Band of Iron Lions

Band of Iron Lions The Band of Iron Lions is a nonprofit Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) school and living history reenactment group.

Band of Iron Lions operates as a registered 501(c)3 Nonprofit Organization. Our core focus lies in the realm of Historical European Martial Arts (H.E.M.A), where we diligently train our students and practitioners using a blend of practical methods, including shadow training, drills, and sparring with both synthetic and steel swords. Beyond honing our craft, we showcase our skills within our local

community and at events such as Renaissance Faires. We take great pride in imparting our techniques to guests and patrons, alongside sharing the rich historical context of our time period and martial arts practices. Moreover, our members actively engage in tournaments, where they showcase their prowess, forge connections within the H.E.M.A. community, and uphold the spirit of camaraderie amongst skilled fighters.

06/17/2026

War hammers came in many shapes and sizes, but were largely developed as plate armor was developed as a way to destroy it. This specific warhammer is handheld and could be used by an infantryman against a knight to either tear into plate with its beak, or crush it with the hammer side as we can see our German knight Micheal doing in this video against a coconut.

06/10/2026

There are many types of rapier, but usually a rapier is defined as being a straight, slender, one handed blade that is usually quite elegant, and was often used by gentlemen. It was extremely popular in Western Europe throughout the 16th and 17th centuries. It is designed to be quick and nimble, requiring a great deal of dexterity from its users.
Here we have Mercutio wielding a Spanish style rapier, and Thomas wielding a more Italian style.

06/03/2026

The bec de cobin, otherwise known as the crow’s beak, or the French can opener, was a war hammer developed in late medieval France. It has three main parts, a spike at the top, a wedge-like hammer on one side, and a vicious curved beak. All three of these were expertly designed to destroy plate mail. They were made in two heights, that for an infantryman on foot, and one for cavalry. Here we have our French crusader, Sir Daniel, crushing a coconut with it.

Thank you all for your support throughout our spring season as yesterday was our last day at the Iowa Renaissance Festiv...
06/02/2026

Thank you all for your support throughout our spring season as yesterday was our last day at the Iowa Renaissance Festival! We can't wait to see you again in the fall! If you saw one of our shows or stopped by our encampment and liked what you saw, feel free to join us at one of our classes. If you're not in the Des Moines area, you can look on HEMAalliance.com and find a HEMA club near you!

We're drying out after a bit of rain this morning, however we are excited to see you all today at the last day of the Io...
05/31/2026

We're drying out after a bit of rain this morning, however we are excited to see you all today at the last day of the Iowa Renaissance Festival this Spring! Our showtimes are 11:30, 2:30, and 4:30 and we will be giving lessons and talking about sworda all day in our encampment. This is our last performance until Fall, so do come out and see us. Huzzah!

We can't wait to see you all either! Join us this weekend at the Iowa Renaissance Festival. This is your last chance to ...
05/28/2026

We can't wait to see you all either! Join us this weekend at the Iowa Renaissance Festival. This is your last chance to see us this Spring before our summer break. Come out and get a sword lesson in our encampment or watch our fighters demonstration their skills at any of our 3 shows both days. Huzzah!

05/27/2026

Most of the spears our fighters use in the ring are boar spears. These spears have a long spike with wings on either side, used primarily to hunt boars. The wings were effective at stopping the boars from running up the length of the spear, but they’re also useful for parrying and pulling down an opponent’s shield. Unlike most of our equipment, the blades on these do not bend, making them particularly dangerous.

05/26/2026

Well guys, this past weekend was a hot one and the heat did get to us and we got a little silly at the Iowa Renaissance Festival!

Address

Des Moines, IA

Opening Hours

Tuesday 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Thursday 6:30pm - 8:30pm

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