Weird Medieval Sports

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Everyone is familiar with the Hollywood version of medieval jousts. The handsome knight galloping towards his sworn enemy, lance steady and stern, while his lady’s handkerchief gently sits next to his heart. But have you ever seen a joust that used boats instead of horses? Knights who practised hitting targets hung from masts in rivers instead of in training grounds? Watch how even some of the painted Maya, viking raiders or pious monks staved off their boredom. Through some truly odd ball games, they might leave you baffled and confused, and yet still have a part of you wanting to try them out yourself
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Credit:
Created by Daniel Turner (B.A. (Hons) in History, University College London)
Script: Natasha Martell
Narrator:
Chris Kane
vocalforge.com/
Sources
Barber, Richard, and Juliet Barker. Tournaments: Jousts, Chivalry and Pageants in the Middle Ages. New York: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1989.
Brand, Jonathan. “Jeu de Paume: Holding Court in Paris”. Smithsonian Magazine, May 18th 2010.
Coss, Peter, and Maurice Keen. Heraldry, Pageantry and Social Display in Medieval England. Gateshead: Athenæum Press Ltd, 2003.
Cummins, John. The Hound and the Hawk: The Art of Medieval Hunting. New York: St Martin’s Press, 1988.
Cybulskie, Danièle. “Sports in Medieval London”. Accessed 7 June 2022.
Davies, Diane. “Ballgame - Pok-ta-Pok”. Accessed 7 June 2022.
Gillmeister, Heiner. Tennis: A Cultural History. Bristol: Equinox Publishing, 2017.
Gogosz Remigiusz. “Horse Fights: The Brutal Entertainment of the Icelanders in the Middle Ages”, Średniowiecze Polski i Powszechne (2014) pp. 17-32.
Henricks, Thomas S. “Sport and Social Hierarchy in Medieval England”, Journal of Sport History, Vol. 9, No.2 (1982) pp. 20-37.
Hjaltialin, Jon A. “On the Cvilisation of the First Iceleandic Colonists, with a Short Account of Some of Their Manners and Customs”, Transactions of the Ethnological Society of London, Vol. 6 (1868) pp. 176-182.
Kowaleski, Maryanne. “Medieval Towns: A Reader” (22 August, 2008).
Oggins, Robin S. The Kings and Their Hawks: Falconry in Medieval England. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2004.
Pattie, Tammy. “Medieval Games and Recreation”, Eastern Illinois University, (2011) pdf.
Scarborough, Vernon L. The Mesoamerican ballgame. Tucson : University of Arizona Press, 1991. Archive.org.
Thurber, B. A. “The Viking Ball Game”, Scandinavian Studies, volume 87, No.2 (2015) pp. 167-188.

[@TheStapleGunKid]

Medieval sports are so weird. Now excuse me, I'm off to go watch a bunch of guys kick a ball back and forth for three hours, hoping one of them might hit a net with it once or twice.

[@blingn27]

Have you ever watched a live coverage of golf....?

[@isaacgonzo]

I prefer the one where they throw and carry the ball, trying to avoid being hit, with the occasional kick through two giant poles

[@Themanwiththeplan1899]

I am quite fond of the game where you roll a ball into wooden pillars

[@loverofteaandspice]

@@blingn27 Have you ever watched a live coverage of darts?

[@ryanbauer3680]

Say what now? Sorry I was busy watching a bunch cars go around in circle for 500 laps. MURICA!

[@AndrewPonti]

Jousting is the official state sport of Maryland, and it's the only state that uses heraldic colors and coat of arms from England (Lords Baltimore). It was given to the Calverts as an almost feudal land grant in the Americas as a Palatinate for them to rule directly.

[@Axrtone500]

Ok

[@redred7289]

I just looked up the state flag of Maryland. It's absolutely hideous! I can't un-see it.

[@AndrewPonti]

@@redred7289 you mist be blind. It’s the best flag of all!

[@TheNinj47]

@@AndrewPonti yes its the best american flag ive ever seen indeed greetings from germany

[@657449]

I saw a video of an old Finnish contest where men had a foot race carrying their wives over their shoulder. The winner got his wife’s weight in beer.

[@pvt.potato1943]

Sounds about right...

[@Shawa_Skibidi]

Finnish ppl in a nutshell

[@IDKeknow]

And the masters are Estonians

[@slaggerthord31]

Literally the most finnish thing ever

[@mikkovaittinen3835]

It is not so old sport. Invented during my lifespan. I am Finnish.

