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Historical reenactment is an activity in which participants recreate some aspects of a historical event or period. It may be a narrowly-defined time period, such as a specific war or other event, or it may be more broadly defined.
Activities related to "reenactment" are not new. Tournaments in the Middle Ages had Roman or other earlier themes, and the Victorians recreated medieval furnishings such as tapestries. However, historical reenactment in pursuit of practical historical interest, beyond merely re-inventing history as an entertainment to suit contemporary convenience or sensibilities, seems to be an invention of the 20th century.
The term living history describes attempts to bring history to life, either for an audience or for the participants themselves. The primary distinction between reenactment and a period dramatic performance is the degree of immersion and the amount of improvisation. Historical reenactment can be considered a form of live-action role-playing.
Reenactment groups
Most groups dedicated to reenactment are amateurs who pursue reenactment as a hobby. Increasingly, there are a number of enthusiasts who have made it their goal to be as authentic as possible.
Period
The period of an event is the range of dates . See authenticity (reenactment) for a discussion of how the period affects the types of costume, weapons, and armour used.
Popular periods to reenact include:
- Ancient reenactment (See also: List of ancient reenactment groups)
- Dark Ages reenactment
- Early Medieval reenactment
- High Medieval reenactment
- Jousting tournaments from the Middle Ages
- Burgundian Wars of Charles the Bold have been made very popular as a reenactment period by groups like the Company of St. George etc.
- The English Civil War
- The Fur Trade is reenacted by many in North America at events known as "Rendezvous."
- The French and Indian War is becoming popular in the United States and Canada, with many American Revolutionary War reenactors also having a secondary portrayal and unit in this time period.
- Military units and battles of the American Revolutionary War are popular across North America
- Napoleonic battles
- The Franco-Prussian War
- American Civil War reenactment
- Wild West themes and Cowboy action shooting
- World War II, and modern reenactment
Props and costume
Small cottage industries abound that provide not only the materials but even the finished product for use by these ultra authentic re-enactors. Uniforms made of hand woven, natural dyed materials are hand-sewn using the sartorial techniques of the period portrayed. The same can be said of headgear, footwear, camp gear, accoutrements, weapons and so on. These items, while costing sometimes 30%+ more than their mass produced counterparts, offer the wearer an actual life like experience in the use of these materials. Also, it is hoped that spectators will have a better experience when attending an event in which a high level of accuracy is attained.Roleplay and acting
Some individual reenactors concentrate on recreating a specific persona, such as Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Edison, or Benjamin Franklin. More generally, a roleplayer in reenactment is someone who develops their historical persona as a character, many of which are normal people rather than royalty or military leaders.Experimental archaeology
Experimental archaeology is an important part of many authentic living history events, where crafts and techniques are evaluated to see whether they make sense in the appropriate historical setting. For example, various combinations of armour can be tried to see if an item for which no historical evidence exists is actually easy to make with the tools available and practical to use in the battles of the time.
Events
Permanent events
There are a number of locations which have set up a permanent authentic displays:
Creative history, and fantasy events
Although some historical reenactment groups follow a very loose interpretation of history (sometimes mixing equipment from closely related periods or often just the use of inauthentic materials: eg. cotton clothes in a medieval setting) some groups go a step further and mix historical elements with elements of the Fantasy genre or incorporate modern technology or culture into a historical setting (often simply reducing the level of authenticity for increased safety or reduced costs, eg. making melee weapons out of rubber or plastic rather than iron or steel).A common example for this variation on the theme is the Society for Creative Anachronism and Renaissance Faires, which blend medievalish customs, dress, and activities within historically inspired fantasy kingdoms.
However many Renaissance Faires have begun to reign in the fantasy elements and being about a more historical feel.
Commercial reenactment
Many castles, museums, and other historical tourist attractions employ actors or professional reenactors as part of the experience. These usually address the recreation of a specific town, village, or activity within a certain time frame. Commercial reenactment shows are usually choreographed and follow a script.
Publications
Over the years, there have been a number of publications devoted to covering the subjects of historical reenactment and its close cousin, living history. These have included the Camp Chase Gazette and, at various times, two different magazines named Living History (the most recent of which last appeared in 1997 and was published by Great Oak Inc. and edited by history author Michael J. Varhola).
Another popular book is The Medieval Soldier by Gerry Embleton and John Howe, 1995. It has been translated to French and German. It was later followed by Medieval Military Costume in Colour Photographs.
See also
External links
- The Roman Hideout an Italian site for Roman reenactors.
- The Medieval Combat Society, 14th Century Medieval Reenactment
- 95th (Rifle) Regiment of Foot - Battle Re-enactment and Living History
- WWII Re-enacting, UK is a website for Second World War re-enactors based in the UK. Has a large discussion forum for re-enactors from all over the world.
- Legio Secunda Augusta, a British site for Roman reenactors.
- Irish Living History Site is a site for Irish Re-enactors with a large forum. Has discussion of all periods.
- Napoleonic Association Napoleonic Reenactment and Living History, UK
- The 95th Rifles Living History Society An affiliate of the Napoleonic Association
- WWII US women's service organizations — Resource for female WWII re-enactors (WAAC/WAC, WAVES, ANC, NNC, USMCWR, PHS, SPARS, ARC and WASP history and uniforms in color)
- WWII Axis reenactment — Community and resource site for Axis Reenactors
- Historical Reenactment is a list of reenactment links
- Finnish Reenactors Site Finnish Army wartime photos and information for reenactors of the Winter War between Finland and Russia in 1939
- Finnish Retroactive Agent Production of Reproduction. All kinds of retro, mainly from WWII period.
- Histrenact are a large site for links to the global reenactment community including both societies and suppliers.
- Maritime Piracy Reenactment Forum is a community site for reenactment of piracy in the Caribbean
- British Brigade American Revolutionary War - British Army
- Continental Line American Revolutionary War - American Army
- Teutonic Order team Ukrainian reenactment of Teutonic Order
- NWTA The Northwest Territory Alliance
- Company of St. George - An artillery company of 15th century Burgundy
- The Netherlands 1940-1945, Study and Living History Group - A dutch living history group portraying daily life in the Netherlands during ww2
- Tommy Atkins Society * - Preserving the memories of British Line Infantry Regiments during WW2
Historical reenactment | Live-action role-playing games
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"Historical reenactment"