Reenacting an English Civil War pikeman! A brilliant weekend reliving history on the battlefield with the Sealed Knot at their Battle of St Fagans 1648 re-enactment.
I am battered and bruised and this may be taking research too far, but I would not have missed it. It was about as close as an author can get to experiencing the brutal reality of clashing pike blocks – on the 17th Century battlefield in amongst charging horses, cannon, drums and the stench of blackpowder.
I am a fan of Living History and of Historical Re-enactment. I believe that both can play a role in helping us understand historical events, conditions and perceptions. They are also a great way of making history accessible, of making it feel tangible. Please do check out my page on battlefield walks and talks, and Living History.
I believe that Living History and Historical Re-enactment can be particularly powerful if paired with other forms of Historical Interpretation. I hope that the historical fiction I write has a role to play in this. My books aim to combine historical narrative with the emotions of ordinary people present on each side of the conflict.
My writing is as historically accurate as I can make it. I find it very difficult to bend from known events or conditions. The British Civil Wars are filled with extraordinary moments, characters and stories. There is no need for invention – the stories just need compelling characters to tell them. I hope I have done this in God’s Vindictive Wrath.
This re-enactment was a great opportunity to experience something of what it must have felt to be an English Civil War pikeman – on a 17th Century battlefield in the brutal push of pikes. Thanks all for a brilliant, if bruising time.
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