Realm Collections Blog

While browsing around cyberspace trying to find pirate costume gear for for an upcoming party I stopped and asked myself, ‘What did pirates actually wear?’. After some research I found out that pirates did not have a set fashion scene. Pirate clothing varied greatly depending on factors like location and time period. Some crews even had their own unique clothing styles! Most of todays costumes are based on actual historic pirate clothing pieces or crafted from images on old artwork.

The fact that pirates did not have a consistent fashion only makes constructing a pirate costume more fun. There are hundreds of shirts, pants, jackets, hats, and accessories you can use to acquire that pirate look. These include: tricorn hats, bandannas, eye-patches, and prop weapons like pirate swords and pirate pistols.

When I think of Jousting I imagine two armored knights on horseback charging each other with their gargantuan lances ready to strike. I know that this event was back in the medieval era so when I heard modern jousting exists, I was astounded. Well it does. Modern day jousting (or tilting) has been kept alive by organizations like the International Jousting Association(IJA). Yes, armored ‘knights’ on horseback charge at each other with lances ready. No, the intention is not to rip the other guys head off. In fact, points are not even awarded for knocking the opponents off their horse. The goal of jousting under IJA rules is break your lace(lances are built to be breakable for safety) on your opponents shield.

Theater based jousting events exist today and are popular at Renaissance Faires and the such. In these ‘plays’, star riders on horseback attempt various feats of skill with the lance which are not always historically accurate. During competitive jousting like with the IJA, viewers and competitors gain a true living experience of this historic sport.

I find it great to see a medieval sport like jousting still being an influence in this day of age. Anyone can get started in this sport and the competitions must be an amazing experience, not only for entertainment but for education as well.

Renaissance music refers to European songs and compositions between the 15^th and 17^th century. Since it was an era of rebirth in all aspects and forms of the arts and learning in general, Renaissance music was characterized by artists and musicians who created works that had more artistic freedom and individualism compared to the medieval times.

Composers during this era were focused in three different areas of music which included sacred music, secular music, and instrumental music. Dance music also became very popular which were modified and developed by composers and went on until the Baroque period. In addition, Renaissance music gave birth to the Golden Age of Polyphony and the Madrigals.

Renaissance music was comprised of three major musical styles which included:

• Sacred music – this was the older form of music which was adopted from ancient times and the medieval period. The common sacred genres were the mass (similar to the Gregorian chant), the motet (a piece of music in several parts with words), the madrigale spirituale (a Capella music which was usually performed for noble men and aristocrats), and the laude (the most important form of vernacular sacred song).
• Secular music – this kind of music made composers create new forms of songs which reflected national trends such as the Italian madrigal and French chanson among many others. This included songs for one or many voices such as the madrigal (polyphonic, unaccompanied by instruments, and the number of voices vary from 2 to 8 or 3 to 6), the frottola (a composition for 3 or 4 voices), the caccia (canon music with one or more imitations of the melody), the chanson (any lyric-driven French song), and the lute song (a song performed accompanied by the lute) among many others.
• Instrumental music – included music played using different instruments and dance music. Examples include the toccata (played using a keyboard or a plucked string instrument), the prelude (overture), and the canzona (ancestors of the sonata) to name a few.

These three types of music share similar musical features such as using four-voice choirs or groups with like-sounding instruments, applying imitative or homorhythmic textures which are done alternately, using smooth and gentle rhythms, melodies had balanced phrases, harmonies used full triads, and the vocal forms were tied to the structure of texts.

Dance music on the other hand, included:

• basse danse or low dance which was a popular court dance during the 15^th and early 16^th century
• pavane – slow processional dance which is the ancestor of the hesitation step used in weddings
• allemande – from where the square dance and contra dance originated

The Renaissance period was also known as the Golden Age of Polyphony which was characterized by “equal-voice polyphony.” The complex texture of different voices creates a continuous harmonious work that uses different musical lines such as soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. Composers during this era, which include Pierluigi di Palestrina, Guillaue Dufay, and Josquin Desprez among many others, based their work on the eight church modes which are scales with patterns of whole and half steps.      

For more about this fascinating period in history, drop by realmcollections.com.

Being the astronomy fanatic that I am, it is really interesting to learn about all the various ancient tools used by the founding fathers of the science. Todays technology has dramatically changed astronomy with high-tech equipment like powerful telescopes and satellites. Old tools are still being collected and even used due to their significant contributions to the science. Here are just some of my favorites:

Zodiac Globes

These globes were used in the early days to help determine astronomical arrangements and motions. A zodiac denotes an annual cycle of twelve stations along the ecliptic. The path divides the sun through the constellations into twelve equal zones of celestial longitude.

