Dear performers, swordsmen, friends!
This year's Battle of Libušín will be divided into three acts, which will commemorate three important periods of European medieval history, three medieval wars that significantly affected the fate of our ancestors.
This year, we have selected three war themes for these acts:
II. Act - Battle of Grunwald 1410*
So let's take a look at the first act scenario*.
The second act depicts the war school of famous hussite general Jan Žižka, who as a young man took part in the famous battle of Grunwald in 1410, in which he gained a lot of valuable experience for a later personal career. The story tells of a large chapter in European history and how our ancestors intervened.
Early in the morning, on July 15, 1410, the two armies met near the villages of Grunwald, Tannenberg and Łodowigowo (Ludwigsdorf). Both armies were deployed in line formations. The Polish-Lithuanian army spread in front of the villages of Łodowigow and Tannenberg. Its right wing was composed mainly of Polish heavy cavalry. The troops of the Grand Duke Vytautas of Lithuania, composed mainly of light cavalry, were deployed on the left wing of the EU forces. Among the forces on the left wing were battalions from all over the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, including Tatar swarms and probably Moldovan mercenaries. The opposition forces mostly consisted of heavy cavalry and infantry divisions, and they also included gunners and early artillery. Many mercenaries from all over Western Europe, called "guests of the order", took part in the battle, including Czechs who were on both sides of the battlefield.
We enclose the famous film Crusaders for inspiration :)
Commanders will move around the battlefield on foot and on horseback. We ask all participants to pay special attention not only to their own, but also to the safety of our four-legged friends. There will be a lot of horses in the battle this year and we would not like to have an unnecessary injury to human or animal bodies :) As mentioned above, there will be enough space in the final battle for everyone to have passionate fights and to release their pent up battle anger.
The commanders will be introduced to you in the beginning of training, which takes place in the morning from 9:00. Please show everyone who wants to cross arms or participate as a non-fighting "extra", ideally in a sober state for training. We will start on time exactly, so ideally please arrive a few minutes earlier. We would like to shorten the training to one hour maximum to share proper instruction. If you want to practice formations with your commanders, you will have time throughout the morning during the accompanying program. However, we need to communicate the main scenario within the first hour before the festival area officially opens to the audience.
Before the performers are divided into three camps, we will give a brief word to the pyrotechnicians, who will explain to you where not to step, what to look out for and where not to enter under any circumstances.
Afterwards, the particpants will be divided primarily into three groups according to the Middle Ages, and to the relevant acts, corresponding equipment, and assigned to their primary commanders. In the rehearsal you will learn where to go if you would like to take part in more than one acts.
The commanders will briefly explain to the fighting and non-fighting performers what will happen on the battlefield, starting positions, and formation of ranks. Commanders will also answer any questions and address comments. Please follow your commanders and their sergeants and their commands and orders. We will be very happy if you study the script of the first act in advance in the file below available for download.
After the scenario training, which should end no later than 10:00, you and your commanders or sergeants can move to the battlefield, where you can train formations and have free time until the start of battle which will begin promptly at 15:00.
Thank you all for participating in the battle, for respecting safety guidlines. We highly reccommend all newcomers to study The Ten Battle Commandments, Battle Participant Terms, Rules for Archers and Shooters and the Instructions on how to behave in battle.
Historical explanations for all three acts of the scripted battle can be found in the article which is not only meant for the audience - Libušínská bitva o třech dějstvích a čtvrté jako epitaf! (soon in English).
*II. Act Battle Scenario for download here:
Why did we divide the battle into three acts? For several reasons. Firstly, to avoid scenarios full of fantasies, wizards, caves and dragons. Secondly, to finally place the largest Czech battle in a historical context and offer the audience an educational dimension with a glimpse into history. How to do it when you have Vikings, Teutons, and Landsknechts spanning across different time periods? How to ensure that all participants will be able to satiate their fighting desires and to make sure no one is left out? How to guarantee logic and order for all? We came up with a simple solution, to divide the script battle into three acts, according to the three stages of the Middle Ages - early, peak and late. This idea has many advantages, including the ability to reuse fighters into multiple acts, where under certain conditions and costume adjustments, it is possible for most fighters to participate in at least two scenarios*.
Since it is not in our collective strength to reconstruct such great medieval battles and campaigns very efficiently, we would at least like to try to show the audience the style in which battles were led and fought. It is also a great opportunity to brush up on history of these great wars and time period of the Middle Ages.
We have prepared specific scripted scenarios*, special props and background scenery for all three acts of the battle seperately. We believe that we will all have a lot of fun, but that there will also be room for an educational historical dimension, which we would also like to preserve in the future.
If you are still not registered, please do it now at Festival participant registration page.