“We Who Are All Players”: Constructing Early Modern Tennis
There are indications that early modern tennis was more violent than we would expect. Montaigne’s brother was killed on the tennis-court at the age of twenty-three by a ball that hit him under his ear.
Oar walking, underwater wrestling and horse fighting – historian examines the sports and games of the Vikings
Playing ball games is an activity played by children around the world. But while parents might worry that their sons and daughters might get scrapes and bruises, in the Viking world such a game could end with an axe being driven into an opponents head.
The Palio in Italian Renaissance art, thought, and culture
The palio and its associated feast days provided impetus for extensive artistic production. The palio derives its name from the banner awarded to the winner of the horse race.
Types of physical exercise in Medieval Serbia (XII-XIV century)
It is often said of a nation that it is as rich as its history. All the efforts and desire to get to the roots of our past lead us inevitably to the Middle Ages and connect us to the spirit of the rule of the House of Nemanjić. A profound influence this dynasty exerted on the history of the people of Serbia points out their greatness and significance. Serbian army from the period of the Nemanjić reign was famed for its bravery, agility, endurance, persistence, wisdom and skillfulness varying by the type of warfare. Brave voivode and warriors were the apple of Serbia’s eye, which in turn caused heroism to become a lifestyle.
Montaigne and the Sports of Italy
Athletic excellence was an equally strong component of Italian culture in the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
Football was being played in medieval Scotland, research reveals
A Scottish historian has discovered that the game of football was being played as early as the 15th century, and that by the…
The Imposition of Society on Medieval Irish Sport
Legend has it that Prince Lugh organized an event in Ireland called the Tailteann Games thousands of years ago, as a tribute to his fostermother. The games lasted until the twelfth century AD, and were a way for young Irishmen to show off their talent at various athletic competitions, such as chariot-racing, horse-racing, and hurling.
The nobiliary concept of play as a mechanism for ethical-political distinction in the Late Middle Ages
The nobiliary concept of play as a mechanism for ethical-political distinction in the Late Middle Ages By Miguel Vicente Pedraz and Juan Rodríguez…
Queening: Chess and Women in Medieval and Renaissance France
This work explores the correlation between the game of chess and social conditions for women in both medieval and Renaissance France.
Sporting and Recreational Activities of Students in the Medieval Universities
The activities of students who attended these institutions provide historical insights into student life in an era before physical education and organized recreation became part of university education.
Edinburgh surgery and the history of golf
Edinburgh surgery and the history of golf By IMC Macintyre Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, Vol.37 (2007) Abstract: Individuals…
The bewties of the fut-ball: Reactions and references to this boysterous sport in English writings, 1175-1815
It is the object of this study to give some account of references and reactions to Europe’s oldest team game, football, to be found in English writings, 1175-1815
On the Origin and Diffusion of European Ball Games: A Linguistic Analysis
It thus appears that the medieval chivalric tournament served as the model for the ancestor of all, medieval football, and that this came was later the inspiration for other games such as hockey, tennis, and, ultimately, of seemingly unrelated games such as golf.
Sports Spectators from Antiquity to the Renaissance
Although medieval spectators were often unruly and sometimes riotous, the evidence I have thus far gathered indicates that their disorders never approached the level of tumult exhibited by Byzantine fans.
Sports of the Byzantine Empire
Sports of the Byzantine Empire By Barbara Schrodt Journal of Sport History, Vol.8:3 (1981) Introduction: From the fourth century A.D. until the fall of Constantinople…
Sports and Recreations in Thirteenth-Century England: The evidence of the Eyre and Coroners’ Rolls
This article presents what has been gleaned about sports, pastimes, and recreations of thirteenth-century people from a representative sample of the public records of medieval England.
Sport and Social Hierarchy in Medieval England
This paper will analyze military sports, hunting sports, and ball play within one society, England, from 1100-1500.
The Medieval Tournament: A Functional Sport of the Upper Class
Sport has often both mirrored and conditioned many aspects of particular social classes; change in one has often effected change in the other. The tournament and the medieval upper class appear to have been related in this way.