Medieval England refers to the history of England from the year 1066 through to 1485, which marked the start of the early modern period. This period is also referred to as the middle age or the pre-industrial period. In medieval England, three social groups comprised the nobles, the knights, and the peasants. These social classes influenced the daily way of life, including how individuals dressed and the activities they took part in. Other than many activities that marked medieval England, a variety of sports were also enjoyed, such as archery, golf, and football. These sports were formed to enhance color and life during a monotonous, warlike, and gloomy period. (Karkov, 2018, p.5). For instance, vibrant and energetic sports were influenced by strict social classes, as discussed in this essay.
In medieval England, marks could be used to teach crucial values like overcoming adversity, leadership, and teamwork. Just like today, sports have the ultimate ability to bring society together. It is a passion imitated by the thrill of victor and the distress of loss. Despite their significance, medieval sports portrayed a significant division of the Englishmen based on their social classes (Karkov, 2018, p.4).
Social classes dictated the kind of games and their roles in particular games. At some point, sports in medieval England acted as an identifier of a person’s or family’s social class simply by looking at the sport they engaged with. For instance, the upper class played actual tennis, whereas the peasants played mob football. Most of the sports enjoyed trace today back to the medieval period. However, many medieval games had unclear rules and promised little to no safety for the participants. Due to the hazards linked to many sports, the peasants enjoyed these gaming events more than the nobles.
Moreover, the upper class could not engage in physically demanding sports, unlike the peasants who were used to farming and doing other manual jobs. It is common for upper-class members to avoid sports that require physical contact and hard manual labor but prefer pastimes sports (Henricks, 2018, p.22). The reason would be that the nobles used sports for entertainment while the low-class individuals aimed to strengthen their physical abilities.
The desire for more power and prominence drove medieval sports. The nobles and knights participated in glorious sports to showcase their power and influence. Given that medieval games were geared towards growing and showing the fighting skills of the participants, it was fun competing in them. These sporting events were also the best venues for individuals to win the chance to join the next class in the hierarchy (Karkov, 2018, p.5). For instance, a knight who appeared brave in sports would elevate his prominence to become noble and wealthy. In such a way, sports-inspired those from the lower social classes to participate so as to step up the ranks in the hierarchy. In the same way, a farmer who participated in medieval sports and excelled well had a chance to enhance his worth. Because a lot of free time was secured, people from all over England would gather to enjoy sports alongside other festivals.
Some of the resources were required in various sports, which the peasants could not afford. In this way, social hierarchy influenced transportation, knowledge, and money participation. The expensive sports were meant for individuals in the high ranks (Henricks, 2018, p.24). For example, hunting was mostly for noblewomen. Given that hunting animals like trained hawks and hounds made it expensive to be afforded the nobles. These noblewomen used dogs to sniff other animals within the nobles’ territories. They also rode on a horse during hunting. In the same way, colf was a sport played by the noble class since they could afford a large expanse of land for the game. Due to their social class, the peasants would enjoy rough and risky sports like wrestling, archery, hammer-throwing, shinty, football, and horseshoes (Karkov, 2018, p.4). Nevertheless, ordinary citizens needed more funds to construct courts for playing tennis. Therefore, it was regarded as an elite sport enjoyed by the lords and ladies in their closed quarters. Several manors and castles developed with tennis courts.
The nobles set laws on compulsory sports to be played by lower-class men. For instance, all men between fifteen to sixty years of age belonging to the low class were required by the law to practice archery. In this case, archery was popular among the peasants as every man had to arm themselves with a bow and arrows. This was a strategy to ensure the dominance of the English army during wartime. The Englishmen trained archery in Butts, which were designated specifically for that purpose (Henricks, 2018, p.22). The compulsory training of men in archery sport made the Englishmen defeat the French in the Battle of Crecy.
Different social groups had diverse intentions for partaking in sports. For instance, medieval sports were favorable venues for the nobles to socialize and build their social capital, with several business deals achieved after a match, tennis, or a round of colf (Battente, 2020, p.1). To them, sports were seen as a diversion, and they lacked the motivation to succeed at the subsequent level. Despite their low class, the village members used sports to showcase their teamwork. Despite the risks of the sports linked to the peasants, they still enjoyed the sporting events. For example, folk football was played by peasants as they contested with members from different villages. This competition allowed the winners to take pride in their village (Henricks, 2018, p.25). Moreover, the peasant women were permitted to play certain low-class sports like ball games and footraces. Their participation in such sports was in line with their social rank, unlike the noblewomen who took part in the glorious hunting sports.