Astrolabe

This unique instrument was used by Greek astronomers around 200 B.C. This item is used to take the altitude of the sun or stars and also used to help find direction. An astrolabe is a very ancient computer-like tool used for astronomy problems and is to this day admired for it’s unique capabilities and contribution to the study of astrology.

The Sundial

Sundial is a device that measures time by the position of the sun by the sun casting its shadow on a specific place. If a sundial is on the correct time, the style must point towards true North.

With all my wonderful gadgets like cellphones, televisions, and computers available today which I just can’t live without, it is difficult to imagine how people found entertainment before the technology boom. Lets step back a couple hundred years and experience the festivity of the medieval era. Entertainment was extremely important to peasants and nobility alike. Live performances, sporting events, and parties were held on an almost daily basis. Medieval people loved entertainment, the more entertainment the better!

Feasts and banquets were common ceremonial meals for the rich celebrating honorary guests or religious festivals. These events were accompanied by various entertainment including plays, dances, and individual entertainers (Jesters, Mummers, Jugglers). The Medieval population loved their free time. It is estimated that, apart from Sundays, they had about eight weeks off a year for play.

Another form of Medieval entertainment were the Tournaments. Medieval tournaments included the clashing of armored knights and were attended by both rich and poor. The tournaments were the favorite sport of hundreds of participating Medieval Knights due to the fact that they not only provided prizes and honor but also kept the knight in great physical condition for his role in warfare. Knights would fight as individuals in tournaments but there would also be team events. There were many different types of tournaments during the Middle Ages which each had a different type of combat method including Jousting and mounted/ground melee fighting.

Sporting in the Medieval Age was also notably prevalent. Sports and games included archery, bowling, dice, hammer-throwing, horseshoes, quarter-staff contests, quoits, skittles and wrestling. The nobility also participated in hunting and Hawking. Other common sport events were animal sports including bear and bull baiting or dog and cock fighting. So now that you see the festivity and easygoing nature of the Medieval Era and mirror it to your busy, gadget filled life, you might become a little green-eyed. I know I did!

The Medicis were considered the Godfathers of the Renaissance period because of their great wealth and political influence. However, they were not famous as members of nobility but due to their own hard work and skills as bankers and merchants.

Their power and authority over Florence, Italy spanned from the 13th to the 17th century. The Medicis were able to produce popes, rulers and eventually members of the French and English royalty. They were one of the leading families of the Italian Renaissance which also included the Visconti and Sforza families of Milan, the Este family of Ferrera, and the Gonzaga family of Mantua, among many others.

The Medicis first became popular in Florence, Italy when Ardingo de Medici was elected as Gonfaloniere (standard bearer of the high ceremonial office) in 1296. The family experienced some decline during this period but with the Medici Bank and the respect and trust of their clients, was able to amass great wealth in the 13th century.

The Medicis’ influence and wealth grew through the next century with Salvatore de Medici as one of the family’s most prominent member because aside from being Gonfaloniere, he also led the common people in the revolution of the ciompi or the small artisante. Salvatore became the de facto dictator of the city but became very brutal and was then banished in 1382.

It took another member of the Medici family to have their wealth and influence restored in the succeeding years, this was Giovanni di Bicci de Medici. He made the Medici the wealthiest family in Italy and maybe the whole of Europe. Thus Giovanni was considered as the founder of the Medici family and the first of the great Medici’s. It was through him that the subsequent years until the mid-1700s, the Medici reigned over all of Florence.

The most notable members of the Medici family aside from Salvatore and Giovanni were:

• Cosimo the Elder – the founder of the Medici political dynasty
• Lorenzo the Magnificent – ruled Florence during the Golden Age of the Renaissance
• Giovanni de’ Medici  - became Pope Leo X
• Giulio de’ Medici - became Pope Clement VII
• Cosimo I the Great – the First Grand Duke of Tuscany who restored the Medici lustre
• Catherine de’ Medici – married King Henry II and became the Queen of France
• Alessandro Ottaviano de’ Medici – became Pope Leo XI
• Eleonora de’ Medici - became Duchess of Mantua
• Marie de’ Medici - became Queen and Regent of France
• Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici - the last of the Medici line

Pictured to the right is a Florentine Tiara Manus, an exact replica of a historic piece of jewelry taken from the archives of the powerful Medici family.  The gothic ring Florentine Tiara Manus contains 7 large Swarovski crystals that contain 32% lead to maximize refraction. The crystals are set into Florence lily crest; bracelet part is one-sized adjustable, with ring available in all sizes.

Want more goodies from the fascinating Renaissance period, visit realmcollections.com.

