Deed of the Red Knight – A Reflection

This year I had the opportunity to attend Deed of the Red Knight, a 1375-1400 CE reenactment event, alongside my friends from Ottawa Swordplay (In this case, The Free Company of Ulm). This was my first reenactment event. Ever. It was one of the better camping experiences I’ve had, notwithstanding my new sensitivity to wood smoke, and I met a lot of absolutely amazing people, got to see some really interesting events, and got to see some extremely talented makers! In particular, I want to shout out the team at Sanctuary Armoury (who hosted the event), Jake Fenwick from Fenwick Bows, Nathan from Arms & Armor, and the fine folks from Esker Forge! Their work was absolutely beautiful to see, from armour and clothes to swords to bows, the whole camp had a great deal of immersion and beauty to it!

As a member of the Free Company of Ulm, I was a mercenary. But digging deeper, I wanted my impression to be that of a Romani Mercenary in the year 1400 CE. This means the person would have had experience in the Ottoman Empire, Hungary, and the Holy Roman Empire (Ulm is in modern day Germany, then the Free Imperial City of Ulm within the HRE). The majority of the heavy lifting for this impression was done by the sash I wore, which was acquired from Living History Market, and the Turkish Shalwar I wore for the first two days. I ended up wearing largely German hose and doublets, given to me by Craig (The Head Instructor at Ottawa swordplay and all around spectacular human being). The weather did not cooperate for much of the event, however, which meant wearing the full kit challenging due to the heat. I know the folks fighting in armour also commented on this a few times.

Overall, I had a spectacular time, and I really hope I’m able to make it again next year! But I also learned some important lessons, ranging from my kit, to what I should bring, to preparing how to protect myself from the sun. Let’s go through those in reverse order, just to be difficult.

“Damn you sun!” or How I learned I was unprepared for heat exhaustion

It was sunny, all weekend. I was also, incidentally, outside. all weekend. It was also very warm, all weekend. My under-tunic was linen, which was really helpful for dealing with sweat, however the wool hose, wool socks, wool bycocket (don’t laugh, that’s what the hat I wore is called), and leather turnshoes that I wore were absolutely brutal. I also received what can be charitably referred to as a catastrophic sunburn on the back of my neck. This combination of circumstances led to me getting incredibly sick and having heat exhaustion, which culminated in me leaving early on the Sunday of DotRK. While I did start wrapping my linen scarf around my head and neck to try and keep the sun off of me, it was largely for naught.

Rethinking how I approached the concepts of “heat” and “the sun” will be important, useful, and generally a good idea. So, sunscreen is a must, especially on the back of my neck, and working to keep the sun off of my head with things that are not made of heavy fabrics. Focusing on linen solutions will be important, especially because medieval clothing is based on layers. The other thing I need to remember is that there was a forest right next to the camp site that was much cooler than the actual camp site. Also: Water! I drank a good deal of water, but not necessarily at the times I needed it most! So overall, I could make better choices regarding clothing and water consumption, but especially regarding sunscreen.

Cold Night(s) and Chilly noses

The tent I borrowed from Craig was gorgeous. A pavilion tent that was red and blue, it really stood out. It captured temperature really well, especially without anything insulating it from the ground (which was entirely my fault). But the first night was 4 degrees celcius. The sleeping bag and blankets I brought were definitely warm enough. My face, however, was not. When I woke up in the morning, and by morning I mean before sunrise, my nose had frost on it. I woke up with sniffles, that i assume were caused by an equal mix of my nose freezing and the wood smoke, and was extremely sore. In retrospect, I probably could have just covered my face with the sleeping bag. Hindsight is 20/20, and all that.

I spoke to a few people, and I was recommended to look into hospital blanket/anti-suffocation blankets (thank you Chris), and also those heat packs. An oil lamp would have also possibly been a good solution to provide a little extra heat. But what I will definitely need to do is get some sort of ground cover to a.) prevent flies from getting in, and b.) provide some insulation from the ground. Humidity also being an issue means that I need to be adaptable, and I’m curious to see what period-solutions there were to humidity.

“Kit” or the absolute nightmare of trying to research anywhere outside of western Europe in this period

I mentioned that I was intending to represent a Romani mercenary in 1400 CE. This poses some unique challenges, namely that there isn’t a lot of writing on this topic, and what is written has some problems. Roma in this period were described in non-Ottoman sources as variations on a word meaning ‘Untouchable’ or ‘slave’. There are previous few charitable descriptions in sources I could find, outside of Ottoman sources. Yet, archaeological research has mapped a rout of migration from India, through Persia, into Anatolia, through the Balkans, then into the rest of Europe. Non-Ottoman sources indicate that Roma in this period usually worked jobs that were considered lower-class; things like metal working, fortune telling, playing music, or tending horses. The elephant in the room I have not mentioned yet is that in this period is that Wallachia was engaging in the widespread enslavement of Roma through raids into Ottoman territory in the Balkans, dividing people between a number of jobs including serving as mounted troops. The other elephant in the room (wow, this must be a crowded room) is that all of this is focusing on non-ottoman sources.

Ottoman sources tell a very different story. There were, yes, still Roma who were engaged in manufacturing or entertainment tasks, and yes there was still enslavement of non-Muslim Roma in the Ottoman empire. But there is also written record of Roma in this period engaging in high ranking roles in the Ottoman military, including as Janissaries (yes, I will get to that bit about the Janissaries), tax collectors, and functionaries. The Janissaries of this time, established by Murad the First and used heavily by Bayazid the First, were effectively a slave army made up of converted non-muslims who were normally taken as children. While I am not going to go very much into depth about the Ottoman slave trade, it is important to acknowledge that, while the Janissaries are rightly acknowledged as one of the first “modern” standing army (including regular salaries, semi-regulated uniforms, standardized equipment, and the earliest widespread, standardized adoption of firearms), it was also built upon the backs of enslaved people.

So. If the impression I am meaning to give is a Roma mercenary, I should consider looking instead towards the Ottoman territories in the Balkans. and the most logical means to do that (considering the above-average skill I have with longsword and grossemesser) would be to look at the Janissaries. Revolts and desertion were not uncommon, and it is not unlikely that a deserting Janissary would turn to mercenary work. Travel around Europe was not as uncommon as people imagine it today, so I feel that is well within the realm of possibility.

So what does that mean in practical terms:

Limiting colours to Red, Blue, Yellow, and Green, in that order.
Getting a Dolama and a Caftan (which are different, but related, garments).
Getting Yellow or Red boots, ideally yellow. The colour of a janissary’s shoes denoted their rank, with yellow being used for archers and cavalry, and red being restricted to higher ranking and noble members of the Ottoman military.

In period, the Janissaries were archers, who carried a small selection of hand weapons as well. I do not currently have a bow, and I haven’t done archery in a long time, but I’d like to get one again. maybe i’ll take up archery again. While I don’t do sabre as my primary weapon, there is no reason one couldn’t apply the techniques of grossemesser to Sabre.

Overall, I had an excellent time, and I’m really glad I went to Deed of the Red Knight. I hope to be back again, with an upgraded kit, and new skills!