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Destrier
Late 15th Century mounted soldiery
Tournaments, Battles, Displays, Living history, Education and Research
Destrier’s standard tournament day consists of several performances comprising hunting gamesand skill-at-arms, arming of the Knights display with a jousting competition between two teams of Knights. Throughout, the members and horses remain part of the public's day out displaying medieval horse care and providing informative answers to questions on medieval life in general allowing people – and particularly children - to interact with a popular piece of heritage first hand. Due to Destrier's unique origins as a display team, it is the only one of it's kind in the U.K, which boasts such a commitment to portraying the medieval horseman and woman in such detail.
Before the arena performances proper, we present the Knights’ challenge to the audience. Each Knight parades into the arena and is accompanied by his squire carrying his colours. In turn their characters are introduced to the audience. Once all the Knights are assembled, the challenge begins. This consists of each Knight smiting the others’ colours in an attempt to provoke their opponents. In medieval times participants’ shields would be displayed on a tree in the town square however for our purpose the shields are generally displayed on the tilt rail. The purpose of the Knights Challenge is to make sure that the audience is familiar with the participants and fully aware of the tournament that will ensue.
The first performance of the day is the “Medieval Hunting Games”. This consists of a number of fast games, using lance, javelin dart and sword upon a number of targets. The riders - both ladies and gentlemen - are dressed in the finery of medieval nobility. It is presented in a light hearted but competitive style giving the crowd an early opportunity to meet the challengers, discover the personalities of the characters and choose their Knight to cheer in the main joust show.
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Between the arena adventures Destrier maintains its presence through the day ensuring that living history and education remain a facet of the itinerary. The performers operate from ‘the Knight’s tournament encampment’, which is fully operational, and compatible with foot based re-enactment groups of the same period. It is here that the audience can meet each of the performers to greet them “in character” and discuss history and medieval life. In addition, a horse line is maintained where the public can visit and meet the horses whilst off duty.
To complete Destrier’s commitment to education, the Knights are armoured in their fine quality, reproduction 15th century ‘harness’ in view of the public. The audience is presented with a commentary explaining the armours and providing interesting anecdotes encompassing all the frequently asked questions and dispelling the myths.
The main spectacle of the day – the competitive joust - uses an interpretation of 500-year-old ordinances. Destrier’s own compere explains to the audience how the competition will be run and how each hit is scored. The tournament is judged and scored so the competitors and public can follow the progress of an actual live sport!
Destrier’s tournament recreates a late 15th century ‘sport’. Fully armoured men and their horses – each weighing half a ton – charge towards each other at 25mph, separated only by a central rail or ‘tilt’. Each Knight attempts to shatter his wooden lance on his opponent’s body to score points. This is an actual competition with real steel armour and wooden lances. The show has a structured format with the compere and Knights interacting with the audience to encourage them to cheer for their chosen Knight.
Within the jousting passes, Destrier provides a big difference. No longer is there a ‘good Knight versus bad Knight’ but the variable element in each pass comes from the very fact that contestants are actually taking part in a sport with no scripted winner.
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Destrier’s standard tournament day consists of several performances comprising hunting gamesand skill-at-arms, arming of the Knights display with a jousting competition between two teams of Knights. Throughout, the members and horses remain part of the public's day out displaying medieval horse care and providing informative answers to questions on medieval life in general allowing people – and particularly children - to interact with a popular piece of heritage first hand. Due to Destrier's unique origins as a display team, it is the only one of it's kind in the U.K, which boasts such a commitment to portraying the medieval horseman and woman in such detail.
Before the arena performances proper, we present the Knights’ challenge to the audience. Each Knight parades into the arena and is accompanied by his squire carrying his colours. In turn their characters are introduced to the audience. Once all the Knights are assembled, the challenge begins. This consists of each Knight smiting the others’ colours in an attempt to provoke their opponents. In medieval times participants’ shields would be displayed on a tree in the town square however for our purpose the shields are generally displayed on the tilt rail. The purpose of the Knights Challenge is to make sure that the audience is familiar with the participants and fully aware of the tournament that will ensue.
The first performance of the day is the “Medieval Hunting Games”. This consists of a number of fast games, using lance, javelin dart and sword upon a number of targets. The riders - both ladies and gentlemen - are dressed in the finery of medieval nobility. It is presented in a light hearted but competitive style giving the crowd an early opportunity to meet the challengers, discover the personalities of the characters and choose their Knight to cheer in the main joust show.
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How does our joust work?
The Knights enter the arena individually, announced by the compere, who reintroduces each participant in turn as he rides around the arena. The Knight then makes a brief address to the audience to encourage their support. Once all the Knights are on the field, they present themselves as one to the audience and in response to the compere’s requirements agree to abide by the rules of the joust according to codes of chivalry and honour.
The Knights, split into two teams of three take two passes at each opponent of the opposing team. The team members are rotated so that the crowd regularly gets to cheer for its chosen champion as he returns to the fore to meet a new challenger.
