Hey all,

welcome to this first article of my project diary. If you're wondering what this is, please check the prologue, in which I explain the idea and goals of the diary. At the bottom of that post, you will find a link to all parts of this series (constantly updated as soon as new parts are published).

In this post, I will kick off the actual project diary, trying to accomplish two goals:

1. I'll present a concise historical primer on the battle and its context.
2. I will outline on how I envision the miniature project to unfold.

1. Historical Primer

The Battle of Bornhöved in 1227 was a highly consequential battle that took place near the town of Bornhöved, situated in what is now Schleswig-Holstein in northern Germany. In this historical primer, I will briefly outline the events leading up the battle, summarize what we know about how the battle itself, and sketch out the implications of that encounter. There are not too many primary sources available, and since I am not a trained historian (and have a dayjob...), I will rely exclusively on secondary accounts and summaries that I could find.

Map of the Danish Kingdom under King Valdemar II Source: Wikimedia

1.1 Prelude

In the mid-12th century, the Jutland peninsula was partitioned along the Eider river between the Kingdom of Denmark to the North and the Duchy of Saxony - as part as the German Holy Roman Empire (HRE) - to the South. When Heinrich (Henry) "the Lion", Duke of Saxony, was deposed by the German Emperor Friedrich I "Barbarossa" in 1180, Adolf III, Count of Schauenburg, took control over the Holstein region. However, Adolf's position was weak and, in 1201/2, the Danish Duke, and later King, Valdemar II conquered the whole area between the Eider and Elbe rivers, and gave it as a fiefdom to his nephew, Count Albrecht II of Orlamünde, who continued to rule Holstein for the next two decades.

In May 1223, Count Heinrich (Henry) "The Black" I of Schwerin, kidnapped King Valdemar and his eldest son, Prince Valdemar, during a hunting trip. For their release, Heinrich demanded Denmark to give up the conquered lands and pledge loyalty to the Holy Roman Emperor. Count Albrecht of Orlamünde, who acted as regent in the Danish king's absence, rejected these terms and declared war on Heinrich. The war concluded in a defeat for the Danish forces in the Battle of Mölln in 1225. Consequently, to secure his release, King Valdemar had to acknowledge the loss of his German territories, pay an astronomical ransom, and promise not to seek retribution against Count Heinrich. Shortly after Valdemar's release, however, Pope Honorius III exempted the king from his coerced pledge, and Valdemar wasted no time in preparing to reclaim what he believed were rightfully his lands and to enact revenge against Count Heinrich. Supported by the troops of Valdemar's nephew, Otto I, Duke of Braunschweig-Lüneburg, called "the Child", in 1226 a Danish army marched south.

Valdemar II Source: historiskerejser.dk

After conquering the "free peasants" of Dithmarschen and pressing them into military service, Valdemar turned his attention to Holstein and Schwerin. To counter that threat, Count Adolf IV, who had inherited Holstein from his father in 1225, and Heinrich built an alliance with powerful Northern German nobles, including Duke Albert of Saxony, who pledged his support in exchange for recognition as their liege lord. Additional reinforcements came from the princes of Mecklenburg, Archbishop Gerhard II of Bremen, the cities of Hamburg and Lübeck as well as the smaller hosts of a number of Low German nobles. According to some sources, HR Emperor Friedrich II might also have sent a small contingent to assist in the confrontation with the Danes - even though this is rather unlikely. In any case, the various German factions assembled in and around Lübeck, preparing to face the Danish army.

At first, both sides were cautious, hesitant to engage in a decisive battle. For several months, the conflict primarily saw skirmishes and minor battles between different segments of the armies - until, in the summer of 1227, they finlly met for a large battle on the plains of Bornhöved.

Count Adolf IV at the Battle of Bornhöved Source: Wikimedia

1.2 The Battle

The battle took place on July 22, 1227, a day marked by the feast of St. Mary Magdalene. We know relatively little for certain on how the battle was fought, how large the armies were, and what exactly happened on that day. Pretty much the only knowledge that is certain is that the battle took place on that day - and that the Danish lost, with Duke Otto being captured. A 15th-century, Lübeck-based chronicler, Hermann Korner († 1438), provides the most elaborate, colorful - and in many parts probably ficticious - account of the battle. However, as it delivers so much nice detail - which of course, is particularly relevant for my miniature rendition of the battle - I will include his descriptions in the following summary.

