Editing Historical reenactment (section)

==History==
[[File:Corbould edward henry thejoustbetweenthelordofthetournament.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4|''The joust between the Lord of the Tournament and the Knight of the Red Rose'', a [[lithograph]] commemorating the [[Eglinton Tournament of 1839]]]]
Activities related to "reenactment" have a long history. The Romans staged recreations of famous battles within their [[Amphitheatre|amphitheaters]] as a form of public [[spectacle]]. In the [[Middle Ages]], [[tournament (medieval)|tournaments]] often reenacted historical themes from [[Ancient Rome]] or elsewhere. Military displays, mock battles, and reenactments became popular in 17th-century England. 

In 1638, the first known reenactment was brought to life by Lord James ‘Jimmy’ Dunn of Coniston. A staged battle featuring dozens of costumed performers was enacted in London, and the [[Roundheads]], flush from a series of victories during the [[English Civil War|Civil War]], reenacted a recent battle at [[Blackheath, London|Blackheath]] in 1645, despite the ongoing conflict.<ref name="Giles">{{Cite web| url=http://www.eventplan.co.uk/page29.html| title=A Brief History of Re-enactment| author=Howard Giles}}</ref> In 1674, King [[Charles II of England]] staged a recreation of the [[Siege of Maastricht (1673)|siege of Maastricht the previous year]], in which his illegitimate son [[James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth|James, Duke of Monmouth]] had been a key commander.<ref name="Maastrict">{{cite book |last=Keay |first=Anna |author-link=Anna Keay |date=2016 |title=The Last Royal Rebel: The Life and Death of James, Duke of Monmouth |url=http://www.annakeay.co.uk/publications.html |location=London |publisher=[[Bloomsbury Books]] |pages=151–3 |isbn=978-1-4088-2782-6}}</ref> An eighty yard wide fortress with twelve foot thick walls and a moat was constructed near [[Windsor Castle]] and garrisoned by 500 men.<ref name="Maastrict" /> 700 serving soldiers then recreated the siege of the city over the space of five days, including the firing of cannon, the exploding of trench-busting mines, raiding parties capturing prisoners and parleys between attackers and defenders.<ref name="Maastrict" /> The reenactment attracted large crowds from London and nearby towns, including noted diarist [[Samuel Pepys]].<ref name="Maastrict" />

In the nineteenth century, historical reenactments became widespread, reflecting the then intense [[Romanticism|Romantic]] interest in the [[medievalism|Middle Ages]]. Medieval culture was widely admired as an antidote to the modern [[Age of Enlightenment|enlightenment]] and [[industrial age]]. Plays and theatrical works (such as ''[[Ivanhoe]]'', which in 1820 was playing in six different productions in London alone)<ref>[[Ian Anstruther|Anstruther, Ian]] ''The Knight and the Umbrella: An Account of the Eglinton Tournament, 1839''. London: Geoffrey Bles Ltd, 1963. pp. 122–123</ref> perpetuated the romanticism of knights, castles, feasts, and tournaments. The [[Richard Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Chandos|Duke of Buckingham]] staged naval battles from the [[Napoleonic Wars]] on the large lake on his estate in 1821 and a reenactment of the [[Battle of Waterloo]] was put on for public viewing at [[Astley's Amphitheatre]] in 1824.<ref name="Giles"/>

Historical reenactment came of age with the grand spectacle of the [[Eglinton Tournament of 1839]], a reenactment of a [[medieval]] [[jousting|joust]] and revel held in [[Scotland]],<ref name="EglintonT">Corbould, Edward. ''The Eglinton Tournament: Dedicated to the Earl of Eglinton''. Pall Mall, England: Hodgson & Graves, 1840.[http://www.georgeglazer.com/archives/prints/genre/eglingtonjoust.html]. p. 5.</ref> and organized by [[Archibald Montgomerie, 13th Earl of Eglinton]]. The Tournament was a deliberate act of Romanticism and drew 100,000 spectators. The ground chosen for the tournament was low, almost marshy, with grassy slopes rising on all sides.<ref>[[Ian Anstruther|Anstruther, Ian]] ''The Knight and the Umbrella: An Account of the Eglinton Tournament, 1839''. London: Geoffrey Bles Ltd, 1963. pp. 188–189</ref> Lord Eglinton announced that the public would be welcome; he requested medieval fancy dress, if possible, and tickets were free. The pageant itself featured thirteen medieval knights on horseback.
[[File:A map of the Eglinton Tournament features.jpg|left|thumb|Layout of the Eglinton Tournament]]
It was held on a meadow at a loop in the [[River Irvine|Lugton Water]]. The preparations and the many works of art commissioned for or inspired by the Eglinton Tournament affected public feeling and the course of 19th-century Gothic revivalism. Its ambition carried over to events such as a similar lavish tournament in Brussels in 1905 and presaged the historical reenactments of the present. Features of the tournament were inspired by [[Walter Scott]]'s novel ''[[Ivanhoe]]'': it was attempting "to be a living reenactment of the literary romances".<ref>Watts, Karen, 2009, "The Eglinton Tournament of 1839"</ref> In Eglinton's own words "I am aware of the manifold deficiencies in its exhibition—more perhaps than those who were not so deeply interested in it; I am aware that it was a very humble imitation of the scenes which my imagination had portrayed, but I have, at least, done something towards the revival of chivalry".<ref>Literary Gazette, 1831:90.</ref>

