Medieval Performative Recreations of Chivalric Past. The Archaeology of Modern Historical Reenactment

Abstract

The aim of the article is to investigate the phenomenon of recreating the glorious past of chivalry in the High and Late Middle Ages in reference to scholarly reflexion concerning the modern historical reenactment. The author discusses a series of accounts testifying to the commonness of the performances during which the chivalric past was recreated. The most informative of these stories and examples relate to the institution of Round Tables – the tournaments which directly appealed to the Arthurian past of chivalry, as the adventures of the King Arthur’s knights were perceived among knighthood and aristocracy.

In the discussion of these interesting accounts, a series of topics common to both the medieval recreations of the past and modern historical reenactments is considered. These include the significance of material objects used to come into contact with past (such as gear and attire), the markers used to invoke heroic identities of figures from the past, as well as the role of experiences (characteristic of combative sports) involved in the recreations and reenactments of the past. The role of the latter in acquiring the sense of connection with the past is discussed in reference to the notions of ‘commitment’ and ‘flow’ coined by the researchers from the field of the anthropology of sport.

As it appears, the social practices concerning recreating the past could be perceived by medieval men as very serious pursuits, communicating important ideological meanings and arising certain obligations. The comparison between medieval and modern practices of the kind in question reveals both close similarities and significant differences between both phenomena. Ultimately, these differences point to the aspects of medieval perceptions of the past, as both closer, more perceptible and compelling, even though one may call it an imaginary one.