Historical Medieval Battles - the Violent World of Combat
10/20/2022
Historical Medieval Battles (HMB) are not to be confused with historical battle reenactments, where everything is staged and “faked”. In HMB, hits and blows may be aimed and landed at any parts of the body without much restraint. They are real contact sporting events fought with blunt medieval weapons. You can participate in international tournaments and represent your country in them.
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The Last Man Standing
Do you enjoy participating in historical battle reenactments or LARPs? Ready to take your hobby to the next level? Historical Medieval Battles is a full contact sport that often involves punches, blows and bruises. Participants fight in an arena or similar space.
The last man standing is the winner - the one who can take or land the most punches. Your opponents try to ground you by tripping you or hitting you. The battles are fought in 5-minute rounds, which is just about enough to exhaust even a trained fighter, considering they wear a 20 to 40 kg armour.
If you don't like combat sports like boxing or MMA, Historical Medieval Battles won't probably be your cup of tea. People not used to see violent man-to-man fights will not enjoy the experience. They will find it cruel and fierce. However, HMB fans will insist that this sport is a really enjoyable spectacle.
A brief history of HMB
The HMB was born out of historical fencing events in the late 1990s. The first HMB battles were fought between Ukrainians and Russians. The tournaments were held as unofficial parts of local history fairs, which were attended by historical fencing clubs. In 2010, the HMB International Association was formed, and HMB became an official sporting discipline.
Fighters Compete in Teams or One-on-One
Like any sport, HMB has its types and categories. HMB categories include “Shield-sword”, “Sword-sword”, “Longsword” and “Nonstandard” duels. Each fighter represents their country or team and tries to land as many hits as possible, similar to boxing. The hits are mostly landed by swords.
There are also “Mass categories”, for example “21 vs 21”, where the number indicates the number of participants in each team. The organizers determine the size of the team fights. The only thing that matters here is to remain standing on your feet as long as possible. Once a fighter falls, he must stay on the ground for the rest of the fight.
Here is a 150 vs 150 HMB fight:
HMB in the Czech Republic
This sport has a relatively short tradition in Europe - the first competitions in central Europe started to take place around 2012. In 2015, the international tournament called “Battle of the Nations” took place in Prague. This prestigious event was attended by teams from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Israel, Japan and the US. For the first time, women were also involved in the battles, proving that this rough sport does not have to be just for men.
The Czech team recorded success in the royal category 21 vs 21. Such a large number of fighters in one arena makes for a highly attractive spectacle for the visitors. These events also help build fan communities of the individual teams, which then support fighters at various events.
Check out the final 21 vs 21 match from the Prague 2015 tournament, with the Russians against the Americans.
In the Czech Republic, medieval battles at the top level are represented by three teams united under SKSB Prague:
Prague Trolls - no one has beaten them on home soil since 2016. Prague Trolls is a men's team that regularly participates in tournaments abroad, representing the Czech Republic. They have participated in the invitation-only, the elite BUHUR PRIME event.
Prague Dwarves - the team consisting of a diverse line-up of experienced veterans, advanced fighters and newcomers. Their goal is to follow in the footsteps of the Prague Trolls and shine.
Prague Vixens - a women's team with a lot of experience from Battles of Nations, but also from World Championships and various international tournaments. Their biggest success so far is the third place in one of the toughest competitions in the world - the Russian Dynamo Cup.
Join the Team and Go Fight
Do you want to try to fight like a real medieval warrior? We'll help you get the equipment you need for battle. Then you only need to find a local HMB club and join!
The Evolution of Chainmail Armour
Armour of the Eastern warriors
European Plate Armour from the Renaissance to the Baroque
Historical Evolution of Armour from Antiquity to the High Middle Ages
