r/Hema

I was watching the new game of thrones series that came out and the idea of a hedge knight intrigued me. I have no clue if they existed IRL but I am still intrigued and this got me thinking about stuff

It seems that a hedge knight is someone who is trained like a knight, but doesn't have the wealth of a knight so instead they must procure their own funds. This would lead them to travel.

Well this got me thinking, if something like this existed, or maybe it did, what would they bring with them? As the idea is that they are supposed to be a knight, I'm gonna give some benefits, in the since I'm gonna say they can afford armor and provisions instead of being naked and broke.

Well any armor they would wear would have to be able to be put on and taken off by themselves, so full plate is not an option as that is not only expensive to get, but it will more than likely require more than one person to put on, I have little experience in using plate armor so excuse me if I'm wrong, but the real thing that would mess with the knight is the repair costs. Even then, the main thing that would suck would be bringing it around, full plat would either have to always be worn, or you would have to lug it around in a sack everywhere.

if a hedge knight was gonna use armor, I would say it would be a gambeson with some chainmail, maybe a metal chest plate like stated above I don't know if you can put one of those on solo. I do think that some metal gauntlets would be good, the poorer knight using thick gloves, and some metal boots, maybe instead of a whole boot it's just a sheet of metal that goes over the pants leg.

for a helmet I personally think it would be an open face helm, my reasoning is traveling. if you had to travel for long periods of time, wearing a helmet that covers your whole face would not only make you hot, but it would mess with your vision and possibly make it harder to breathe, if only barley. I'd say that an open face helmet would allow them to wear it easily while also being able to be stored easier than a full faced helmet, and as always it would be cheaper.

Now I was thinking about weapons, and at first I was the maybe they would bring a spear, but after a while of thinking about it I thought maybe not. A spear is big, and more than likely a hedge knight, like everyone else who travels, would have a pack on there back, a backpack if you will. Well, if they have this backpack then slinging a spear behind you isn't really gonna be easy. Another reason I thing no to a spear, is bring a bow and arrow, or a crossbow and bolts. Well personally I'd say a bow, or any ranged weapon, is extremely important as it would be a good way to get food. An because bows are big they need two hands to use, so if you have a spear you have to drop it to use the bow. When storing the bow, it will take up a decent amount of room, because when a bow is unstrung it becomes straighter and therefore becomes longer. Now you may be thinking, why not bring a smaller spear, well my reasoning is simple. To make a spear that is easy to travel with and one that can be easily stowed away when you need to hands it would have to be smaller than one you would typically see during war. And if a spear gets two small, then you really defeated the whole point of having a spear, the length. Now I wanna say a spear is not all bad. In the end it is a walking stick, just pointy, and for years people have used walking sticks while traveling, it is an insanely helpful tool. But if you are gonna shorten it down to the length that makes travel easy, at that point just get a two handed sword and have a much bigger offensive edge.

ImA hedge knight needs to defend themselves, and so that's why after much deliberation, I came to the conclusion of it being a sword. Now you may be wondering, why not an axe, depending on the blade shape it could also be a tool, and that comes down to my personal taste. The axe tool argument is one I hear a lot and I don't really have a rebuttal for it, it's just personally I don't want my tool and weapon to be the same because in the case it breaks I'm out of both a tool and a weapon. This did influence my decision and maybe I could be convinced I am wrong.

Now, they type of sword. Well it really comes down to personal taste, a two handed sword would give more decisive strikes, while a hand onded sword is more easily able to be carried. Either one is alright, it comes down to personal taste, funds, weight, etc.

Now comes the reason I thought about this so much. A shield. In the show Ser Dunk has a shield with him, and to the sad dismay of me i have no experience traveling with a shield so I don't know if this would be super encumbering or inconvenient. I also don't know how hard it would be to carry around. It would depend on how big the pack your carrying is really. If anyone has any experience with even a small amount of travel carrying a shield around I would be very glade to hear if it was inconvenient or not.

I could see a shield being used as a tool, a bad and awkward one but you could use it. Maybe as a table if it's flat enough, could use it as a makeshift hammer, maybe use it as part of a tent I don't know how but you could probably do it.

Sorry for the long rant, I was just interested in this and I mainly want to use this post to write down my thoughts on the matter. If you have any insight, or just want to discuss this feel free. I hope everyone has a good time doing whatever it is you are doing.

So I am on a VERY tight budget, I’ve been looking for a longsword trainer that’s at least under $50. Does anyone know any good ones or where to look?

My latest article is up. It's about where I think we as a community need to go next in terms of coaching.

Other than Meyer, have you seen any source that has you turn a dusack or messer around backwards in the hand so that the blade curves forward instead of back? With a dusack, the knuckle bow would be resting against the wrist.

Has anyone tried the Sparring glove Milaneski or infinities with the new long cuffs? How's the mobility and protection on them?

Hi I was wondering if there was any Burhurt in Hong Kong that anyone knows of? I would love to get into the sport. I have found a Hema club that I was thinking of contacting but I’ve only recently moved to Hong Kong and I’m not really sure how to.

My son started HEMA last year and we’ve started to kit him out. There’s lots of kit to borrow but when it comes to longswords, there are only two brands. Are there any places that stock lots of different types where he could try a few out and find what’s best for him? Thanks!