Things you need to know about Sports in the Middle Ages

By Samuel Stanfield

After a devastating fall of the Western Roman Empire, Rome was never the same again. Religious issues, war, and harsh, terrible, devastating taxes were paid by citizens to the king. The citizens were hopeless, defeated, destroyed as well as they, didn’t know what else to do in life that would benefit their needs. However, there was one thing that did bring the people together, sports. The main purpose of sports during the middle ages was to increase fighting skills as a soldier and to increase the strength of men for combat.

Jousting

Jousting is a martial art that was very popular in the middle ages. It involved two warriors on horses. They both held swords and tried to slash each other until one fell off the horse. The last player still remaining on his horse is the winner. There were many jousting tournaments and winners often received cash prizes. Players were provided with armor, however, this was still a dangerous sport. Many people got stabbed and died from the wounds.

What competitors wore

In the middle ages, the clothing you wore mainly depended on your rank in the feudal system. Peasants either didn’t wear a lot or they just wore what they could get, and most of the time, what they could get wasn’t much. Now if the peasants weren’t fortunate at all, they were often left with no clothes to compete in. The richer class wore robes made of silk and they also wore gowns, and the clothes were less sloppy and rough than the clothes of the peasants. The only sport where everybody was given some sort of clothing was in jousting and it was armor.

Sports and Games for Lower Class

Peasants had their own set of games as well, such as folk football, which villages competed against each other. Servants were often invited to watch the major sporting events, but were not allowed to compete in these activities. Women could compete in small peasant games such as ball games and foot races. However, the women were mainly spectators.

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Games played Indoors

Not all sports from the earlier Roman Empire weren’t outdoors, there were also indoor sports for anybody. A lot of these indoor sports were for peasants, soldiers, or anybody trying to increase their fighting skills. A lot of indoor games didn’t even require athletic ability. There were other indoor games such as board games and card games. Some of the most popular games were shovelboard, hazard, and chess. These sports and games were just as entertaining as the older games.