, its coloring. Entertaining activities play a very important part at the reenactment events: musical folk group performances, medieval fairs, medieval amusements, master-classes in crafts and dances, fortress sieges and bowmen performances. All these things look much better with the background of a medieval castle and not the local history museum: more participants will come to the castle, more tourists will arrive, there are more chances to cover all the financing of the festival and to gain some money on it. The factor does not combine well with knightly romance, but it is one of the leading factors on the way to organize a festival. Beside the above mentioned reasons special attention should be also paid to some difference in mentality and character of the regions. Western Ukraine is closer to European countries, the region is less urbanized generally, that’s why the soil is more favorable to preserve traditions and develop the reenactment movement. For Eastern Ukraine it is very important now to show its abilities in organizing the festival of a high level, because later if the trend maintains all the serious reenactment movement will be focused in Western Ukraine. Despite all the above mentioned factors the possibilities exist: the region is very rich, it is close to Russia(and re-enactors from Russia are always waited for in Ukraine, because serious Ukrainian re-enactors would not lose a chance to meet them to share the experience), numerous high level clubs exist and they could easily ensure the mass character and high quality of the event. Let’s hope that soon East of Ukraine will please us with large-scale, spectacular and high quality festivals. And the re-enactors will surely support such events. Ivan Jaremchuk Middle Ages Today http://middleagestoday.com/en
Event Information July 5th – 7th LARP Camp, Huntley Wood, Staffordshire, UK www.larpcamp.co.uk 6th & 7th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament, Linlithgow Palace, Scotland http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/propertyresults/propertyoverview.htm?PropID=PL_199&PropName=Linlithgow%20Palace
13th & 14th The Battle of Tewkesbury, UK http://www.tewkesburymedievalfestival.org/ 13th & 14th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament, Hever Castle, UK http://www.hevercastle.co.uk/ 20th & 21st Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament, Hever Castle, UK http://www.hevercastle.co.uk/ 26th – 28th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament, Hever Castle, UK http://www.hevercastle.co.uk/ 27th & 28th Berkeley Skirmish, Berkeley Castle, Gloucestershire, UK Office@Plantagenet-Events.com 27th & 28th Smugglers Island, Appuldurcombe House, I.O.W. UK Email: ednash.1993@hotmail.co.uk July 27th & 28th: Hughenden’s Victorian Weekend, Hughenden Manor, Buckinghamshire. www.eventplan.co.uk or www.facebook.com/EventplanUK 27th & 28th Slaughterbridge Camlann Life and Legend, Camelford, Cornwall, UK heburbeck@gmaiI.c0m
August 2nd – 4th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament, Blenheim Palace, UK http://www.blenheimpalace.com/ 3rd & 4thThe Midlands Festival of History, UK http://www.mid-fest.co.uk 3rd & 4th The Loxwood Joust, Loxwood Meadow, RH14 0AL, UK www.loxwoodjoust.co.uk
9th – 11th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament, Hever Castle, UK http://www.hevercastle.co.uk/ 16th – 18th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament, Hever Castle, UK http://www.hevercastle.co.uk/ 17th & 18th Scotlands Festival of History, Chatelherault, Scotland www.scotlandsfestivalofhistory.co.uk 17th & 18th M5-Multi Period Re-enactment Weekend, Spetchley Park, Worcs UK Website – www.m5show.co.uk 23rd & 24th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament, Hever Castle, UK http://www.hevercastle.co.uk/ 25th & 26th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament, Hedingham Castle, UK http://www.hedinghamcastle.co.uk/ 25th & 26th The Sheffield Fayre, Norfolk Heritage Park, Sheffield. www.eventplan.co,.uk or www.facebook.com/EventplanUK August 31st & September 1st: On the Home Front 1939-45, Rufford Abbey Country Park, Notts. Annual 1940s show. www.eventplan.co.uk or www.facebook.com/EventplanUK
September 12th & 13th Bexbach 1474 Call To Arms www.1474.eu 14th & 15th The Battle of Mortimer’s Cross, Hampton Court Castle, Herefordshire. www.mortimerscross.co.uk September 21st & 22nd: Wimpole at War, The Wimpole Estate, Cambridgeshire. Annual 1940s event. www.eventplan.co.uk or www.facebook.com/EventplanUK September 28th & 29th: Sherwood through the ages, Sherwood Forest. Annual Ancient to 1980s multi-period event. www.eventplan.co.uk or www.facebook.com/EventplanUK
October October 5th & 6th: Hughenden’s Wartime Weekend, Hughenden Manor, Bucks. Annual 1940s event. www.eventplan.co.uk or www.facebook.com/EventplanUK 12th & 13th International Events of Historical Crafts (EIAH) Portugal Email: artesanatocomhistoria@gmail.com
November