Pirates were known to rob ships and plunder cities along the port areas of many countries around the globe since the ancient times. They were seen as ruthless and greedy seamen who commit crimes in every possible opportunity. On the other hand, pirates were also able to make alliances with several towns and cities that were in need of protection from the other “pirates” of the land. These were people in control of the government and of the economy who failed to give protection to everyone under their jurisdiction. These stories of real pirates inspired fictional tales featuring pirates a la Robin Hood: robbers who show compassion, strength, love, loyalty, and conviction among many others.

There are hundreds of famous pirates of fiction that can be found in books, television and movies for the past 100 years. Most recently was the movie trilogy, The Pirates of the Caribbean from Disney Pictures which features actors Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, and Keira Knightly among many others. These films were able to revive people’s interest on anything that has to do with pirates. From costumes to accessories and real pirates in history to famous pirates of fiction.

Here are some famous pirates of literary fiction:  

• Captain James Hook is the famous nemesis of Peter Pan in Neverland from the play “Peter Pan” by J.M. Barrie. Better known as “Hook,” he acquired his nickname because of an iron hook he wears in place of his hand which was cut off by Peter Pan and was thrown to and eaten by a crocodile. The crocodile liked the taste of Hook’s hand that it kept following him wherever he goes. He knows that the crocodile is around when he hears a ticking sound from a clock that the crocodile swallowed. Hook hates Peter Pan and the Lost Boys so much that he keeps on plotting against them and longs for the day that he can make them walk the plank.
• Long John Silver is a fictional pirate character in the novel “Treasure Island” written by Robert Louis Stevenson. Silver used to be known as Hawke who served in the Royal Navy and during his time in the service lost his leg. Due to this, he was discharged and was taken in by the pirate Captain Flint. Long John Silver then became Flint’s quartermaster and the only man he ever feared.  Treasure Island tells of Silver and his crew’s adventures in finding Captain Flint’s buried treasure.
• Captain Blood was the protagonist of a book series with the same title written by Rafael Sabatini and published in 1922. The setting of the story was during the waning years of the Buccaneers and based on the experiences of Henry Pitman who was an English surgeon condemned to a life of slavery on Barbados for treating a wounded rebel. Captain Blood and his crew were captured as slaves and made plans to escape. Coincidentally, the Spaniards attacked Barbados but Blood and his men were able to save the city. Unfortunately his nemesis Colonel Bishop did not pardon them, thus they turned to piracy.

Want to learn more about pirates? Drop by realmcollections.com’s Pirates and “Pirates of the Caribbean” section for costumes, weapons and other memorabilia.

The Renaissance period was an era of rebirth in Europe which started in the late Middle Ages in Italy, and subsequently, spread throughout the continent. After the Black Plague devastated most parts of the world in the latter part of the Middle Ages, Europe did not have a choice but to pick up the pieces and build the nation once again. This led to the creation of the different Renaissance movements that revived and developed the arts and sciences.

Many pursued intellectual, social and political evolutions that gave way to the birth of Renaissance men and women. Some of them, considered as the most famous Renaissance personalities, include:

• Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo
• Isabella d’Este (the First Lady of the Renaissance)
• Catherine de Medici who was the major force behind the French throne during the later half of the 16^th century

Catherine de Medici was the wife and queen consort of the French king, Henri II and the mother of the king’s heirs – Francis II, Charles IX and Henri III. She was born as Caterina Maria Romola di Lorenzo de’ Mecion on April 13, 1519 in Florence, Italy to Lorenzo II de Medici, the Duke of Urbino, and Madelaine de la Tour d’Auvergne, a French Bourbon Princess. She came from an influential family in Italy that when she was orphaned before she was even a month old, Cardinal Guilio de’ Medici, the government head of Florence who later became Pope Clement VII, took her in and became her guardian.

When Catherine de Medici reached the age of 14, she married Henri II, the son of King Francis I of France. King Francis I made this arrangement to create alliance with Pope Clement VII and to make political advances against Emperor Charles V. However, Pope Clement VII died a year after Catherine & Henri II’s union which put a hold to King Francis I’s plans. In addition, Catherine was only left with only 100,000 ecus to her name. Thus she was relegated to the background and was not given any political influence over her husband’s reign even after she attained the honor of Dauphiness when Henry II’s elder brother died.

Catherine received little attention from her husband during the first ten years of their marriage because Henry II gave more importance to his mistresses especially the infamous Diane de Poitiers, who was more than 20 years older than him. In addition to this, Catherine was not able to bear him children during this period thus, talks of divorce were even considered during this time. Finally, in 1542 she finally became pregnant and was able to give Henry II a total of nine children until the death of her husband in 1559 due to a jousting accident.

