Medieval Ware

"The cold gods. The ones in the night. The white shadows." —Gilly to Jon Snow #gameofthrones #gameofthronesfamily #gameofthroneshbo #gameofthronescosplay #gameofthronesfans #gameofthronesart #gameofthronesquotes #gameofthronesfacts #gameofthronespost #gameofthronesaddict #gameofthronesfandom #fantasy #fantasyworld #fantasycharacter #fantasycosplay #larp #larping #larpcharacter

Electing an Emperor The Holy Roman Empire - which, contrary to the popular saying, was Holy, Roman and an Empire - had an unusual means of selecting their Emperor. Most states in Europe aside from a handful of republican states in Northern Italy passed monarchy down through inherited claims - which were sometimes contested by force of arms. But the Holy Roman Empire chose its Emperor by election. Now - this had nothing to do with universal suffrage, campaigning and ballot boxes. In fact, there were only seven votes that could be cast. And usually only one candidate. But, nevertheless, the process of electing the Holy Roman Emperor was an ancient tradition that was critical for symbolizing the bonds that bound the sprawling, complex federation together. The roots of the Holy Roman Empire’s electoral college are lost to time, but the post-Roman Germanic and Frankish peoples held a sporadic tradition of electing their kings in the Early Medieval era. Eventually, rather than informal mass election, this process solidified into the High Medieval practise of an electoral college: seven of the leading nobles of the confederated states within the Empire elected the Emperor. Three of these nobles were Archbishops, whilst the other four were secular rulers: the King of Bohemia, the Count Palatine of the Rhine, the Margrave of Brandenburg and the Duke of Saxony. Whilst this might seem like a simple rubber-stamp from the leading nobles, the process of election was sometimes closely contested - and although it rarely broke out into open warfare, elections were sometimes a tool for a rival claimant to bolster their legitimacy. As well, enormous amounts of cash often changed hands to secure the votes of the prince-electors. Completely unlike modern elections. #medieval #medievalclothing #medievalstore #medievalswords #middleages #medievalworld #medievalhistory #medievalfantasy #medievalfestival #medievaldress #medievalcostume #medievalarmor #larp #larping #medievallarp #larpcostume #larper #larparmor #larpcharacter #larpweapons

"A red-cross knight for ever kneel'd To a lady in his shield, That sparkled on the yellow field…" -Lord Alfred Tennyson, 'The Lady Of Shallot'. #medieval #medievalclothing #medievalstore #medievalswords #middleages #medievalworld #medievalhistory #medievalfantasy #medievalfestival #medievaldress #medievalcostume #medievalarmor #larp #larping #medievallarp #larpcostume #larper #larparmor #larpcharacter #larpweapons

The Almogavars: Berserkers of Al-Andalus Outdated histories of the Crusades portray the Christian West as ‘vanquishing’ ‘the Muslims’ with their superior technology and martial culture. But the reality is far more complex - the interaction of the Islamic and Western Christian worlds in the High Medieval era left both changed forever. Some of the fiercest warriors to emerge at the borderline were the Castilian Almogavars. Their name appears in texts from Al-Andalus, the name given to Moorish Iberia during its long possession by Caliphates and taifa kingdoms. Almogavars were originally small groups of border raiders who would engage in asymmetric warfare against the Christian kingdoms of northern Spain. The Kingdom of Aragon, locked in struggle against both its Christian neighbors and the Islamic states to the south throughout the 13th century, saw how effective these tactics were, and incorporated them into their armed forces. The Aragonese Almogavars were recruited from isolated highland communities, renowned for their legendary physical grit and bravery in combat. They were usually very poorly equipped, armored only in furs and linen, and fighting only with a spear and javelins - but this gave them devastating speed and flexibility. They would give their battle-cry ‘Awake, iron!’ whilst striking sparks from their wicked falchions on their shields. Raiding and looting ahead of the main Aragonese armies, they fatally destabilized Moorish resistance in the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa, and in the conquest of Valencia. They were legendary knight-killers, outpacing and overwhelming heavily-armored chivalric elites in the Aragonese wars with France. #medieval #medievalclothing #medievalstore #medievalswords #middleages #medievalworld #medievalhistory #medievalfantasy #medievalfestival #medievaldress #medievalcostume #medievalarmor #larp #larping #medievallarp #larpcostume #larper #larparmor #larpcharacter #larpweapons

