John Fastolf is an English nobleman from the 14th to 15th centuries who began his career as an ordinary knight to become a powerful, wealthy and influential man during the conflict known as the Hundred Years' War between England and France.
His biography is well documented, he showed courage and resourcefulness during skirmishes both on the battlefield and in the courts of nobles.
Among his feats, one of the most interesting is victory in the so-called Battle of the Herrings, in which Fastolf defended the transport of supplies to the English troops besieging Orléans. As the transport took place before Lent, among the ammunition, bolts, arrows and other necessary things there were barrels of herrings.
Fastolf and his archers took part in the Battle of Agincourt. It is also recorded that as a young squire he came on a raid during the so-called "Northern Crusades" at the invitation of the Teutonic Order, but he did not like the hospitality of his brother knights and until the end of his life he opposed the Order and discouraged English knights from supporting the Teutonic Knights.
His figure is an inspiration for us to recreate a knight's retinue, i.e. the knight's followers and servants. Among us there are ladies, knights, squires, henchmen, maids, and each of them has a different function and tasks, so that during the expeditions we can recreate the social structure of the Middle Ages.
We fight, shoot with a bow, sew, cook on fire, have adventures, and in the evenings we tell stories about our achievements sitting around the campfire. You will hear singing, laughter and warmth coming from us.
The hardships of travel, the vagaries of the weather and the challenges we have to face create bonds of friendship between us that will remain unbreakable for years. And all this in beautiful reconstructions of medieval clothing and equipment modeled on that of the era.
Examples of events in which we took part:
- Battle of Agincourt
- Battle of Grunwald (and Grunwald Days)
- Historia Viva Picnics at the Castle of the Dukes of Masovia in Czersk
- Tournament in Kernavė (Lithuania)
- Meetings with History at the Castle in Ciechanów