Pennsic War
Encyclopedia
Society for Creative Anachronism
The Society for Creative Anachronism is an international living history group with the aim of studying and recreating mainly Medieval European cultures and their histories before the 17th century...
—a "war" between two large regional SCA groups: the Kingdom of the East and the Middle Kingdom. It is the single largest annual SCA event, with more than 10,000 people attending each year, from as far as Sweden, Germany, France and Italy.
Pennsic is held in late summer and lasts for 17 days (begins on a Friday, ends two Sundays later). The event centers on pre-17th century history and culture with all campers dressing in medieval clothing. The winners of the battles and other activities receive war points, and the Kingdom with the most war points wins that Pennsic.
The name Pennsic War is a combination of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and Punic War. The Pennsic War uses numbers to identify each war rather than the year it was held, so the 2011 event is known as "Pennsic War 40"—there having been 39 previous events.
History
The Pennsic War takes place in late July/early August. Prior to 2007, Pennsic took place during the first two weeks of August, and some of the earliest Pennsics were held during September. (see list of dates)- The first Pennsic was held in 1972, at Newton's Campground (now Shorehaven Campground) in Waterford, PennsylvaniaWaterford, PennsylvaniaWaterford is a borough in Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,449 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Erie Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Waterford is located at ....
. - The second was held at St. Clair Beach Campground near PittsburghPittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. - The third was held on a private farm in Wexford, Pennsylvania.
- The fourth, often called "Pennsic Pour" or "Pennsic Puddle", was held at Spencer Farm on Aquilla Road near Chardon, Ohio and was marred by massive flooding and mudslides. This is celebrated in song by performer, Duke Moonwulf StarkaddersonMichael LongcorMichael Longcor is a folk and filk singer. His songs span a range of topics including military history, Indiana history, and humor. He has won six Pegasus Awards and has been nominated for six others. His music has appeared on Dr...
in "Pennsic War IV". - The fifth was held at the Berlin Reservoir outside Alliance, OhioAlliance, OhioAlliance is a city in Stark and Mahoning counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 22,322 at the 2010 census. Alliance's nickname is "The Carnation City", and the city is home to the University of Mount Union....
, after a site in West VirginiaWest VirginiaWest Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
was rejected. - The sixth and all subsequent Pennsics have been held at Coopers Lake Campground in Slippery Rock, PennsylvaniaSlippery Rock, PennsylvaniaSlippery Rock is a borough in Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,068 at the 2000 census. It is home to the Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania.-Geography:Slippery Rock is located at ....
near the intersection of Interstate 79Interstate 79Interstate 79 is an Interstate Highway in the eastern United States, designated from Interstate 77 in Charleston, West Virginia to Pennsylvania Route 5 and Pennsylvania Route 290 in Erie, Pennsylvania...
and US 422. The site is easily visible from the I-79 southbound lanes.
According to the HERSTAĐR-SAGA: An Incomplete History of Pennsic,
"One day, almost 30 years ago, Cariadoc of the BowDavid D. FriedmanDavid Director Friedman is an American economist, author, and Right-libertarian theorist. He is known as a leader in anarcho-capitalist political theory, which is the subject of his most popular book, The Machinery of Freedom...
, the King of the Middle, got bored with peace and declared war upon the East, loser to take Pittsburgh. The King of the East read the declaration of war, filed it away and forgot about it. Time passed. Cariadoc moved to New York and subsequently became King of the East, whereupon he retrieved the declaration from the file cabinet and said, 'Let’s fight.' The Middle won, and Cariadoc has the distinction of being the only king who declared war upon himself and lost."
Contrary to popular myth, the Pennsic wars were not caused by Cariadoc challenging himself to a war and losing. The challenge for the Pennsic war was initially issued by King Irial and Queen Morna of the Middle, with the stated causes being both the ownership of the new group forming in Pittsburgh, the Debatable Lands, and an earnest desire to have fun and “engage in chivalric combat of the highest”. The letter containing the challenge along with an arrow of war was carried by Duke Cariadoc, as a herald of King Irial, to King Rakkuri and Queen Maureen of the East who accepted the challenge, and broke the war arrow. The negotiations for the war, locating a suitable site, determining the rules for combat and scenarios for the battles, etc. dragged on long enough that by the time the war was actually held, neither Irial and Morna nor Rakkuri and Maureen were still on the thrones. The Midrealm was ruled by Andrew and Anne, and the East was ruled by Cariadoc and Diana, who had moved to the East during the negotiations.