[@followernumber1]

Was the owner of the dead horse compensated or was there any kind of prize, because in any medieval culture horses were extremely valuable.

[@lonehiker6648]

good point, back then horses were literally the equivelant of car in value

[@A_Black_Sheep94]

I believe you would be arrested and lose all your titles and lands.

[@bernardorios9948]

Ah yes. 0:04. The Road to El Dorado is my favorite childhood movie since my older brother and I were kids. 😏. It brings me back memories.

[@thepunisher8676]

I once went to a few horse fights in Mexico they were more brutal than what I had expected

[@tigerbatman7881]

I fought a horse but lost

[@Captain23rdGaming]

The fact that you used Road to El Dorado 0:04 couldnt have made me happier 😄

[@Axrtone500]

Yep

[@Thomas-rl9xd]

Please do a video on the battle of Delville wood. As a South African it would be truly amazing to see our troops remembered on this channel. Thank you

[@paleoph6168]

6:40 "...because who doesn't love beating a dead horse?" Lmao

[@Axrtone500]

Lol

[@RaccoonGamer9613]

It's awesome that in the first second of this video he references DreamWorks Road to El Droado. That's awesome. Btw. That movie was a masterpiece of comedy and humor.

[@RRswag70]

A masterpiece? I think you have life misunderstood..

[@Mane_wdf_goin_on_ohio_dawg]

@@RRswag70 why?

[@Axrtone500]

@@RRswag70 what is that supposed to mean

[@watchulookinat23]

The thumbnail clickbait is unreal

[@CCSABCD]

Why is that so funny?

[@magnus7857]

Naval jousting is still a thing in the southern German city of Ulm (yes, the same one as in EU4). Every four years members of the old patrician families dress up as local historical figures and compete on the river Danube. The event attracts thousands of spectators and it is usually being broadcast on live TV. There's similar, but much smaller events in other parts of Germany, Switzerland and France

[@scaredofghosts6813]

The Aztec ball game in the first segment usually ended with the decapitation of the losers..there are ball courts found lined with skulls of entire teams

[@poetymology9280]

Yeah stone carved skulls.

[@Axrtone500]

Yep

[@L.P.1987]

I heard that in the mayan version of the game, only the captain of the winner team was killed.

[@poetymology9280]

@@L.P.1987 been to chicken itza, stones carved like skulls line the ball court. Winners were sacrificed..... Only the best for the gods.

[@dragon12234]

It very much depended. IIRC the vast majority matches and games played for fun and prizes. The ones that had sacrifice as part of it were generally only reserved for very special occassions

[@zeopharn6153]

Naval jousting is still a thing in various places in France, especially in the south. Among the famous ones, the joust of Sète, combining the charming streets, the crowd excitement and the traditional white-robed fighters.

[@Complete_Stranger7050]

Naval Jousting with motorboats lol

[@ethanmcgowan6926]

Visited Sete a week ago, can confirm.

[@reijiminato8762]

I think the Japanese game show Takeshi's Castle (more popularly known in the western world as MXC - Most Extreme Elimination Challenge) was partially inspired by naval jousting

[@NovaNTS]

Im Irish and we always have known it as Takeshi's Castle

[@nouua6513]

@@NovaNTS we too, and I’m from Italy

[@cjclark2002]

Used to watch that as a kid almost every day after school.

[@A_Black_Sheep94]

I prefer Takeshis challenge

[@Lupinthe3rd.]

love this. As a suggestion for another video you guys should do one about the naval battles in the roman colosseum. Many people are unaware that the colosseum use to host mock naval battles.

[@alfrancisbuada2591]

Yeah they did it with Gladiators. I always loved that one when I read about it.

[@tigerbatman7881]

I went to one, it was epic

[@mumu135mumu554]

Think there already is a video on that

[@A_Black_Sheep94]

It's pretty well known at this point

[@dotdashdotdash]

I visited Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire once, and learned they killed a dwarf jester by kicking him as a football.

[@Axrtone500]

Ok

[@ShivamR34440]

Bruhhhh💀💀💀💀💀💀

[@Axrtone500]

Ok

[@A_Black_Sheep94]

Thats odd jesters are usually hands off and the one person that can talk to the king however they pleased and served as a trusted advisor.

[@RoxoCara]

Mock battles reminiscent of stage plays involving story lines, costumes and audience interaction. Sounds like medieval wrestling to me.

[@GusCraft460]

Knattleiker looks like a cross between ice hockey and lacrosse, which are both rather violent sports.

[@rootbeer2399]

what does it sound like?

