Battle of Hastings reenactment
Encyclopedia
Historical reenactment
Historical reenactment is an educational activity in which participants attempt torecreate some aspects of a historical event or period. This may be as narrow as a specific moment from a battle, such as the reenactment of Pickett's Charge at the Great Reunion of 1913, or as broad as an entire...
of the Battle of Hastings
Battle of Hastings
The Battle of Hastings occurred on 14 October 1066 during the Norman conquest of England, between the Norman-French army of Duke William II of Normandy and the English army under King Harold II...
, held at Battle Abbey
Battle Abbey
Battle Abbey is a partially ruined abbey complex in the small town of Battle in East Sussex, England. The abbey was built on the scene of the Battle of Hastings and dedicated to St...
in Battle, East Sussex
Battle, East Sussex
Battle is a small town and civil parish in the local government district of Rother in East Sussex, England. It lies south southeast of London, east of Brighton and east of the county town of Lewes...
, UK, and drawing participants from around the world. It takes place every year on the weekend nearest the 14 October on the site of the historical battle, although is often arranged across the hill rather than up it, to take account of the smaller number of participants and the need for spectators.
The event is run by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
, which owns the site, and attended by several thousand people yearly. For many years it was an event for amateur groups of reenactors, but more recently has involved scenes by professional actors.
Every five or six years since 1984 it has been the site of major reenactments - 1984, 1990, 1995, 2000 and 2006. At the 2000 reenactment, called "Hastings 2000
Hastings 2000
Hastings 2000 was a major re-enactment of the Battle of Hastings which took place on the 14 and 15 October 2000.It was staged on the site of the original battle near the town of Battle, East Sussex....
", about 1000 reenactors on foot, 100 cavalry and between 50 and 100 archers from 16 different countries took part.
The 2006 event Hastings 2006
Hastings 2006
Hastings 2006 was a major reenactment of the Battle of Hastings which took place on October 14-15, 2006.It was staged on the site of the original battle in the grounds of Battle Abbey, near the town of Battle, East Sussex....
was, for a while, referred to as TNBO, "The Next Big One." The phrase was coined in 2001 or 2002 by an Australian re-enactor following the event in 2000 when questions began being asked about when 'The Next Big One' would be held.
The 2006 event saw a much larger attendance than in 2000. A total of 3,400 reenactors registered, and about 2,000 people took part on each of the two days, watched by a total crowd of about 25,000 paying public. As such, it is believed to have been the largest pre-gunpowder reenactment ever held anywhere.