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THE
SISAK TOURNAMENT OF KNIGHTS The city of Sisak held the knights tournament in the glory of the victory of Croatian army over the Turkish one under the leadership of Tomo Bakač Erdody, on the June 22nd 1593. That historical event stopped the further penetration of the mighty Turkish army into Croatia and the whole Europe.
But, the history of the town goes further beyond… It was founded by the tribes of Celtic - Illyrian origin back in the 4th century BC in the form of a settlement named Segestica. A few centuries after that, it was conquered by the Romans under the leadership of Octavian. They founded Siscia, which was developed into a town during the Roman period. In the end of the 3rd century, the first known Christian bishop of Sisak is mentioned - his name was Kvirin and he became a mortar who is nowadays a protector of the town. Sisak has lost its characteristics of being an economic and traffic center of the region under the forceful attacks of Slavs, Gals and Huns. During he 9th century there was the first mention of Sissek as a Croatian settlement, when knez (Croatian ruler, prince) Ljudevit of Posavina chooses it to be its fortress. Relatively peaceful period from 11th till 16th century was interrupted with the attacks of Turks, resolved with the above mentioned glorious victory of Croatian troops. Descendants of a variety of nations - Celts, Romans, Slavs, and barbarian tribes, interlaced with ancient knowledge of all these civilizations, the Sisak knights have proven themselves in all following wars, too, including the recent patriot war, and that is why this tournament is devoted to each one of those knights, starting from the army of Bakač Erdody. Under the ancient fortress that has once been guarding Europe against the powerful Turkish armies, the knights, their ladies and shield bearers assembled to participate in the competitions guided by Cezar, an eloquent master of ceremonies loved by the audience. There were also archery competitions. Archery is an old war skill that has no practical use nowadays, and that fact gives an extra noble flavor to the discipline. The joyous children tournament cheered up little warriors. But, we were slightly disappointed for the lack of the announced handicraft presentations, with the exception of the coinage forge, or any interactive program for audience.
Main knights tournament has awaken impressions under the wing of evening, reflectors and with a large audience number. The tournament called upon the ancient customs and codes of honor. Congratulations to the winner - the Red Knight - and all the others who fought for the love of their gentle ladies with dignity. We would like it better, though, if the tournament would be a more accurate replica of real medieval tournaments, instead of being similar. This was more of an impressive show, than a competition.
The most successful in reviving of the spirit of the past was the renaissance music troop which was hidden inside the ancient castle.
A few members of the the Silver Dragon Order(Red Srebrnog Zmaja), a society that deals with medieval heritage and fantasy culture, came to Sisak, too. They have warmed up the ambient with their appearance. Congratulations to the City of Sisak for organizing this tournament. We hope that in the following years the program will be enriched with the official presence of societies involved with historical and ethnologic heritage and that of artisans from the Sisak surroundings. |
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NORSE MYTHOLOGY |
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