The Battlefield of Bornhöved 1227, painted by Julius Fürst (1895) Source: Wikimedia

The exact location where the armies clashed is not known. The area around Bornhöved was probably - as it is today - dominated by large open fields broken up by small groves of trees and small rivers. As such, it was very much suitable for a battlefield, especially for cavalry armies. According to some local traditions the battle was fought close to a Stone Age burial mound called Königsbarg, which is said to have served as a commander's hill for King Valdemar.

Korner, writing for his Lübeck audience, claims that the German coalition was led by the city's mayor, Alexander von Soltwedel. However, this is most certainly legend, not least since Alexander was probably only born in the 1230s and became member of the Lübeck City Council only around 1256. Consequently, it is most likely that the coalition forces were led by Count Adolf IV, and that his troops stood at the center of the German army. Facing them were, most likely, King Valdemar's II core Danish forces. Both leaders' respective allies stood to the left and right of the commanders' main troops, with the Slavic princes of Mecklenburg securing the rear of the German host, and the Dithmarscher levy being positioned behind the Danish lines. We do not know how many and which kinds of troops were present that day, but likely an assortment of some heavy knights - mainly the princes and a number of local knights and lesser nobles -, some lighter cavalry, and numerous contingents of infantry, including spearman, archers and crossbowmen.

The Battle of Bornhöved, 13th century painting Source: Wikimedia

The battle is reported to have been bloody and exhaustingly long with neither armies making much success, and the men must have suffered greatly on that hot, summer day. The tide only turned when the Dithmarscher levy defected from King Valdemar and attacked the Danish rear. Now attacked from two sides, the Danes suffered a heavy defeat, losing thousands of men as casualties and prisoners. Among those taken hostage were Bishop Tuve of Ribe and Duke Otto of Lüneburg. Valdemar himself only barely managed to escape the carnage, having had his eye gouged out in combat.

Illustration of the Battle of Bornhöved from Heinrich Rehbein's Lübecker Chronik (1619). Source: Wikimedia

1.3 Aftermath

Following the German coalition's victory, Count Adolf IV successfully reclaimed the County of Holstein, while Duke Albert I reaffirmed his position as the liege-lord of the Counts of Schwerin and Holstein. Dithmarschen remained an independent peasant republic formally under the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen. Lübeck was recognized with all rights as a Free Imperial City, while Hamburg returned under the rule of the Counts of Holstein. Duke Otto remained in captivity until January 1229, when he was released for a hefty ransom. In Denmark, King Valdemar II focused on domestic politics and made peace with his former enemies, marrying his third son Abel to Adolf IV's daughter Mechthild.

Beyond these personal and immediate effects on the warring parties, the Battle of Bornhöved had a lasting impact on the political and territorial landscape of the Baltic Sea region. It solidified the loss of Denmark's northern German territories and meant the end of Danish hegemony in the north. The border between Denmark and the HRE was firmly established at the Eider River, aligning with the southern border of the Danish Duchy of Schleswig. This border configuration remained in place until 1806, when the HRE was dissolved. On the other hand, the victory enabled the North German princes and cities to expand their sphere of influence, trade, and power: it created the conditions for the rise of Lübeck as the leading Hanseatic city, the formation of the German Order State, and later the unification of Schleswig and Holstein under state law (1460).

The borders after the Battle of Bornhöved 1227 Source: Pinterest

2. The Miniature Project

Over the coming months, my goal is to learn more about the history of Northern Germany in the 13th century, and especially the people who participated in the political and military events around the Battle of Bornhöved - and to visualize that history through vignettes and small dioramas. These scenes will include miniature versions of the main commanders and political and military leaders such as Count Adolf, Archbishop Gerhard of Bremen, King Valdemar II of Denmark, and Duke Otto of Braunschweig - but also attempts at portraying less prominent participants such as local nobles and rural levies. In that, I will try my best to be true to the historical sources as much as possible, but will need to make educated guesses from time to time. When in doubt, I will invoke the principle of artistic license :-)

2.1 Upcoming posts

I do not know yet how many individual miniatures or vignettes this project will entail, nor how long it will go, or how often I will post on it. My current guess is: as long as I remain interested in the topic, feel motivated to do a bit of research on the characters, and feel challenged by painting chainmail NMM and more or less elaborate coats of arms, I will continue on. There might be weeks or months in which I do not do anything related to the Bornhöved project, and there definitely will be other projects in between that will keep me distracted... But for now, I am super-excited to embark on that multi-media deep-dive into a fascinating period of Northern European medieval history.