Destrier’s scoring system is based on 500 year old ordinances which consists of the following:
· Points are allocated according to the areas on the body that are struck be it arm, chest or shoulder;
· A visual signalling system is used to indicate to the compere and audience where on the body the strike has been made;
· Discretional points are awarded to the contestant who has broken his lance furthest down from the end.
Once all passes have been made, the scores are totalled and the two highest scoring Knights from each team are brought forward for a final joust of three passes to decide the overall winner.
In addition the joust can be followed up with a group or team game known as the melee. This was the real highlight of the series of games in a tournament. The melee could be conducted using blunted (or “rebated”) swords; swords made of wood or whalebone, or otherwise padded clubs. In this game the object was to fight as a team inflicting a counted number of blows to an opponent, or otherwise concuss him from being unable to continue, whereupon the knight marshal and his staff would remove him from the field. This is a very lively and active game when reproduced today, and one that Destrier’s members always enjoy!
The Knights then reform to make a final presentation to the audience, take a bow and are led forward to the crowd who are invited to meet the Knights and their horses.
As a testimonial, One of Destrier’s earliest jousting performances was reviewed in "Revival Magazine" and provides a view of the tournament performance as seen at Herstmonceux Castle August 26th - 28th 2000...
"The lively and often wryly humorous commentary of the magnificently attired master Rupert, introduces the young men of Destrier, 15th century cavalry group who immediately launched into a breath-taking display of medieval mounted skill-at-arms.
Plucking wicker rings off poles with light lances was the least of their skills, as they ran through a series of training exercises such as quintain, where the rider must strike a shield mounted on a pivot and get clear quickly to avoid being thumped by a heavy ball on a chain attached to the opposite end. Cabbages substituted for human heads when Destrier demonstrated the deadly art of annihilating your opponent with a sword at full gallop and this spectacle led to the joust itself.
Charging down the lists, the Knights shattered lance after lance against their opponents in near-perfect recreation of this noble art, before swords were once again drawn for the mounted tourney, or melee. Thundering around the arena, the horsemen struck furiously at each other and any Knight taking three clean hits was pronounced "dead". With four members of Destrier in the arena for this event and with skills being fairly evenly matched, the melee seemed to throw up a different winner every time." Neil Bell (Editor)
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Real Horses, Real Armour & Real Wooden Lances!!! |
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The Scoring system used for Destrier’s jousting contests
Destrier has been faced with a difficult problem- how were jousts scored? Original manuscripts seem to propose a variety of practices or methods. Some systems are very stylised indeed. This suggests that the heralds attending these events often debated and concluded amongst themselves how the contest at that gathering was to be conducted.
After due consideration (and much experimentation) our system has been standardised to be consistent with other contests. Indeed there are many occasions when members compete against other jousters in their events- and other jousters attend ours. To this end we operate a scoring system that is close to “industry standard” in the UK and is clear for all participants and the audience, so that the viewing public are encouraged to appreciate the competition as it unfolds.
The joust is operated using the following features: -
The object of the joust is to shatter your lance on the body of your opponent. Accuracy of the strike in a clean break and a well-placed lance point are the attributes being appreciated with the award of points.
A set number of passes are arranged in the contest, so that each competitor will have an equal number of attempts each.
A barrier or tilt rail is used to prevent the hazard of collision. Competitors are to endeavour to judge the pace of their mount so as to meet their opponent mid way down this barrier.
On occasion a counter list or secondary set of barriers may be used to assist in the prevention of horses “running wide” of the tilt rail.
A line marshal is posted at each end of the tilt rail at a suitable safe distance. It is preferable for each line marshal to be elevated (on a block or podium or hay bale, or mounted if possible) to assist in his vision of the clash of lances.
A knight marshal is present as supervisor of proceedings, to confer with line marshals and conclude the scoring. He is in communication with a scorer who marks the result of each pass down.
Each line marshal watches the body of the inbound competitor and passes judgement on the accuracy of the outbound competitor. He then demonstrates the result of each pass of lance as follows: -
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The raising of the right arm vertical denotes a hit.
Placing the right fist on that area then indicates the location of the strike made. |
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3 points are awarded for a hit to the body |
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2 for a hit to the shoulder |
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The crossing of the arms in front of the body indicates a miss. |
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Extending the right arm horizontally indicates a bad or illegal strike. |
Illegal strikes are then explained by a further gesture.
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These may be to the opponent’s head |
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A sweeping strike with the side of the lance (as opposed to a clean strike with the point of the lance) is deemed a foul blow and is indicated by the arm being moved across the body horizontally with the hand outstretched and flat. |
The knight marshal then may award an additional discretionary point to the competitor who has broken his lance furthest from the point. No such point can be given to a lance broken in an illegal strike or a lance that has been dropped or torn from a competitor’s grasp during the pass. Should both lances in that pass be both shattered to the maximum distance possible, it is permissible for the marshal to award a point to each.
Copyright Destrier 1996-2008
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