What Sports Were Played in the Renaissance Period?

The ancestor of soccer was a popular Renaissance sport.

During the Renaissance, aristocrats and peasants alike took part in sports. Among the upper class, sports were praised as helping to create an ideal gentleman with a strong body and keen mind. Among the peasants, sports were often a tool for developing a stronger sense of community. However, the rough and tumble sports the peasants played were often denounced as immoral and dangerous.

Tournaments

Tournaments allowed knights to show off their horsemanship.

Tournaments developed in 11th century France as an exercise to keep knights ready for battle. They originally included activities such as jousting, where two knights charged each other with blunted lances, sword duels and dagger fights. By the 15th century, they were important social events where knights showed off their horsemanship, combat skills and courage. The tournament field or "lists" was a rectangular or oval field enclosed by a barrier and surrounded by pavilions for the spectators. A herald would announce the participants and then, after fanfare, the knights would enter wearing elaborate armor and riding richly decorated horses. As knights became less important in battle, tournaments developed a theatrical quality. Many of the martial activities were replaced with recreations of chivalric romances such as "Le Morte d'Arthur" and "Orlando Furioso" and mock battles to settle popular debates.

Other Combat Sports

Originally a fighting skill, archery developed into a sport during the Renaissance.

Other Renaissance combat sports included fencing and archery. Fencing developed on the battlefield as soldiers began using thinner swords to take advantage of gaps in knights' armor. The development of firearms led to the abandonment of armor, but gentlemen kept the increasingly thin-bladed swords for personal protection, exhibitions of skill and settling disputes in formal sword fights called duels. Unlike the heavy-handed hacking used by the medieval knights, fencing demanded dexterity, speed and technique. As guns became more efficient killing machines, archery, like the knight, lost its importance on the battlefield. However, it continued to be popular as an inexpensive mental and physical exercise.

Individual Sports

Renaissance people enjoyed many individual sports. Court tennis, the precursor to most modern racket games, developed in 14th century France. It was especially popular with kings such as Henry VIII; however, by the 16th century it had fallen out of favor. Golf developed in the 15th century and became so popular in Scotland that the Scottish Parliament denounced it for keeping young men away from their archery practice. Other popular individual sports including swimming, throwing, jumping, wrestling and various bowling games.

Team Sports

Popular team sports included several variations on soccer, including mob football, "calcio," football and "la soule a pied." These sports often involved large crowds of people and very few rules. Their violent, dangerous nature led church leaders to call for their suppression. Many of these games were eventually limited to specific holidays and locations. Other games included the ancestors of stick games including hockey and lacrosse.

References

• "Europe, 1450 to 1789"; Tournament; Bonner Mitchell; 2004
• "The Columbia Encyclopedia"; Tournament; 2008
• "A Dictionary of British History"; Tournament; John Cannon; 2004
• "Arms and Armor"; Michele Byam; 1988
• "Europe, 1450 to 1789"; Sports; Sarah Covington; 2004
• "The Columbia Encyclopedia"; Court Tennis; 2008

Resources

• "The Oxford Companion to British History"; Golf; John Cannon; 2002
• "The Columbia Encyclopedia"; Bowling; 2008
• Expert Football: Mob Football