Two gendarmes reenacting Azincourt this weekend
Six hundred years later, a thousand people are going to reenact this famous battle of the Hundred Years War in Nord-Pas-de-Calais. Among them are two young Vendéens fascinated by the Middle Ages.
On the left photograph, Aymeric and Kristian at the national monument to the Gendarmerie at Versailles. The black plaque in the front is a tribute to Gallois de Fougières, the first gendarme to have died in battle, who fell at Azincourt, who will be incarnated this weekend by Aymeric. The photograph to the right is the duo in combat panoply. Aymeric is to the right.
On the 25th of October 1415, in the middle of the Hundred Years War, the French army, although superior in number, suffers an astounding defeat against the English at Azincourt. It's one of the bloodiest battles of its time... For the 600th anniversary of the battle, 1000 reenactors from all over Europe, 600 of which are fighters, gather this weekend on the very field of battle in Artois.
The first gendarme to have died in battle
The Medieval Historical Centre of Azincourt is the source of the project, in partnership with the Gendarmerie Nationale. Because it is during this battle that the first gendarme (then called gens d'armes) fell in battle. The irony of history is that this character, Gallois de Fougières, will be incarnated by... a gendarme in 2015, Aymeric Savary, who originates from Les Sables d'Olonne and who now serves in the Parisian region.
"The call for candidates was open to all," Aymeric says, "I signed up for the role and my position as a gendarme must have made the difference."
In this project, he decides to bring along Kristian Boulinguez, a friend, who also serves in the gendarmerie at La Roche sur Yon. "I too am fascinated by History," Kristian explains, "I've read and I write a lot, but Aymeric allowed me to move from the abstract to the real thing." He will incarnate Jehan de Quesnes a companion in arms of Gallois de Fougières.
These two "gens d'armes" had to equip themselves. Their complete outfits, armour, mail, weapons, shield, - it all costed them more than 10000 euros each! They called on the services of some fifteen specialized craftsmen in France but also in Poland, Hungary, Italy. "Some elements are unique, they've never been recreated before," Aymeric says, "everything is done by hand, based on historical documents." The two friends had to learn skills like sewing, smithing, leatherwork...
It's about 30kg (66 pounds) of equipment that they'll have to wear during the battle. "It will last about two hours." More or less because it is scripted, but not down to the slightest details. "We don't know who we'll have in front of us," continues Aymeric, "pretty much like back then!" Two hours of battle added to a good hour of preparation.
The objective, he says, is to "recreate the battle as faithfully as possible. It's not just a show, but a true work of historical research." He draws the distinction, for instance, with the Puy du Fou. It is, however, there that he discovered his fascination for medieval times at 4 years of age. Throughout his childhood, he never missed "a movie, a toy, or a museum" that had anything to do with knighthood. He then studied history for two years at the university of Le Mans.
He's been doing reenactments since 2002. For Kristian, however, this weekend will be his first time. "I'm proud of it. Most troops take years to manage what we did." Pride and enjoyment they will feel when they both stand on the battlefield. For now, Aymeric is "trembling with impatience". And given his outfit, he doesn't really pass unseen.
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