The board of directors ruled a few weeks before Pennsic I that since Pittsburgh was in the same state as an existing group, in Philadelphia, that it had to belong to the same kingdom. It was considered impossible to split a state between two kingdoms at that time. Thus, the Debatable Lands were assigned to the East Kingdom prior to Pennsic being fought, which rendered moot the initial reason for the war. Since the stated purpose of the war was to determine which kingdom got Pittsburgh and the Midrealm decisively won Pennsic I, it became popular mythology that "the loser got Pittsburgh."
People
Since Pennsic XXV in 1996 the event has gathered over 10,000 participants each year. These include not only SCA members from across the globe, but also members of various other historical re-enactment groups such as Markland; and martial arts-based organizations, such as the Tuchux or Rome. Pennsic is, however, an SCA event; members of other groups are welcome, but are generally expected to follow SCA rules—especially in regards to armor, weapons and behavior on the battlefield for the various fighting scenarios. According to the Pennsic Independent, a privately-published newspaper published on-site, the final count for 2009 was 10,947.Martial
- ArcheryArcheryArchery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
SCA Archery Homepage - SCA Heavy CombatSCA Heavy CombatHeavy combat is a combat discipline developed by the Society for Creative Anachronism in which participants in body armour act out a form of historical combat practiced in medieval Europe without the intention to kill or maim...
- Rapier CombatSCA fencingSCA fencing is the style of fencing practiced by the Society for Creative Anachronism-Overview:In 1979 the Society for Creative Anachronism introduced rapier rules, allowing fencing within the organization. Since that time, fencing has gained a significant following in the SCA, and having over...
- Thrown Weapons
- Youth Combat
Non-Martial
- Pennsic University: a framework of classes where attendees learn period skills, trades, and performing arts.
- Arts and Sciences Exhibition.
- Youth Arts and Sciences Exhibition.
- Performing ArtsPerforming artsThe performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
: which include acrobaticsAcrobaticsAcrobatics is the performance of extraordinary feats of balance, agility and motor coordination. It can be found in many of the performing arts, as well as many sports...
, buskingBuskingStreet performance or busking is the practice of performing in public places, for gratuities, which are generally in the form of money and edibles...
, comedyComedyComedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
, danceDanceDance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
, magicMagic (illusion)Magic is a performing art that entertains audiences by staging tricks or creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats using natural means...
, musicMusicMusic is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, jugglingJugglingJuggling is a skill involving moving objects for entertainment or sport. The most recognizable form of juggling is toss juggling, in which the juggler throws objects up to catch and toss up again. This may be one object or many objects, at the same time with one or many hands. Jugglers often refer...
, and theatreTheatreTheatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
. - Period GamingBoard gameA board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
: where one can play games such as GoGo (board game)Go , is an ancient board game for two players that originated in China more than 2,000 years ago...
and ChessChessChess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
. - Pennsic ChoirChoirA choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
. - Dancing: including Renaissance dances, Middle Eastern DanceMiddle Eastern danceThe traditional dances of the Middle East span a large variety of folk traditions throughout North Africa, Southwest Asia, Central Asia , sometimes also to the inclusion of the Balkans and South Asia ."Belly dance" is a western term properly applied to raqs sharqi, which is the Arabic for...
, South Asian Dance, and East Asian Dance. - Shopping (roughly 250 vendors)
Impact
- Pennsic has inspired a mystery novel, Murder at the War (Knightfall in paperback), by Mary Monica Pulver.
- There have been video documentaries made of Pennsic and the battles thereof, the most well known of which is Duckball Home Video's The Pennsic War: A Video Documentary, produced in 1991 at the 20th Pennsic War.
- With over 10,000 people, Pennsic becomes the 3rd largest city in Butler County, PAButler County, Pennsylvania-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 174,083 people, 65,862 households, and 46,827 families residing in the county. The population density was 221 people per square mile . There were 69,868 housing units at an average density of 89 per square mile...
(after Butler and Cranberry Townships).
External links
- The Official Pennsic War web site
- Cooper's Lake Campground The website for the Pennsic Campground
- The official site of the Kingdom of the Midrealm
- The official site of the East Kingdom
- The official site of the Sylvan Kingdom of Æthelmearc (where the war is held)
- A site with collected images, videos, and stories of the Pennsic War
- Pennsic Independent The official site of Pennsic's on-site newspaper
- The Pennsic War: A Video Documentary