Thanks for being a part of this. Talk to you soon!

Best, D.

Hello jungle people and welcome back to another show review - not only by me (Hansrainer):

This retrospective is going to be a message of love to the show and the organizers as well as a collection of individual impressions. I have been to a nice selection of shows so far and plan to go to many more in the coming year(s). MSS holds a very special place in my heart since I went there last year for the first time ever.

Monte itself is a small and quaint town in the Tuscany countryside - about an hour by car from Florence and two from Rome. From many places in the world, its in the middle of nowhere. And that's the beauty of it: During tourist season, this in an area where many people go to enjoy their spring, summer and fall vacations, but in November, nearly in winter, this is a place where few of us would venture just on their own. And while its not too bad, compared to other shows, which are often sited near large travel hubs and population centres, it takes some effort to go there.

And this is (apart from the amazing hosts - Hats off to G.A.s.t.-Art, Luca Baldino and especially Francesco Farabi) part of what makes the show magical: Everyone you meet there has a burning passion for miniature art. No matter if its the big names, the traveling artists, the staples or an aspiring young / new artist. If you are there, you are part of the community.

And this community is celebrated - from the ceremony that introduces first-timers into the "cult" on Friday night with a tasty and special shot of Idromele - an Italian version of mead - to the butcher on the town square that sells Tuscan delicacies during lunchtime over the whole weekend. MSS has so many places to sit and chat and make memories: The lovely little coffee shop where we all get our shots of caffeine and beer every night, the amazing gelateria where you can get the best gelato I ever had, the amazing restaurants, where you sit in large groups with painters and sculptors you maybe never met before.

The whole weekend seems to be floating between this places and the exhibition and vendor area spread through the history-laden buildings of the town: The old Fortress, a Church, an old Townhall-Building.

I could start mentioning all the old and new friends I met and got to make there but that would definitely exceed the limits …

So what were the special special things?

Well, first of all we had the chance of a limited MV family gathering and it was great to see the guys and girl live for the first time since summer. Especially Daniele I hadn't met since Monte last year, so that was a great reunion.

A big Jungle hug from all of us!

There are some more new coming for the future of MV but thats a topic for another day …

MV Most creative Award

The next big thing was the chance to give away the Massive Voodoo Most Creative Award again - something that we cherish to do at every show we manage to attend. While creativity is fostered more and more at shows in the last years, and there is growing emphasis on categories like storytelling and out of competition, we still think its worth to encourage and award creativity whenever it happens. We get the impression that painters are getting bolder, the projects get more expressive, emotional and at times intense. That makes it harder with every show to pick one artist or a single entry. It took us quite some deliberation this year, but we pulled it off - and so we proudly presented it to Anastasi Loukrezi - an amazing painter and photographer from Greece! Thank you for sharing you work - and thank you for sharing yourself. It has been touching to see so much emotion in a piece.

Go and have a look at Anastasia's Instagram!

The Exhibition

There is a ton to be said about the exhibition, but especially in this case, a picture tells more than a thousand words. And as per usual, I only took a precious few because I was way to busy to look at all those pieces of art.

The Ceremony

At the end of a show, there is always the award ceremony - in a way everyone is looking forward to it and dreading it at the same time. In Monte there is no announcement ahead of time if you got something. No highly recommended Pins, no card or sticker indicating that you "got something" - and so the anticipation builds and becomes more and more palpable during the lunch hours of Sunday. The awards location is befitting the atmosphere of Monte San Savino: An old, classical theatre in the Center of the old town. This year might be the first that actually saw it overflowing with people.

Here you can get a first glimpse at the Crowd waiting outside. The awards are MCed by Francesco Farabi and includes short speeches of appreciation by local dignitaries - that's how welcome we all are in Monte!

During the awards, the most amazing moments are still the ones where first timers, hoping seemingly against hope are awarded their first medals. And this transcends the boundary of classes - beginner, standard and master painters alike light up completely when they're invited to the stage. The show slowly starts anticipation and the highlights are probably the awards for the Maestros of Monte - something of a lifetime achievement award for those who do not only excel with their artwork but also and more importantly who contribute to the community and the show. The last and one of the most prestigious awards in the world is the best of show.