Reenactments of battles became more commonplace in the late 19th century, both in Britain and America. Within a year of the [[Battle of the Little Bighorn]], survivors of [[U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment]] reenacted the scene of their defeat for the camera as a series of still poses. In 1895, members of the [[Royal Engineers|Gloucestershire Engineer Volunteers]] reenacted their famous [[last stand]] at [[Battle of Rorke's Drift|Rorke's Drift]], 18 years earlier. A force of 25 [[British Army|British soldiers]] beat back the attack of 75 [[Zulu people|Zulus]] at the Grand Military Fete at the [[Cheltenham|Cheltenham Winter Gardens]].<ref name="Giles"/>
[[File:Battle of namur reenactment.jpg|thumb|right|Modern reenactments of historical battles were held at [[Aldershot#Aldershot Military Tattoo|Royal Tournament, Aldershot Tattoo]]. Pictured is the program for the 1934 show, where the [[Siege of Namur (1695)|Siege of Namur]] was recreated.]]

Veterans of the [[American Civil War]] recreated battles as a way to remember their fallen comrades and to teach others what the war was all about.<ref>Hadden, Robert Lee. "Reliving the Civil War: A reenactor's handbook". Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 1999. p. 4 "Civil War reenacting was done almost from the beginning of the war, as soldiers demonstrated to family and friends their actions during the war, in camp, drill, and battle. Veterans organizations recreated camp life to show their children and others how they lived and to reproduce the camaraderie of shared experience with their fellow veterans."</ref> The [[Great Reunion of 1913]], celebrating the 50th anniversary of the [[Battle of Gettysburg]], was attended by more than 50,000 [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] and [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] veterans and included reenactments of elements of the battle, including [[Pickett's Charge]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/archive/gett/getttour/sidebar/reunion13.htm |title=The Great Reunion of 1913 |access-date=2008-08-15 |date=September 1998 |author=Heiser, John |publisher=National Park Service| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080918074740/http://www.nps.gov/archive/gett/getttour/sidebar/reunion13.htm| archive-date= 18 September 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref>

During the early twentieth century, historical reenactment became very popular in Russia with reenactments of the [[Siege of Sevastopol (1854–1855)]] (1906), the [[Battle of Borodino]] (1812) in [[St Petersburg]] and the ''Taking of Azov'' (1696) in [[Voronezh]] in 1918. In 1920, the 1917 ''[[Storming of the Winter Palace]]'' was reenacted on the third anniversary of the event. This reenactment inspired the scenes in [[Sergei Eisenstein]]'s film ''[[October: Ten Days That Shook the World]]''.

Large-scale reenactments began to be regularly held at the [[Aldershot#Aldershot Military Tattoo|Royal Tournament, Aldershot Tattoo]] in the 1920s and 30s. A spectacular recreation of the [[Siege of Namur (1695)|Siege of Namur]], a critical military engagement of the [[Nine Years' War]], was staged in 1934 as part of a 6-day long show.<ref name="Giles"/>

In the United States modern reenacting began during the 1961–1965 [[American Civil War Centennial|Civil War Centennial]] commemorations.<ref>Hadden. p. 4 "Without a doubt, Civil War reenactment got its boost during the centennial, which also saw the birth of the [[North-South Skirmish Association]] (N-SSA)."</ref> After more than 6,000 reenactors participated in a 125th anniversary event near the original Manassas battlefield, reenacting grew in popularity during the late 1980s and 1990s,<ref>Hadden. p. 6 "In 1986, the first of the 125th Anniversary battles was held near the original battlefield of [[First Bull Run|Manassas]]. More than anything, this mega-event sparked an interest in the Civil War and reenacting."</ref> and there are today over a hundred Civil War reenactments held each year throughout the country.<ref name="theoutline.com">{{cite web|last1=Beery|first1=Zoë|title=Say Goodbye to Your Happy Plantation Narrative|url=https://theoutline.com/post/3956/cheyney-mcknight-not-your-mommas-history-profile|website=The Outline|access-date=30 March 2018|date=28 March 2018}}</ref>