https://youtube/watch?v=wL_yybJ-tNo This weekend sees the beginning of a season of authentic jousting with solid lances throughout Europe. My very good friend Dr Tobias Capwell, curator of arms and armour at The Wallace Collection in London (who will be taking part in these jousts), has made this very personal video, explaining what ‘real’ jousting is all about. It is a beautiful little film with stirring images. The standard of equipment - armour, horse tack and lances – brought to the field by the select band of present-day jousters, who do this properly, is beyond compare. It is a standard I could only dream of in my jousting days. They have taken it many levels beyond what we once did. Not since the Middle-Ages have such glorious accoutrements dazzled with such splendour. However it is not just the beauty of the armour that lifts these jousts above the norm, it is the practicality of it. This is real armour, made to exacting and authentic standards and worn with authentic arming garmets. It is the quality of the armour that allows these people to take, with reasonable (but not total) safety, hard, crunching, body-jarring hits with solid lances. These lances are also tipped with steel coronels – this means that they bite into the armour to gain purchase (instead of glancing off) and deliver a hit of even greater impact. Not only is the armour better, more glorious, more wondrous than any you have seen before, the men who are doing this now are a select and elite band of enthusiasts whose passion and integrity for history is second to none and who are possessed with great physical prowess and true courage. If you get a chance to witness one of these jousts – do so. It will be a remarkable experience, unlike any other jousting you have ever seen. I wish all the jousters well for the season and earnestly hope that none are injured, at least not seriously, while they pursue to the utmost what they love to do. This weekend’s jousting is at Schaffhausen in Switzerland.
Posted on: Thu, 10 Jul 2014 00:27:24 +0000
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