The Study of Medieval Sports, Games, and Pastimes: A Fifteen-Year Reflection, 1988-2003
Although some noteworthy studies by trained medievalists appeared in the 1980s, 90s, and the beginning of the new century, especially from scholars working in medieval literature, they were only a beginning.
An ancient art, a long absence
Boxing was well known in the ancient era, and it has been popular in Europe since the 1700s, so why does it seem to have gone missing in the Middle Ages?
Historian uncovers evidence of football match from 1320
A recently discovered court roll has uncovered evidence that the game of football was played as early as 1320 in the town of Hollesley in Suffolk, England.
Real Tennis and the Civilising Process
The game of Real Tennis dates back to the twelfth century in France, when it began as a very simple ball game played with the hands. By the sixteenth century, it had reached its heyday and become a rule-governed and highly sophisticated sport.
Animals in Medieval Sports, Entertainment, and Menageries
We shall see that apes, marmosets, and popinjays were hardly the only kinds of animals pressed into service as entertainers for medieval people, for virtually every common European animal – and a large number of exotic imported species as well – took some part, large or small, in games, spectacles, menageries, performances, tournaments, and displays.
The Emperor, the Church, and Chariot Races: The Imperial Struggles with Christianity and Entertainment in Late Antique Constantinople
With seating available for around 80,000 citizens, just under one sixth of the population of Constantinople in the fifth century could get their voices heard by the emperor at each of the nearly 70 races held in the hippodrome every year, making chariot racing the most popular sport in the Roman world.
Women in Sport: Images from the Late Middle Ages
For a number of years, as part of my research on the history of women, I have been collecting images of medieval women in manuscript illuminations and church sculptures. I was struck by the quantity of scenes in which women were physically engaged in sporting activities.
“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.
