Heroic Dreams - All Things Medieval

I have been mulling the idea of a website that specializes in the art of combat for quite a while now and by the art of combat I mean art works that show combat, knights, battles, etc. So it’s a bit of a play on words and you won’t learn how to swing a sword on the site!

I have already secured the domain name and I am currently working out the visual details and design. My intention is for the site to lean toward a middle to higher end of product. This won’t be a site where you go to buy a poster to put on the door. It will be a place to go when you are looking for something really nice to display.

And I am not going to stick to the Middle Ages/Renaissance genre. My plan is to stay true to the theme of “The art of combat” on a world perspective and across the centuries.

This is going to be a lot of fun!

Here is a look at a beautiful print that I have directly over my writing desk. I really love this piece and it makes a great statement. It took a lot of work for me to find just the right piece and it matches the writing desk perfectly. It was worth the time and the money I spent. Granted this scene doesn’t show combat in action but I consider it to be pre-combat! The lion is just about ready to begin his hunt!

If you are interested in combat art buzz on over to the empty website and book mark it  so you can check back in the future. I will keep you posted here as to my progress and let you know when it goes live.

The art of Combat website

Oh, and if you have any thoughts or ideas on this subject and website either post a comment or send me an email. Have a favorite artist? Love a particular work? Let me know. If you prefer you can buzz on over to the Stormthecastle.net forum, sign up and add a post about the site. Stormthecastle.net - Camelot Reborn

Popularity: 40% [?]

The Siege of Chateau-Gaillard in 1204…

Richard the Lion Hearted’s crowning masterpiece is often thought to be the castle at Chateau-Gaillard. It was a magnificent castle built in a short period of time between 1196 and 1198 and it is the prototypical castle. When we think castles and medieval things this castle, with its round towers and three concentric walls of defense exactly define what we think.

It also defines the romantic thoughts of castle in the times of the knights of the round table and Robin Hood. Richard saw it’s completion but died shortly afterward and never saw it fall. It was only a few short years (1203-1204) later that Philip, the King of France successfully took it.

It was referred to as the cheeky castle because, being built on the Seine river, on an overlook of France it was considered to be an insulting gesture to the French.

The castle had three major walls of defense and in the period of siege Philip of France methodically broke through each of these defense. In 1203 he camped his soldiers outside the castle and built ditches for cover. He then dug a mine under the first wall of defense which brought it down. The second line of defense posed a difficult problem but a flaw in the design of the castle caused its fall. There was an unguarded toilet chute that lead into a chapel inside this second line of defense. French troops entered the chute and tool control of the inner bailey.

The third line of defense, or innermost wall, was surrounded by a moat that was crossed by a natural rock bridge. The French used the rock bridge as cover to work and mine a tunnel under the wall and the final defense was broken.

The castle, with its remaining 20 knights and 120 men-at-arms surrendered to King Philip on March 8, 1204. The whole siege lasted approximately 8 months.

The whole siege encompassed many techniques that we are familiar with today and the castle, being situated on a river was assaulted both by land and by water. An interesting tactic the French used was that they built siege towers right on top of warships and then sailed these up against the castle to make assaults.

The Siege of Chateau Gaillard is one of the most famous sieges in history. It had everything that we think of when we think middle ages combat and castle sieges. Although the castle isn’t a functioning castle anymore much of it still remains and you can actually take tours of the site.

If you are interested in learning more about combat in the middle ages this siege and this castle would be a great place to start your research.

Popularity: 28% [?]

I think that hollywood wasn’t really sure about how 300 would be received by the general public. They were no doubt pleasantly surprised that it has turned into quite a smash hit.

Before the movie broke I tried like crazy to find supporting materials to go with it - stuff like figurines, posters, and other ancillary but fun products. And there were none! Nothing, nada, zip.

300 Spartan Sword Prop ReplicaWell, the hollywood machine has been scrambling to catch up with this oversight and that has brought us a bit of benefit. We are interested in the movie, the Spartans, the gladiators, the story, and all that good stuff! And they have heard our voices and are offering us some good stuff. From posters to weapons, armor, books, the soundtrack, and even figurines of the main characters. And I got em all for you to check out.

I have put together a nice webpage with all the best Spartan and 300 stuff for you to look at. It is all stuff directly from Amazon.com and I call it my 300 Store. 300 Movie Poster ~ Leonidas “Tonight We Dine In Hell!” ~ 24×36″ 

The Heroic Dreams 300 Store in affiliation with Amazon.com

Popularity: 34% [?]