Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament
TypePrivate
IndustryEntertainment
FoundedDecember 20, 1983 (1983-12-20) in Kissimmee, Florida, US
Headquarters
Irving, Texas
,
U.S.
Number of locations
10
Area served
United States and Canada
ServicesDinner theater
Websitewww.medievaltimes.com

Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament is a family dinner theater featuring staged medieval-style games, sword-fighting, and jousting. Medieval Times Entertainment, the holding company, is headquartered in Irving, Texas.[1]

There are ten locations: the nine in the United States are built as replica 11th-century castles;[2] the tenth, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is located inside the CNE Government Building.[3]

History

The introduction of the knights, pictured in 2008.
Medieval Times in Schaumburg, Illinois, displaying the coat of arms of Peralada, Spain, and the Viscounts Rocabertí, lords of Peralada Castle.[4] Medieval Times founder Jose Montaner was uncle to the Count of Perelada, with the Count holding stock in the company until 2016.[5]
Medieval Times at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The history of jousting tournaments in the United States began in the Colonial period and the Antebellum period. The first recorded jousting tournament in America was the Meschianza, which was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 18 May 1778, during the American Revolutionary War. The event was organized by Major John André, a Frenchman and officer in the British Army, and Oliver De Lancey Jr., a general of French Huguenot descent, to honor General William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe, who was stepping down as commander of colonial British forces.[6] However, Americans were unimpressed; jousting would not become popular until the 1800s.[7]

The first jousting tournament recorded in the 19th century, listed as the "oldest continuously-held sporting event in North America", was first held at the Natural Chimneys in Mount Solon, Virginia, in 1821. The tournament proved to be popular, becoming an annual event, and the joust is still held each year the third Saturday in August on the same grounds.[8]

William Gilmor, a wealthy descendant of Scottish-born immigrant Robert Gilmor (1748-1822) of Baltimore, Maryland, organized the second official jousting tournament event on American soil at White Sulphur Springs, now part of West Virginia, on 28 August 1841. Gilmor had come up with the idea after witnessing the popular, but ill-fated Eglinton Tournament in Scotland on 29 August 1839.[8]

After 1840, jousting tournaments became popular entertainment in every Southern state south of the Mason-Dixon Line. During the American Civil War (12 April 1861 – 26 May 1865), tournaments were held less often, but still occasionally occurred, including one account of an Alabama Confederate cavalry regiment holding one such event at their winter quarters along the Potomac River. Per one description of the event, "They rode in rags and barefoot, but with great enthusiasm." There was another famous jousting tournament held during the Civil War on the lawn at Monticello near Charlottesville, Virginia in the fall of 1863, where "Confederate soldiers and their ladies hosted a splendid tournament when the Yankees were bragging that even a crow couldn't fly across the valley without their consent".[8]

After the end of the Civil War in 1865, and into the early 20th century, jousting tournaments remained a popular pastime among Southerners and ex-Confederates, with some even referring to the joust as the "National Sport of the South".[8] In 1962, jousting was designated as the official state sport of Maryland, a Southern-adjacent state, by the Maryland General Assembly.[9]

The first two Medieval Times-styled shows were developed in the late 1960s by Jose Montaner in Spain at Majorca and Benidorm. Montaner converted the barbecue restaurant on the family farm to entertainment and food venue. Actors portrayed 11th-century jousting of knights of the northern Spanish and southern French kingdoms of Aragon, Navarre, and the village of Perelada, using stories derived from Montaner's family history. Montaner claims to be a descendant of Charlemagne.[10][11] Accounts indicated that Tino Brana, who was involved in the jousting scenes from the 1961 film El Cid, was involved in staging the jousts.[11]

In 1983, the Spanish investment group Manver (incorporated in the Netherlands Antilles) opened their first United States location in Orlando, Florida, near Disney World, and one of the biggest cities in the South, having over 1.4 million residents in 2021, according to the United States Census Bureau. In 1986, they opened their second establishment near Knott's Berry Farm in California.[11] The franchise later expanded, opening locations in major cities in the Southern United States and elsewhere, including Atlanta, Georgia; Dallas, Texas; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Baltimore, Maryland; Schaumburg, Illinois; Lyndhurst, New Jersey; Scottsdale, Arizona; and Toronto, Ontario.[12]

In April 1997, the franchises in Florida and California sought bankruptcy protection after losing a court battle with the IRS that required the Buena Park location to pay US$7.5 million and the Orlando location to pay $2.5 million in back taxes (equivalent to about $13.7 and $4.6M in 2022). According to the IRS, Medieval Times improperly deducted royalties, loan interest, and management fees in the 1987 and 1989 tax years. When asked why the company was filing for bankruptcy the company's bankruptcy lawyer, Alan Friedman, said, "One of the primary reasons for filing was to prevent the IRS from beginning to seize any assets."[13]