Catherine’s political career began when her son, Francis II, became the crowned king. However, she met several problems along the way especially with the Guises, the meddling family of Mary Queen of Scots who was then the wife of the crowned king. It was by the unfortunate death of Francis II that Catherine was able to oust the Guise family and took sole power of the monarch until her son Charles IX could come of age to rule as king.

Catherine’s biggest problem during her political career was contending with the disputes between the Catholics and French Protestants called the Huguenots. These Wars of Religion went on for 30 years that Catherine along with Duc de Guise resolved to assassinate Admiral Coligny, the Huguenot leader which resulted to the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre leaving hundreds of Huguenots dead.

Catherine continued to keep the French monarchy intact even after the death of Charles IX and with her last son Henri II becoming the crowned king. Due to Henri II’s effeminate ways and practices of dressing up like a woman, Catherine knew that he will not be able to produce heirs for the throne. Thus, she made arrangements for her daughter, Marguerite, to marry Henri of Navarre, a protestant leader who was later on called to the throne. Through Catherine’s efforts before her death in 1589, the French monarchy was saved by the strong leadership of Henri of Navarre and helped start the age of Absolutism in the 17^th century.

Interested in more about this fascinating period of history? Drop by realmcollections.com for a comprehensive collection of historical costumes, memorabilia, and more from the Renaissance and Medieval period.

Seeing Job McCully’s new room during “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” gave me a shiver of excitement. Being a big pirate fan, Job was surprised with a room that looks like the cabin of a pirate ship. Realm Collections was proud to be able to help with the creation of this special boys dream room. You may have seen some of the Pirate items we donated when the show aired on Sunday, October 26th.

“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” could not have picked a more deserving family for their phenomenal deed and we at Realm Collections could not feel more blessed to be able to help. The McCully Family has experienced tragedies and hardships relating to their son, Job McCully, while still making time to give back to their community in Bigelow, AR. On July 16, 2002, Job was diagnosed with high risk Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia at the age of four. Now at the age of 10, Job McCully is an inspiration to his small town, surviving leukemia, a bone marrow and double lung transplant. After all the years spent in the hospital, he was finally released in March of this year. Only finding himself unable to return to his moldy and dilapidated home. Thats when Ty and the team at “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” worked their inspiring magic bringing the McCully family back to a place Job and his family can really call home.

A sword is defined as any long-edged piece of metal which can be used for cutting, thrusting and slashing during battles. It has a blade and hilt with one or two edges used for cutting and striking as well as a point for thrusting. Swords are such rarity in a world of semi-automatics and rocket launchers where knights wielding swords are only those found in RPGs (role playing games) and online games. Even Samurais from old families in Japan wear their kitanas on their sides only during official ceremonies or celebrations where customs are strictly followed.

Maintaining swords and other blades or knives only takes a few steps and grains of common sense. Most swords kept inside glass casings may still need some regular check up and cleaning most especially if some moisture gets inside. Extra care is however much needed for these bladed weapons if they are often handled or are exposed to different elements such as those which are displayed on walls or mantles.    

Here are some products from Realm Collections which can help you maintain the beauty and quality of your sword collection which you can pass on to many generations to come:

• Metal Glo Professional Polishing Paste - A premium quality polishing paste, perfect for cleaning and polishing any metal surface such as stainless and carbon steel, brass, gold, silver, chrome, copper, and many other hard surfaces. However, this product is not recommended for anodized, gun blued, or other thin plated surface such as blade etches.
• Windlass Rust Blocker - The metal seeking vapors in this amazing Rust Blocker form an invisible layer of electrochemical inhibitors that seal any type of metal against air and moisture with the same Vapor Phase Corrosion Technology (VpCl) as used in the Army and NATO. It has an easy spray-on application that removes dirt & grime and seals bare metal for long lasting protection. Perfect for all our metal products including swords, axes, and daggers among many others.
• Deluxe Japanese Sword Care Kit – This kit’s major purpose is to make sure the blade does not oxide or rust and this kit contains the products which allow for that. It contains a brass/awl hammer which is designed to easily dismantle the sword while the rice papers are used for cleaning oil from the blade. The extra large uchiko powder ball may be used afterwards and the bottle of chojil oil even after that to prevent rusting. The plastic container stores an oiled cloth and the parchment certificate/care sheet which are used to add that final touch to the sword’s beauty. All these items are included in a traditional wooden box with Japanese lettering.
• Soft Arkansas Sharpening Stone, Medium Hard Arkansas Sharpening Stone and Arkansas Tristone Sharpening Stone Set – can be used for giving swords a natural sharpness and an extra fine finish.