But enough of me praising Monte - here's some words from the Jungle!

Roman

Monte always has this special ambience. No matter how often you go there the village, the people, the passion and the weather will make it an unique experience. It is welcoming and heartwarming. Intense an all aspects: Food, miniatures, people, conversations and emotions.

It is hard to pick some special memories for this weekend that is full of "special". I was really happy to see so many of the MV-Team gathering up and also proud to see the number of painters from Germany rise. I had so many good conversations and lovely moments that I can not sum them up here. I love the joy of first timers being there, encountering it all and when they win something. I was proud to have played a role in some of these journeys. I really enjoyed to give feedback whereever I was able to and help with my perspective. Icecream. Coffee. The Majesty of Florence that lifts you up when you see the Cathedral. Sharing so many special moments with old and new friends is just great.

Petra

Oh Monte!

What can I say that was not already said?

There is this subtle pleasant feeling of anticipation when you arrive in this area, seeing the big hill with those ancient houses for the first time after a year, which lets your heart jump with joy and excitement for the days to come.

My first time Monte last year was a bit overshadowed by my Impostor trying to tell me that I don't belong in-between all those wonderful people - still they welcomed me with open arms and surely made this feeling vanish very soon. It felt like a gathering of a chosen family; no matter where you came from, at this long weekend, on this tiny hill somewhere in Tuscany, we all were just humans sharing the same belief of art and love, friendship and togetherness. No matter if you arrived in a group or alone or did not know anyone, you soon got sucked into this vivid, lively conglumerate of kindred souls that welcomed you ever so warmely.

The view of the villa we shared with
14 fellow painters was soothing and wonderful.

In my first year I stressed a lot about all those things a higher sensitivity and ever lingering Impostor Syndrome loaded on me. But this also means that I could prepare for my second time in this wonderful tiny town of radiating creativity, and I just planned: arrive and enjoy. I already knew my surroundings and could focus more on the people and the connections that bring us all here once a year. I took my time to dive into deep conversations about art and live with old friends and new ones. I got to know a lot of wonderful "Monte First timers" and their aspirations, creations and world views. I had the opportunity to enjoy all the art, the well thought through executions and exchange honest and great feedback. I enjoyed the food and gelato - and of course all the time spent with people. Being an introvert, who normally is easily drained by smalltalk and big groups of people, I managed to balance out the social interaction parts with quiet time and (wherever needed) earplugs! Honestly, if you are sound sensitive, here's my Pro tip: never forget your earplugs of choice (I am carrying around different brands for different situations for example), they helped me a lot to manage soundstress better this year and enjoy the shared passion. ;-)

I also am very happy and humbled to have received
a bronze for standard historical painting.

I am not a great Kudos taker (you know, compliments make my brain running in circles, crying "AAAahahahaaaAAAAaaAA!"), but also working on it; and this year at this show I could for the first time cherish those words of "this is yours? I love it!" (from total strangers, as well as friends), which makes my heart also jump with joy, and doesn't give me the urge to run away and hide anywere. I love Monte for what it radiates and gives us all: a feeling of belonging, a stage to show and be seen. The light in the eyes of people when they can admire those works "from the internet" in real life now. The amazing energies that explode into clapping and shouting and singing for the winners of the competition. The shared coffees and beers and food all over the tiny market place. The laughter of so many different languages, the atmosphere that even a tuscan november rain cannot break.

Mille grazie, Monte, for all you give and all you share!

David

So, Monte. After over a decade of painting under my belt, 2023 was to be my first time visiting that famed place, of which I had heard lots of crazy and inspiring things. However, when the day came to pack my stuff and head to the airport to go to Rome, where I would meet with my jungle brother Andy and two other wonderful travel companions, I was not really in the mood. Not only was there lots of work at home, which would pile up in my absence. Also my hobby-mind was on other things: most importantly my training routine, but I was also eager to continue working on the next miniature for my Bornhöved project and a few other miniature ideas. In fact, before the flight, I seriously considered more than once whether I'd just cancel last minute and stay home. However, I decided to go (or better: did not decide not to go), most importantly because I had made plans with my friends who I did not want to disappoint.