The shows change about every six years.[14] A new show premiered in late 2017; and, for the first time in the 34-year history of the franchise, the lead role was filled by a Queen, rather than a King. This change was due to feedback from guests who wanted to see women in more significant acting roles. The company also stated that it took two months to teach a Queen how to ride an Andalusian horse.[15]

On 31 May 2022, employees at Medieval Times in New Jersey filed for a union election with the NLRB, working with the American Guild of Variety Artists.[16] In October 2022, the company sued the union over name and logo trademark violations; the suit was subsequently dismissed; MT was, however, able to pressure TikTok to shut the union's social media account on intellectual property grounds.[17] In November 2022, employees at the Buena Park location also won a union election 27-18 to join the American Guild of Variety Artists,[18] and initiated a strike soon after, in February 2023, over pay and safety concerns.[19] After nine months on strike, in November, the union said it would end the strike and return to work while the negotiating team continues to fight for a "safe and equitable" work environment for cast, crew and animals.[20]

Jose's son, Perico Montaner, is now the President and CEO of the private company, which is headquartered in Irving, Texas.[21][5]

As of 19 October 2017, Medieval Times had served over 65 million guests across its entire history as a franchise.[15]

The chain was featured in the 1996 film The Cable Guy,[22] and the 2004 feature film Garden State. It has been featured in episodes of TV shows such as Friends,[23] Cake Boss,[24] The Simpsons, Hell's Kitchen,[25] The Celebrity Apprentice,[26] Close Enough,[27] and Saturday Night Live.[28]

Locations

United States

Canada

See also

References

  1. ↑ ""Castle Locations". Medieval Times Entertainment. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  2. ↑ Duncan, Kimberly Allyson; Rentz, Lisa Tomer (2008). Insiders' guide to Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand (9th ed.). Guilford, CT: Insiders' Guide. ISBN 978-0-7627-4407-7.
  3. ↑ Reynolds, Christopher (August 7, 2016). "How Medieval Times survives in the digital age (paper version headline: "All in a knight's work")". Toronto Star. pp. B1–B3.
  4. ↑ "Peralada". Costa Brava Living. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
  5. 1 2 Swierk, Adam (June 2, 2022). "The Untold Truth Of Medieval Times". Mashed. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  6. ↑ Martin, p. 181.
  7. ↑ "The Tournaments of Colonial Times". National Jousting Association. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "The Romantic Revival". National Jousting Association. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Md. Gen. Provis. § 7-329". Mgaleg.maryland.gov. Archived from the original on August 8, 2016. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  10. ↑ "Medieval Times". The Miami Herald. August 7, 1988. p. 148.
  11. 1 2 3 "Spanish Dinner Entertainment Harks Back to Medieval Times". Chicago Tribune. June 18, 1991.
  12. ↑ "Locations". Medieval Times. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  13. ↑ James, Granelli (April 26, 1997). "Medieval Times Owners File for Bankruptcy". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 11, 2009.
  14. ↑ Palisin, Steve (May 31, 2012). "Medieval Times ready to roll out new show". The Sun News. Retrieved June 1, 2012.
  15. 1 2 "Queen Takes The Reigns at Medieval Times Castles Starting October 19". PR Newswire (Press release). Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  16. ↑ "Medieval Knights LLC | National Labor Relations Board". www.nlrb.gov. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  17. ↑ Jamieson, Dave. "Judge Tosses Medieval Times' Trademark Lawsuit Against Union". HuffPost. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  18. ↑ Ahn, Ashley (November 12, 2022). "Medieval Times performers in California unionize following months of debate". National Public Radio. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  19. ↑ Breijo, Stephanie (February 15, 2023). "Workers at Medieval Times strike, citing low wages and high risks for knightly work". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Medieval Times Buena Park employees end strike and will return to work Wednesday". LA Times via Yahoo Finance. November 22, 2023. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  21. ↑ "How Medieval Times survives in the digital age". The Toronto Star. August 7, 2016.
  22. ↑ Ramey, Lynn T. (2007). Race, class, and gender in "medieval" cinema. Palgrave Macmillan US. pp. 111. ISBN 9781403974273.
  23. ↑ ""Friends" The One with the Soap Opera Party (TV Episode 2003)". IMDb. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  24. ↑ "Tournament of Knights and a Tasty Tiramisu" Cake Boss, TLC, June 14, 2010
  25. ↑ "15 Chefs Compete". Hell's Kitchen episode 3. Season 9. July 25, 2011. Fox.
  26. ↑ "Getting Medieval". The Apprentice. Season 12. Episode 2. February 26, 2012. NBC.
  27. ↑ "The Canine Guy" Close Enough, HBO Max, July 9, 2020. Warner Bros.
  28. ↑ "Medieval Times - SNL". YouTube.

Bibliography

  • Martin, David G. (1993). The Philadelphia Campaign: June 1777 – July 1778. Conshohocken, PA: Combined Books. ISBN 0-938289-19-5. 2003 Da Capo reprint, ISBN 0-306-81258-4.
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