15th-17th The Original Re-Enactors Market, Ryton on Dunsmore, Coventry, UK www.reenactorsmarket.co.uk 16th & 17th The National Living History Fair www.nlhf.co.uk 23rd & 24th The Ludlow Medieval Christmas Fair, Ludlow Castle, Shropshire http://www.ludlowcastle.com/pages/events.aspx Whittington Castle Multi-Period show July 27th & 28th 2013 Shropshire, SY11 4DF
Calling all interested re-enactors! Whittington Castle is hosting a multi Period event and are after anyone who fancies joining them for the weekend to get in contact
www.whittingtoncastle.co.uk
Polish Winged Hussar Re-enactment in America by Rik Fox
© 2013
The roots of Polish 17th century and winged hussar re-enacting in the United States actually go back to sometime during 1998 in California of all places, and what would become a man and a dream… This is not a subject that can easily be summed up in a few paragraphs, so I will just tell you my story…It was 1998, and I had taken a break from my rock and roll career and while working in the film industry, I just spent about three years working my way up thru the ranks of what was one of the largest and most prestigious Renaissance Fair groups in the Southern California, Los Angeles area; The Royal Spanish Court, representing the era of not only Queen Elizabeth I, but also that of King Philip of Spain and the time of the Armada. As per expected, is was something of a swarthy and dashing collection of rogues and courtly ladies. Myself having been weaned as a young lad, on the Hollywood swashbuckler classics such as any of Errol Flynn’s, along with Tyrone Power and Ronald Coleman, I fancied myself just as much a swashbuckler as any of them, complete with Flynn/Power/Coleman pencil mustache and rapier-like wit. I seemed to have a natural aptitude with a sword as well for some reason. In short time, I went from the lower position of King’s Herald to full-blown stage actor, choreographing my own comedic sword fighting segment of the groups’ stage show. At some point, I noticed that virtually all of the European powers were represented at these Renaissance Fairs, including the Ottoman Empire, but something seemed to be missing. Being of Polish ancestry, I noticed that there was a very large and obvious lack of Polish representation. I had met one or two Polish Renfair characters portraying Poland, yes, but nothing formalized, nothing that stood out and screamed the power and might of Poland…Upon receiving a handsome promotion and acknowledgement within the Spanish Court to Captain of the King’s Flagship for distinguishing myself within the group, and all titles therein accompanied, I turned to my late father, Chevalier Leonard J. Sulima-
Suligowski, who was, at the time, the Director of the College of Heraldry in the U.S., and the leading authority in the United States on Polish Heraldry. Who better to know what I was curious about than he… Come to find out, as he informed me, Poland was the largest land empire of Europe at the time with a ratio of around 10 % nobility and gentry amongst its population, which was more than all of Western Europe combined! The concept of which runs somewhat different from that of Western Europe, and families were gathered together something akin to the Scottish system of Clans, with a myriad of Coats of Arms applying to many different branches of those families. The nobility of Poland ran from the poor and impoverished all the way up to magnate; rich or poor if you held some kind of title of nobility, you were considered among the gentry of knightly brotherhood. And, at the most important level (to me), of that knightly nobility: the legendary Polish cavalry: the winged hussars. Of all the available personas to pick from within this era of Polish history, no mere obvious choice was it; there was a bigger picture to come at work here. One that was yet to be revealed…Once my father began to supply for me, whatever educational materials I needed about the background of Polish History during the Renaissance and subsequent Baroque period, I was at that time extremely ‘new’ to the internet and although there was at that time virtually nothing available (at least, in the English language) on the winged hussars with whom I was so struck by their awesome imagery, I sought as much materials as I could get my hands on. It was then, that my father reminded me of a scratch built model he created back during the 1970’s, based off the original Lone Ranger on Silver plastic model kit he built, and variated into a winged hussar from an old illustration from an old Polish book. As I recalled the model he built, he reminded me of my asking him upon its completion ‘what is that? I’ve never seen a knight in armor with wings before.’ My father replied with ‘that…is you ancestry and heritage…these are the guys that saved Poland from the invading Swedish and other forces in Poland and also saved Christian Europe at The Battle of Vienna.’ It wasn’t until he sent me copies of the Polaroid photos of the winged hussar figure he made and also, copies of some of the Coats of Arms represented by the knights who rescued Vienna that the distant memories began to emerge.
