Taking our study of medieval battlefield tactics beyond the reenactor’s shield wall

Weapon: A notebook!

Source: Vegetius, Philip von Seldeneck, Christine de Pizan, and others

This lecture will present classic medieval works on battlefield tactics from the 400’s to the 1500’s, from forming an army to when an army should use a given formation according to the writers of the day. We will then further expand into how taking “HEMA” style approach to research and interpretation can advance the modern study of Historical European Military Arts.

Skill level of Participants: Any skill level
Needed Equipment: None

About the trainer – Jake Norwood

Jake Norwood has been practicing and teaching HEMA since 2000. Over the last 24 years, Jake created and ran Longpoint, the western Hemisphere’s largest HEMA tournament and workshop series, from 2010-2019; was a founding member and first president of the HEMA Alliance from 2009-2012; and was North America’s most consistently successful competitive fencer with over 50 medals in Longsword,Messer, Saber, Cutting, and Technique from 2011-2016. Jake is a fanatic Liechtenauerist, a pioneer in recreating Germanic “Common Fencing,” and an avid harness-fencer who’s currently focused on reproducing the HEMA Experiment at the Military Unit Scale through the bi-annual Feldlager event.
Jake, an American who lives in the Netherlands, is also a two-time veteran of the Iraq war and former independent tabletop roleplaying game designer.