SWORDS & BOUNDARIES - Rethinking Swords, Knighthood, and Masculinity in the Middle Ages

Who gets to wield a sword? 

And what did it really mean to be “manly” in the Middle Ages?

In collaboration with London Longsword Academy this interactive workshop invites students to challenge familiar assumptions about knighthood, masculinity, and power. Together, we will explore how medieval literature doesn’t just celebrate the knight — it questions, reshapes, and sometimes unsettles the very idea of who can claim strength, authority, and martial skill.

Through close reading and discussion, we will examine how medieval epics and romances depict knighthood and the use of weapons, asking who is allowed to fight — and who is written out of the story. Guest speaker and swordmaster David Rawlings will then take us into the visual world of medieval manuscripts, revealing how swordsmanship is taught and imagined beyond male, knightly bodies.

The workshop culminates in a 15-person exploratory longsword training session.* Here, theory meets practice: you’ll step into the movement, technique, and physicality of the sword yourself — no prior experience required.

This hands-on session becomes more than training. It is a space to question how bodies move, how authority is embodied, and how ideas of gender can be reinforced — or disrupted — through action.

Step in. Pick up a sword. Rethink the boundaries.

There will be coffee and free lunch. 

*We will change venues for the longsword training session. Travel costs are not covered. Details will be provided sooner to date.