Among them, up on the wall in the chapel at Kahlenberg, from which the famous charge commenced and which overlooked the battlefield, was a copy of our clan arms of Sulima. And so, I saw, proof that our family clan arms were among the winged hussar knights who charged with King Jan III Sobieski at Vienna on September 12, 1683… With all the talk of Polish Solidarity, ironically enough, it also walks hand-inhand with the legendary issue of how the Polish nobles continuously squabbled amongst themselves, sometimes leading to some deadly arguments. A small example (minus the deadly), of a similar matter came about when, sometime around 1999, dressed in my first elementary level attempt at a Polish period persona, I actually met a Polish guy at a local Renaissance Fair who, naturally, portrayed a Polish noble. When I told him I had a notion of a dream and intent of creating a Polish group dedicated to the winged hussars, he flat out laughed at me. He told me about how ‘anything Polish’ is looked down upon, disrespected and the source of jokes in America. ‘Don’t bother, he said, it’s not popular to be Polish, so you will fail and everyone will laugh at you.’ OK, I thought, throw an obstacle of adversity in my path and telling me I can’t do something is only going to result in my proving you wrong…you just put gasoline on the fire pal. Within a few weeks I had made the decision to leave the Spanish Court and I had already begun putting together my small offering of a Renaissance Polish hussar camp. I had some armor and a small display of some of my first research items to further show visitors exactly what and who we (my wife and I) were portraying. Being fairly well-known among the renaissance Fair circuit in the Los Angeles area, we began to receive many curious visitors and participants alike inquiring what winged hussars were.
SEPTEMBER 2000; ESTABLISHMENT OF THE FIRST ‘OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED’ POLISH REPRESENTATION AT RENAISSANCE FAIRS IN THE U.S.: THE POLISH NOBILITY COMMONWEALTH GUILD
Not long after, oddly enough, along comes the very same Polish guy who tried to dissuade me from embarking on such a foolish venture. Only now, he and his pushy wife were suddenly very interested (especially, after seeing how someone had the balls to finally take the lead in actually creating such a presentation), and they began to insert themselves into our group with all manner of grandeurous plans of courtly intrigue and drama, and to use me as the ‘figurehead image’ of the group while they planned to now run it from within. My wife and I looked at each other and said ‘uhhh, no, this is not going to be that kind of group; we’re not all about all that Renfair gossip and drama, this is going to be a group dedicated to the winged hussars.’ We got back to them and about two weeks later we received a letter agreeing that we both had very different ideas of what my group was going to be and so, they wished us luck with our little endeavor and we agreed to go our own ways. Exactly two weeks later, we suddenly became the victims of a massive program of ridicule by these two, who were very well known and established within the Renfair community and a smear program became their latest campaign against me and the creation of our Polish winged hussar presentation, now referring to me as ‘the Polish joke.’ Gee…I wonder why. They were out to prove that my creation would fail and they would stop at nothing to extend their influence against me, personally, and our group. LAND OF THE WINGED HORSEMEN EXHIBIT FROM POLAND
We didn’t let that stop us and with more determination than ever, we marched on, step-by-step, proving them wrong, which only served to anger them all the more. After the beginning of 2000, my father highly recommended that I see an exhibit he covered with a Press Junket in Baltimore, Maryland, because of its collection of winged hussar armor. I was granted special dispensation by the curator of the San Diego Museum of Art and raced there from Los Angeles, to see the final day of a touring exhibit from Poland: ‘Land of the Winged Horsemen; Art in Poland 1572-1764’. It was then and there, that the bigger picture was to finally and ultimately reveal itself to me…As I said; one of the main highlights of this exhibit was a surviving collection of armor, weaponry
and paintings representing the winged hussar cavalry and The Battle of Vienna, much of which was supplied by the Czartoryski Family. After having just seen the Jerzy Hoffman epic film ‘Ogniem I Mieczem’ (With Fire and Sword) based on the Sienkiewicz Trilogy, knowing that once gone, this exhibit
would soon be long-forgotten I knew I had to do something about that. As I stood in the doorway of the hall of hussar armor, I suddenly experienced a deeply emotional personal epiphany and was directly inspired to attempt to keep the heart of this exhibit in America somehow. I tread a road that was fraught with such adversities coming from both, fellow Poles and non-Poles alike. Starting out by introducing this portrayal at various local Renaissance Fairs, I and our few members bore the brunt of mean, cruel, and insensitive W.W. II-based Polish jokes and ignorant comments from both, fair participants and visitors alike. Still, we pressed on, eventually picking up members and raising eyebrows as our presentation grew. Right: Making U.S. History as the first ever portrayal of a winged hussar in any parade in America; The 2002 NYC Pulaski Day Parade.