“Had I been present at the Creation, I would have given some useful hints for the better ordering of the universe.” (Alfonso X, King of Castile) #medieval #medievalclothing #medievalstore #medievalswords #middleages #medievalworld #medievalhistory #medievalfantasy #medievalfestival #medievaldress #medievalcostume #medievalarmor #larp #larping #medievallarp #larpcostume #larper #larparmor #larpcharacter #larpweapons

Padded Armor - An Arabian Invention? Gambesons are almost everywhere in medieval re-enactment and fantasy roleplay. A padded torso is critical to making your plate armor fit and articulate properly - but they only appeared relatively late in the Medieval era. The problem of figuring out exactly when padded arming wear appeared in the historical record is a thorny one, because depictions of armor in Medieval art are far from clear: is that chainmail or scale armor? A linen tunic or a leather breastplate? An interesting clue to the origins of padded armor is etymology, or the history of words. An early padded jacket known as an aketon appeared in the Crusader period, around the late 12th century. This comes from the Middle French ‘auqueton’, which in turn appears to be directly related to the Arabic word ‘al-qutun’, meaning ‘cotton’. Cotton cloth was made in Egypt and the Levant in the Medieval era, where cotton plants flourished, but cotton manufacture hadn’t yet spread to Western Europe. The etymology appears to suggest that cotton was used to stuff these padded jackets, possibly a technique imported by Crusaders returning from the Holy Land. (Image: Late Medieval arming doublet, Philadelphia Museum of Art) #medieval #medievalclothing #medievalstore #medievalswords #middleages #medievalworld #medievalhistory #medievalfantasy #medievalfestival #medievaldress #medievalcostume #medievalarmor #larp #larping #medievallarp #larpcostume #larper #larparmor #larpcharacter #larpweapons

"I'll fight, till from my bones my flesh be hacked." (William Shakespeare) #medieval #medievalclothing #medievalstore #medievalswords #middleages #medievalworld #medievalhistory #medievalfantasy #medievalfestival #medievaldress #medievalcostume #medievalarmor #larp #larping #medievallarp #larpcostume #larper #larparmor #larpcharacter #larpweapons

Did the Vikings wear Splint Armor? Traditional pictures of Viking warriors show them wearing chainmail armor and iron helmets - as well as enormous beards and scary expressions. But is that right? A find at the Viking site of Valsgärde has got archeologists and enthusiasts scratching their heads. At the turn of the 20th century, Scandinavian archeologists made an enormously important series of finds in the ancient Viking palace of Valsgärde. Much earlier graves from the pre-Viking Vendel age had been found on the site, and one of these contained the remains of a wooden box filled with a helmet and some chainmail armor - but also in the box were 21 strange iron strips, some of which had the remains of leather straps and chainmail rings attached to them. From their context, they are clearly part of the warrior’s panoply - but beyond that, theories abound as to what these strange strips are. Some say that they are three sets of limb armor, being mounted on leather straps and wrapped around the forearms and shins. These would have been an effective defense against cutting weapons. Others guess that they might have been torso armor, matching Eastern European and Central Asian cavalry armor styles. The Vendels, like their Viking descendents, were prolific traders - could this have been armor from the East? Nothing similar has been found before or since from the Vendel or Viking periods, with splint armor only becoming common in Western Europe from the 13th century onward - but we know that only a fraction of the material wealth of the past has survived, and only in rare conditions that have preserved objects by accident. Could the Vikings have worn splinted armor? #medieval #medievalclothing #medievalstore #medievalswords #middleages #medievalworld #medievalhistory #medievalfantasy #medievalfestival #medievaldress #medievalcostume #medievalarmor #larp #larping #medievallarp #larpcostume #larper #larparmor #larpcharacter #larpweapons

Medieval women’s fashion is fantastic for mixing and matching different looks. This linen tunic is a great example of a dress that is incredibly versatile, making it a great choice to include in an outfit. The cut and style are relatively simple and elegant, so this is a tunic that works best when building a complete costume. Available on our store! Link in bio. #medieval #medievalclothing #medievalstore #medievalswords #middleages #medievalworld #medievalhistory #medievalfantasy #medievalfestival #medievaldress #medievalcostume #medievalarmor #larp #larping #medievallarp #larpcostume #larper #larparmor #larpcharacter #larpweapons