Now, being back after four days in Tuscany, I am glad that I went. This was less to do with the mini show itself, which was nice and all, and had, of course, loads of incredible pieces of our beloved miniature art. I even got two gym sessions in - one of which with my jungle brother Hansrainer! But honestly, it was mainly because of the many invaluable moments with said friends, both from within the Massive Voodoo Family and without. It was you who made me go despite not being super-excited about it, and it was you who made my Monte experience so wonderful. So: THANK YOU! You know who you are ;-)

POV of the Sunday gym session at probably the best gym around Monte San Savino :-D

Hansrainer

Given that I already conveyed many of my feelings in the introductory part, I am not going to linger. Suffice it to say: if there is one show a year I want to go to - just one - at least for now that one show will be MSS. The town is small and at least since last year, there was considerable growth - the bigger it gets, the bigger the risk to lose at least some of the cozyness, however so far they (and the whole town) have done a marvelous job to prevent that from happening. I do have a standing reservation now in the villa we stayed in the last two times and I am optimistic it'll be filled with 14 crazy painters again...

The show had to many amazing entries to single out a few - and I know there are some, like my friend Richard, who took on the duty of preparing galleries of pictures for all the entries. You'll find them on Facebook most likely.

Wrap-Up

So, MSS 2023 is behind us - and MSS 2024 is on the horizons. Hopefully again during the second weekend of November. Maybe this article inspires some of you to join us there next year - I promise you won't regret it! Its the place where the ambitious, the aspiring and the best miniature painters in the world come together - maybe not all in every year - but many and often. Its the place to be inspired and motivated and where I fill up on motivation for the coming winter and painting season.

See you in Monte - 2024. 

Hi Jungle,

earlier this year I finished a comission that was based on my client's wish to recreate a diorama that I have already done in the past. Cats was a super joyful diorama to create and I was looking forward to create a second, new and fresh version of it.

I was really happy to know that this would be a surprise gift for a birthday and really enjoyed tackling it as working on a diorama with animals, especially cats is always great.



After finishing the project I prepared it for a save journey to its new destination and was really excited to hear back from the birthday party. This photo made me superhappy and I thank you both for your trust and joy in my creations:

Here are some more photos of the diorama:

Hey all,

It's November - and with the days getting shorter, wetter and more grey, it also is time to take a look back at the best month of the year: ORCtober! A few weeks ago, we invited you to participate in a small community activity: paint an orc-related mini and send two pictures of that project our way. And, what can we say: YOU DID! We received pictorial documentation of a total of 27 amazingly orcish projects, which you will be seeing in all their (mostly green-skinned) glory below.

However, before we let the orcish madness loose upon you, there is one last bit of housekeeping to take care of: As part of our community project, we promised to raffle a few small goodies among the participants of the 2023 MVOrctober. And here at the MV Jungle Headquarters we tend to keep our promises! So here is the loot we're giving away - together with the lucky winners of the little MVOrctober-lottery:

Loot and the Lucky Looters

Bust by Ouroboros Miniatures (sponsored by Hansrainer) Winner: minimatt_87

Set of AK spaceship colors (sponsored by Hansrainer): Winner: Nick Schweitzer

Artprint of our Orc Mascot (sponsored by Roman) Winner: Christoph Link

Bust by Vertigo Miniatures (sponsored by Sebastian) Winner: Marcus Neumann

Figure by Scale 75 (sponsored by Sebastian) Winner: Bram

A painted version of Momo's Orc Granny (sponsored by Andy) Winner: Fabian Lanthaler

A little set of assorted goodies (sponsored by Petra) Winner: Morten Albertsen

We will get in touch with the winners to ask for your addresses through the email accounts with which you sent the pics. So, check your mailboxes! But now, without any further ado, let's take a look at the 2023 MVOrctober contributions!

The 2023 MVOrctober Gallery

Angelo Zaccarin

Aragorn Weinberger 

Bodo Filter 

Bram 

Christoph Link 

Erick Villareal 

Ervin Havic 

Fabian Lanthaler 

Florian Berger 

Florian Kowalski 

Janos Rais 

Juan Pereña 

Katrin Maronn 

Kris Chung 

Marcus Neumann 

Mario Schmidt 

Michael Kube 

Minimatt_87 

Miriam Kleijn 

Morten Albertsen 

Nick Schweitzer 

Richard Newing 

Sven Blocksdorf 

Thomas Heise 

Thomas Kube 

Thomas "Redpanda" 

Thore Vaas