Changing our name from The Polish Nobility Commonwealth Guild, to the more properly-suited Suligowski’s Regiment of Sobieski’s Hussars, eventually we began to make featured media, newspaper and magazine articles and word began to spread, becoming, (arguably it seems) known as ‘the first officially recognized presentation and portrayal of Poland’s Winged Hussars and 17th century military nobility in America.’ We made U.S. History as I was the first winged hussar impression to ride in the 2002 New York Pulaski Day Parade as well as any parade ever, in U.S. History. Over the years, we changed from the drama of Renaissance Fairs to military timeline events, reaping much more respect and admiration for
portraying a difficult but rewarding impression; further educating successfully, the visiting public. Despite more adversity in eventually drawing the confusingly jealous and misunderstood ire from like-minded 17th century Polish re-enactors on the east coast, curiously spending much of their time disputing the point that I created the first formalized 17th century Polish winged hussar re-enactment group in the U.S., accolades, awards and achievements of recognition were now coming in from various organizations, recognizing our efforts, yet, there was something missing. With the sudden passing of my father in mid-2008, suddenly, more and more people began to notice our group and my efforts. Right: America’s first officially recognized winged hussar, Rik Sulima-Suligowski Fox; 2006 Texas Four Winds Renaissance Fair. Photo © Tamara Fox Although there are several other, smaller similar groups in the United States who formed up after I created our representation, I am proud to say that we created the first officially recognized representation of the winged hussars in U.S. History! This point of significance was also recognized in several other arenas; a friend I met while in Poland, Bartosz Musialowicz, who is not only a respected historical researcher, author and re-enactor himself, but also the Secretary to the Polish Consul in Kiev, after interviewing me for both, an online article he wrote about me in my efforts to bring winged hussar re-enacting to America, and, as a co-author of the book ‘Kircholm-Klushino; The Victories of the Hussar Cavalry’ had, in recognition of those efforts, dubbed me with
Szabla z USA’ (The First Saber of the USA). Additionally, it was in issue # 60, pg. 15, in the nationally-published ‘Renaissance Magazine’, in an article about the winged hussars, contributing writer Kenneth Mondschein, in his independent research stated thusly (at that time) “Today, two groups in the United States reenact the glories of the winged hussars. The first to be founded was Suligowski’s Regiment…by Rik Fox in 2000…he brought his love for his Polish heritage, as well as his rock star personality and flair for self-promotion to historical reenactment; in many ways he and the extravagant Hussars are a perfect match”, thereby establishing documentation, in print, that I and our group were the first to create and establish the official portrayal of the winged hussars in the United States. End of story. End of controversy. Not long after, I and our group were generously donated an entire chapter in the must-read Charlie Schroeder book: “Man of War; My Adventures in the World of Historical Reenactment.” the honorary title of ‘Pierwszy
In July of 2010 my wife Tamara and I were featured guest participants in one of the largest battle re-enactments ever staged in Warsaw, Poland; The Battle of Kłuszyn, (July 1610), a pivotal battle in the history of the wars against Muscovy, where a numerically superior force of Russian and western mercenary troops were beaten by a Polish army consisting mostly of winged hussars where the Poles were outnumbered nearly 16-1! We were among the best Polish winged hussar re-enactors in the world, from Gniew, Poland which was documented by The History Channel of Poland. All of which resulted in being featured in the well-read U.K. publication for re-enactors: SKIRMISH MAGAZINE. I was now becoming something of a much sought-after interview subject on the topic of the hussars. But, there was still something missing… In August of 2012, through our living history/ re-enactor website, www.husaria.us I was contacted by a Director of Kensington Productions for a cable television show called ‘MUSEUM SECRETS’ which is produced by The History Channel in Canada. Upon researching the internet, they said they were impressed at what they saw and read about me and our group and they wanted to present this to the world. They were intrigued with some winged hussar armor on display in the State Museum in Moscow, and so, some footage was shot there in Russia, and the balance, was shot at our ranch in Santa Clarita, CA, literally condensing a usually weeks’ worth of shooting down into one day. The episode dealt specifically on the winged hussars and what were their secrets and weapons that gave them the advantage as lords of the battlefields of Central Europe for nearly 200 years, centering on Russian history and in particular "The Times of Troubles" concentrating on the years 1605 -1618. It must be said that ‘Hollywood always trumps History’ and often, the hussars are depicted in outof-period correctness. For the most part, the winged hussars mostly wore their wings (usually singly), attached to the cantle (rear) of their saddles, until the latter half of the 17th century. Of the major highlights covered for the show, was the curious
