Ironclad: Theatrical Reenactment Of The Siege Of Rochester

A Knight at the Movies Paper The film “Ironclad” is a theatrical reenactment of the Siege of Rochester in the year 1215. It is hard to judge how historically accurate the film is, due to unrecorded or missing pieces in history. Yet, the film certainly adds its own flare to the event. Perhaps the most major inconsistency with history, is the size of the army holding the castle. In the film, Rochester Castle is held by less than 20 men. The actual number of soldiers is lost to history, but most historians and chroniclers agree it was somewhere near 100 knights, and a smaller force of men-at-arms (Purton). The background of the defenders is also quite skewed. The main protagonist, is a Knights Templar, an order which actually backed King John during that time.(Tunzelmann) The film goes on to show the defenders as old friends who join at the scent of money, and even a prisoner who is payed to be released. The remaining forces are depicted as local defenders of the castle, with no notable background. From what can be gathered, Rochester was actually held by many knights, loyal to the Baron’s cause, rather than friendly

The film depicted it as a valuable point to hold in the area, and this is widely regarded as true. It sits on the river Medway, and it connects to a large road (“History of Rochester). This is valuable due to trade, blocking of it, and movement of supplies. The film also portrays Archbishop Stephen Langton and William d’Aubigny as key rebels in the siege, which is considered pretty accurate to history (Purton)(Ambler). The film also puts some emphasis on the burning of pigs to bring down the castle. This is historically true, but it was the pig lard that was used rather than entire pigs (“History of Rochester”). While the numbers may have been skewed, the film is historically accurate in the sense that the defense was heavily