Year 8 Medieval Day

On Friday 7th March, all Year 8 students participated in an incursion led by some passionate medieval educators. Students were immersed in the history of Medieval Europe, which they have been studying in class this term. Throughout the day, students put their talents to the test when participating in medieval games and music and dance. Armour and weapons were brought to life in the Age of Chivalry session where students were able to feel the weight of a knight’s armour and challenge a friend to a sword fighting duel. Brave volunteers built a shield wall and faced attack from cannon fire (tennis balls) when learning about medieval warfare. Many students were able to try out Medieval fashion in the Costume and Lifestyle session.  All students should be congratulated for their enthusiastic participation on the day. An extra special congratulations goes to Maki Greagan (1st place) and Tolly Iliadis (2nd place) for winning the prizes for best dressed - you were the most medieval of them all!

Leah Shields

Head of Humanities

Hi everyone! Our names are Tolly Iliadis and Max Russo. I, Tolly Iliadis, recently won the award for Best Dressed during the school’s Medieval Day event, and because of that, I and a friend of my choosing (That’s me, Max!) were given the opportunity to write a short paragraph or so about the day. 

The day started off, at least for my class, with a game of cubs, where you had to set up 5 posts on either side of an area and throw sticks at the wooden posts to knock them over, then move them closer to the king. If you knocked over the king, your team lost. It was very exhilarating. The visitor explained how this game was common in Viking times, with the posts and stick representing what would be actual logs and axes if we were playing a 1:1 recreation. The game was very easy to play, with a very flexible structure. It also required the perfect amount of focus, not needing to completely use all of your mind to play it but some effort was still needed. Overall, it was an amazing way to start the fun-filled day. 

The next event on our schedule was a lecture about the Age of Chivalry. The visitors gave us intricate demonstrations on the medieval armour replicas and the various weaknesses and strengths of it. They also briefly mentioned the inaccuracies displayed in medieval armour in the media and gave us pieces of it to hold. At the end of the session, they gave a select student a foam sword, taught them how to use said sword and gave another to a person of their choosing to sword fight, the winner out of 3 incredibly short matches would then continue this. I (Tolly) lost my battle 3-1.

The third event of the day (for us) was a lesson on the weapons and armour of the medieval period. Contrary to the previous two, this event largely focussed on the early medieval period as opposed to the high medieval period, discussing the different uses of these weapons, from anti-Viking militias armed with spears and shields, to trained warriors clad in chainmail wielding swords and maces. This also ended with a mock shield-wall battle, with a group attempting to prevent another group with shields walking down towards them, by throwing tennis ball ‘rocks’ at them. These physical demonstrations at the end of each of the lessons were one of the most enjoyable parts of the day.

The fourth and penultimate activity on our schedule was a lesson on medieval clothing, with people pulled up throughout the lesson to model the different outfits. This session cast light on the different classes in medieval times, and how the differences in the way they dressed reflected the differences in their day to day lives. We got to learn about the furs, shoes, hoods and hats that marked a noble as opposed to a peasant and a merchant, and learned how to avoid a few classic faux passes. 

The final activity for our class was a brief demonstration of medieval instruments. The presenter went into great detail about how the instruments were actually made and how vital they were to their community. They also provided much insight into their personal mission to prevent the complete loss of these instruments, mentioning how they were available on Etsy and other sites and how easy they were to make. This session was an eye-opener into the very creative culture of medieval society, which was much like our own, in ways. 

The day was a really enjoyable look into the past which opened our eyes to how society has come so far yet so little from what it was a millennium ago. The physical activities were incredibly exciting and were a really fun experience to be a part of. All in all, it was a really fun experience for everyone involved, and is just a snippet of the activities Thornbury has on offer.