Frequently Asked Questions

– HMBIA Authenticity Committee:
Historical medieval battle is a collective sport. Few novices are capable of choosing a good set of armor. Usually beginners rely on the views of their more experienced mates. However, it’s not nice to put all the responsibility on the friends, a person has to make at least the slightest search effort on their own. A considerable influence is also exerted by historical period and geographical area with which a reenactment club deals. The issue of armor selection can be eased if there are old sets of armor in the club. In addition, veterans of the club may have contact information of blacksmiths with whom they cooperated earlier and whom they trust.

In case a novice looks for armor on their own, the process becomes much more complicated. A vast knowledge of history is necessary. A person needs to look through a large amount of literature and other sources to make a certain set. But even in this case there is no guarantee that the first set will be 100% successful. Often, armor is chosen by its appearance (regardless of the region and time period), but authenticity level is also important, as well as optimal adaptation to buhurts.

In addition to the above-mentioned variants, there is another option, namely to buy ready made kits. Blacksmiths, who deal with forging weapons and armor professionally, can offer several variants of protective equipment, i.e. the choice is limited only by financial opportunities of an athlete.

Availability of armor of a certain period and region in the club does not deny a possibility of developing new directions and customization of existing sets. At the dawn of the movement more attention was paid to making armor, and not the combat component. Every reenactor made his kit, depending on personal preferences and financial capabilities. Today, athletes are more interested in fighting. Armor is estimated by the ratio of comfort and authenticity. You don’t have to worry about an invasion of clones, identical buhurt armor. Personalization of protective equipment is present. In addition to wins on the lists, some fighters try to replenish their historical wardrobe, the richer it is the more satisfaction they get. Even despite there are clubs aiming at total reconstruction of weapons and armor, two identical sets can not exist, as they did not exist in the Middle Ages. In general, every club has its own characteristics and internal rules, but it does not prevent novices from making their own individual sets of armor.