Epic Medieval Reenactment [1000+ Reenactors] -- Hastings 2012

The Norman and English armies clash on the slopes of Senlac Hill, with over 1,000 reenactors on the very ground that the historic Battle of Hastings was fought on almost a thousand years ago. Filmed at the annual reenactment in Battle, East Sussex. All musical credit to Howard Shore.

This year (2012) was considered a "big one" and so it had more reenactors present than usual. The battle is reenacted on the same ground that saw the actual Battle of Hastings in 1066AD. Embarrassingly, I forgot to bring an extra battery and memory card (how?), and because the second day of the event was cancelled due to soggy ground, I was unable to redeem myself and get footage of the final scenes of the battle. Nonetheless, I have put together as well a video as I can with my footage and I hope it satisfies. I have included music from The Lord of the Rings since I felt it somewhat befitting and also as an homage to a film series that inspired me to take up film-making. (As a side note, the castle-like structure you see in the background is Battle Abbey, founded by William the Conqueror in 1070AD. The remarkable preservation of the battlefield is probably owed to this establishment.)

For more content, including videos, follow me on Instagram and Facebook...

This reenactment was done with blunted arrows. If you are interested in reenacting, just keyword it and look for a unit near you.

[countrywild]

I bet the horses are talking to one another saying "omg my great great great great grand father used to do this, this is so cool. "

[dPope]

I get shivers when I imagine the health and safety paperwork involved in this

[jerimiahshekelstein]

Mount and blade has gotten some pretty good graphics now

[laine]

Could you just imagine being on a nice hike and coming across this and believing you time traveled.

[ISetYourFaceOnFire]

lotr music can make something already amazing, even more amazing.

[kayallhood]

that some mount and blade shit right there

[jay.w.f]

Girl: he’s probably thinking about cheating on me

What the guy is really thinking about:

[DJChappie]

Raw footage of the battle of Hastings, 1066 AD. Colorized

[Eshayzbra]

Honestly if one of those arrows hit me, I wouldn't care if I was suppose to die in a specific  place, I'd make that death believable. 

[RevPVP]

lord of the rings music just made it so much better

[kkykads]

If Australia doesn't have a war to reenact thy Can always use the war of the emus...

[SDOtunes]

I come here when I am sad about how bad the Hobbit movies turned out, because this is simply so much better than any of those CGI battles.

[thekarnyx]

3:33 I've never cried from watching a reenactment before, but this is literally perfection. The Rohan theme alongside the horses, the knights holding their swords in a sign of strength, the horses galloping towards the enemy lines and the music building up... I have no words. The editing is just perfect. Thank you for this, seriously, you made me shed a tear :')

[Mattebubben]

Gotta be both Terrifying and amazing when that cavalry is charging in towards you xD

[tackyman]

Well, the photographer managed to make this look pretty badass. Good choice of music.

[JASepichunter]

Holy crap they used horses O_o That's gotta be hard to deal with in the reenactments!

[thetruekingofnorway]

It's a good thing someone so insecure in himself--I mean, someone so friggin awsome--has come along to set things straight. What would I do without this meaningful critique? Please, get on the field and show us how it's done. Listen, this is the closest you'll ever get to a medieval battle without actually killing one other. Take what you can get, and chill a little bit. Be the friggin awsome dude you're meant to be. Don't be a friggin douche. Life is something to enjoy, not tear down.

[hunterfindon]

2:56 *Whispers* "Hold me back... Hold me back..." "You yellow bellies! You better run!"

[MrHestichs]

My new dream is to participate in this! How does one become a part of this?! I need to know.

[adamanderson]

If you're a young person you will take part in things like this in your not so-distant future, it will feel absolutely real and you will have pointy-tipped arrows and people will die. Virtual reality will make all of us this possible to enjoy with seemingly real consequences and real outcomes but with no actual death.


This is the type of technology I look forward to more than anything.