The nobles had a significant influence on scheduling specific times for medieval sports. The elementary means of earning in medieval England was either fighting as a soldier or working as a serf or peasant. In this case, the nobles had plenty of free time to entertain themselves (Karkov, 2018, p.6). Therefore, they used their leisure time to participate in or watch sports in conjunction with other festivals. During the sporting events, victorious knights were selected for presented to the king as soldiers to fight the enemies. It was essential for successful knights to achieve exceptional fighting abilities and all war techniques. As a result, sports were encouraged and designed to provide weapon and fighting practices for sportspeople. Moreover, the events motivated ordinary citizens to take better care of their physical abilities (Karkov, 2018, p.6).
Members of the high class enjoyed tournaments, while the peasants were hindered from participating in the elite tournaments. The tournaments were so big and important because the winners would take home significant prizes. The gap between the upper and lower classes dictated who to participate in those tournaments. Members of nobility adored the tournaments as much as they enjoyed hunting. Real weapons like lances, and swords were used to fight, and the nobles enjoyed watching while the knights attacked each other violently (Oggins, 2019, p.50). These tournaments were neither safe for the peasants because innocent bystanders would end up being attacked and wounded. The peasants would suffer tremendously during the medieval tournaments since the participants would horserace through their farms in pursuit of each other, thus squashing their harvest. Normally, an opponent would be stuck in a peasant’s house in search of a hiding place. In this case, the whole house would end up being flamed even though its owner was not involved in the tournament. The sporting event would be an enjoyment to the nobles but a tragedy to the peasants. However, the nobles were not concerned about the peasants’ agony but rather about the winner of the tournament (Magoun, 2018, p.40).
A good way to think of feudalism is as a pyramid of power. Everyone sought to climb the pyramid’s ranks, which they could do by moving up its ranks. A Knight would become wealthy if he showed bravery in war or excelled at jousting in competitions. He could afford a castle with his fortune. He would become more influential in the country and become a member of the nobility. A peasant’s status in life would improve if he or she excelled in Medieval sports since they allowed them to win money at sporting events, develop a significant reputation, and increase in value by their lord.
In conclusion, the social hierarchy of medieval England had a significant impact on sports. The upper class, represented by the nobles, had the ultimate influence on medieval sports. This group participated in luxurious sports since they had sufficient resources and knowledge. The low-class individuals were disadvantaged not only in their living status but also in the sports they participated in. The peasants and serfs could only enjoy violent games, which required little resources. However, the sports were fun and entertaining and also helped the medieval culture grow. Luckily enough, modern society has benefited from those sports because most of the present events date back to the medieval period. For example, colf is considered the mother of present-day golf. Furthermore, the upper class still dominates its influence on sports since it tends to enjoy non-contact sports like tennis and golf. Conversely, the lower class is more inclined to sports that focus on toughness and teamwork, like boxing and football. Moreover, most of the outdoor games considered for the lower echelons steadily advanced into royal pastimes.
References
Battente, S., 2020. The Idea of Sport in Western Culture from Antiquity to the Contemporary Era. Vernon Press..https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-idea-of-sport-in-western-culture-from-antiquity-to-the-contemporary-era-saverio-battente/book/9781648891342.html
Henricks, T.S., 2018. Sport and social hierarchy in medieval England. Journal of Sport History, 9(2), pp.20-37.https://www.jstor.org/stable/43609079
Karkov, C.E.,2018. Art and the Formation of Early Medieval England. Elements in England in the Early Medieval World.https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108942935
Magoun, F.P., 2018. Football in medieval England and in middle-English literature. The American Historical Review, 35(1), pp.33-45.https://doi.org/10.2307/1838470
Oggins, R.S., 2019. Falconry and medieval views of nature. In The medieval world of nature: A book of essays (pp. 47-60). Routledge.
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