legends of the hussars’ wings alleged to have made frightful sounds’ as they charged into battle, (which couldn’t be proven or disproven) and also, the use of their ‘kopia’ (specialized lance). Poland’s winged hussars have at times, been unfairly or inaccurately represented in the media, so it was my goal to see to it that I represented both styles of winged hussars. More importantly: ‘This marks an extremely important precedent and moment for world-wide exposure to this subject, because it will mark the first time in history, that the subject and history of the elite Polish cavalry-the winged hussars, will be respectfully covered in the English language without becoming distorted as with past various productions.’ Episode 15 actually spearheaded the Canadian Premier of ‘Museum Secrets’ Season Three on March 14th of 2013 for Canada, however, the Season Three Premier release for U.S. viewers is pending until Season’s One and Two’s completion which is usually carried on The Smithsonian Channel, so check your local cable provider for more info. Now, finally, after all those years ago, a man with a dream and a world full of adversity was able to overcome all those obstacles, becoming a re-enactor, living historian, advisor and ultimately teach, educate and share with the world, exactly what he was attempting to do from day one; to educate the Englishspeaking world of the U.S., a then, little-known (in the U.S.) but famous aspect of Polish history, which eventually brought everything we know today about cavalry fighting on horseback to America, came to us via the Polish winged hussars. I had a dream fulfilled To some; re-enactment is merely a hobby, a weekend-warrior campout, or a chance to educate others about history. Real history. The kind that impacted the world around us. That is why reenacting became a personal agenda and mission for me. Left: Rik Fox in the Documentary: ‘Return to Glory; The Rise and Rise of the Polish Arabian Horse.’ Photo © Jen Miller
My passion has paid off; I can see today, just over a decade later, that that impact has taken hold in America; that whenever somebody sees anything on the subject of the winged hussars in America, through their emails, and comments to me from all over the internet, they immediately identify with me as their first source of hearing about or being introduced to the subject. I have finally
accomplished that mission, which continues to this day. Today, in Poland, my Polish re-enactor counterparts, hundreds of degrees much more proficient than I, even recognize and acknowledge the work I have done, so far away from Poland, in introducing the Polish Winged Hussars to America. And for that I am eternally grateful. I have been blessed with a gift, and an opportunity of a lifetime and am so very grateful to have been chosen by the production, out of all the 17th Century Polish Hussar re-enactors in America that they looked at, and, in the words of producer Marianne Kushmaniuk and director Victor Kushmaniuk, as: “The most authentic and authoritative representative on the subject of the winged hussars that they’ve seen in the U.S.A.” Suligowski’s Regiment is named in Memory of the Late Chevalier Leonard J. Suligowski. -- Rik Fox About the author: In addition to his career as an Internationally known recording/performing artist as a member of the seminal metal band STEELER, and an original founding member of the heavy metal band W.A.S.P., Rik (Suligowski) Fox, is also a published writer, actor, and historical re-enactor. Rik is largely responsible for spearheading the now-growing movement of interest in 16th & 17th Century Polish militaria and Husaria study, with his research making him one of the leading proponents on the subject in the United States today. He is also generally acknowledged as “The first Polish-American of noble ancestry to portray the legendary Polish Winged Husaria Cavalry units in United States History”©, Rik is a member of the distinguished ancestral bloodline of the Polish Clan of Sulima. Among his many accolades, Rik has been recognized by many Polish Organizations for his contributions to Polish History and culture. Likewise, he is the recipient of the Knights Cross awarded from The Order of St. Stanislas. Rik served two elected terms as Vice President of the Polish American Congress, Southern California Division and is currently writing two books, one a biography and the other about his creation of the winged hussars in America and is still active in rock music today and more popular than ever in Facebook