The Eagle, the Snake and the Prickly Pear The city of Tenochtitlan was the crown jewel of the Aztec Empire. Theorized to mean ‘in the land of the prickly pears’ in the indigenous Nahuatl language, the Mexica people founded the city at the place where they saw an eagle alight upon a prickly pear with a snake clutched in its claws. By 1300 CE, the sprawling city was the heart of a burgeoning empire. It was built on an island in the middle of Lake Texcoco, only accessible by a series of huge floating bridges, a spectacular achievement of medieval engineering. Towering stepped pyramids and vibrantly decorated public buildings were surrounded by teeming slums, over which the Tlatoani (emperor) ruled with the blessing of the gods. At the invasion of the Spanish Conquistadors in the early 16th century, Tenochtitlan was five times the size ofHenry VIII’s London, certainly one of the largest cities in the world. Having taken control of the city, the Spanish renamed it ‘‘San Juan Tenochtitlan’ and leveled the enormous Huēyi Teōcalli temple in a deliberate act of desecration. They built the Cathedral of the Assumption (now Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral, one of its oldest buildings) upon its ruins. (Image: the 1524 ‘Nuremberg Map’ of Tenochtitlan, possibly an adaptation of an indigenous map interpreted by European engravers) . . . #medieval #medievalclothing #medievalstore #medievalswords #middleages #medievalworld #medievalhistory #medievalfantasy #medievalfestival #medievaldress #medievalcostume #medievalarmor #larp #larping #medievallarp #larpcostume #larper #larparmor #larpcharacter #larpweapons

“A lion doesn’t concern himself with the opinions of a sheep.” — Tywin Lannister #fantasy #magic #fantasycreature #fantasyworld #fantasycharacter #fantasyphotography #fantasycosplay #fantasycostume #fantasymakeup #medieval #medievalclothing #medievalstore #fantasystore #larp #larping #fantasylarp #medievallarp #larpcostume #larpcharacter

Who Was ‘Ulfberht’? The Riddle of the Viking Swords There are a set of mysterious swords that have been discovered all over Europe in Norse lands and colonies, which bear the legend ‘ULFBERHT’ hammered into the blade. Debate continues to rage as to who or what ‘Ulfberht’ was, and its mythology has even found its way into the Assassin’s Creed video games! More than 150 ‘Ulfberht’ swords have so far been discovered - and since ‘Ulfberht’ is a common Frankish forename, some argue that it was the name of a particularly prolific smith, whose weapons became widely spread. But it may be more complicated than that. The swords date from the early 9th century, all the way through to the late 11th - so a single smith seems to be impossible. As well, some write-ups describe the Ulfberht swords as ‘impossible’ or made using modern technology - which is an exaggeration. The quality of the swords varies significantly, with some being truly excellent and made from the very best pre-Industrial steel - but not impossibly so. But some are made from unhardened iron, and so would have been near-useless weapons. Also, the spelling of ‘ULFBERHT’ seems to vary a lot: earlier examples tend to be inscribed ‘+ULFBERH+T’, whilst later ones become more and more garbled, with some being only a series of abstract lines. Certainly, there could have been ‘an’ Ulfberht - whether he was the individual smith, the commissioning patron, or even the local bishop. Maybe the ‘original’ swords were even of exceptional quality, possibly even made with Iranian or Indian crucible steel. These swords might well have seeded a reputation, and made the ‘ULFBERHT’ mark a symbol of status. But as time went on, inferior imitations were made by less literate smiths, until ‘ULFBERHT’ was just a meaningless string of symbols. We might be looking at the Viking antecedents of knock-off Gucci handbags and Nike trainers. #medieval #medievalclothing #medievalstore #medievalswords #middleages #medievalworld #medievalhistory #medievalfantasy #medievalfestival #medievaldress #medievalcostume #medievalarmor #larp #larping #medievallarp #larpcostume #larper #larparmor #larpcharacter #larpweapons