[@howardbaxter2514]

That’s what I was thinking too. All that’s needed is a goal and it would be an exact combination of the two. Then again, maybe you could compare it to early lacrosse and hockey, cause some versions of early lacrosse didn’t have goals.

[@dimaattila1630]

He just says calmly "Who doesn't love beating a dead horse," LOL

[@thequietkid5178]

I loved history class in school ,but i love learning from your content.(keep up the good work)✍️🙂

[@jasonflay8818]

Thank you for including Me so America, people tend to forget that these civilizations existed simultaneously with Knights and Vikings. Also you failed to mention the longest running sport Calcio which has been played in Italy since at least the 1400s.

[@howardbaxter2514]

Calcio is such a weird and chaotic sport.

[@napoleonibonaparte7198]

Modern sports: *EXTREME SLAPPING CONTEST*

[@lkcdarzadix6216]

falconry and hawking part has the most beautiful drawings

[@pabcu2507]

Girls: enjoying nature/picnics Me and the boys:

[@catsruleacbanonogismanbo6107]

Your Medievil/Middle Ages episodes are so good, please continue to make these.

[@Axrtone500]

@Don't Read My Profile Photo ok I won't

[@Axrtone500]

@Don't Read My Profile Photo ok bot

[@turdferguson9356]

El Dorado might have taken on a different tone if they had shown the Aztec version of the Mezzo American Ball Game :]

[@flyingninja1234]

The losers were killed.

[@turdferguson9356]

@@flyingninja1234 no, my dude... they played with a very peculiar pall...

[@dcptiv]

@@turdferguson9356 J K is right though. The losing team lost their heads.

[@dubuyajay9964]

@@flyingninja1234 I thought the winning team was sacrificed...

[@dragon12234]

@@flyingninja1234 It depended. The vast maority of the time sacrifices were not part of the sport. The sacrifices only came into play under very special circumstances, and were basically "THE BIG EVENT" for a number of years

[@imperator31]

A naval tourney still exist in Sète, France

[@oliversherman2414]

I love your channel keep up the great stuff!

[@funderman5758]

Boat jousting is still practiced in Sete France.

[@2000Oberhonk]

That naval jousting, in Ulm we call it "Fischerstechen" and do it every 3 years am Schwörmontag

[@LucasIsHereYT]

3:50 "Imagine literally smacking the ball with your open handeeouch."

[@Axrtone500]

Ok

[@ViceN53X]

So... Volleyball?

[@angbandsbane]

Kind of an amusing anecdote for Army Mock Battles that also show how brutal it could be. The "greatest knight" William Marshall (if you played "Vampyre," THAT guy) rose to prominence as a young man on the competition circuit, winning his first tournament despite taking a blow to the skull so severe it bent his helmet onto his head. Come the award ceremony, no one can find the champion until they look in the blacksmith tent. There's William with his head on an anvil, having the smith try to hammer his helmet back into a shape that will actually let William take the thing off. (Is it any wonder this man fought a battle at age 73 in a time when average life expectancy was probably closer to 55?)

[@richardgonzalez6409]

I'm surprised you guys didn't mention tzykanion, the Byzantine version of polo that they adopted from the Sassanid

[@nyx3635]

2:43 the detail is amazing!

[@calmc]

8:00 in jousting you don't aim to unhorse the opponent, that is a chance ideal outcome it is far more difficult to unhorse a properly saddled rider than most people think, rather jousting knights aim to strike valuable points of the armor or if one or both break the tip of the lance on a hit which gives a lot of points depending on the damage to the lance.

[@catsruleacbanonogismanbo6107]

I love your channel! I have learned so much from your channel. Thank you!❤❤❤

[@Axrtone500]

@IMY123 bot

[@sixpest]

Happy birthday dad! you can now add lord legally anywhere you want in your name now and actually rule over something that isn't the couch.

[@v0dka885]

you missed quite possibly the most weird yet interesting, The Atherstone Ball Game. The game started in 1199 in England, when a bunch of rich people got board on shrove tuesday and decided to organise a ball game where there were no rules with the exception of one rule and that is you can't kill anyone and the objective is to be the person holding the ball when the 2 hour timer is up. it was meant to be a one off game but the rich people and the poor enjoyed it so much they made it an annual thing and yes the game is still being played today in Atherstone on Shrove Tuesday

[@TudorMickeyMouse]

I like how DreamWorks was referenced

[@twowheelunicycle8603]

My high school biology teacher was the only person I ever knew who practiced falconry, which to me was badass and he absolutely loved his hawk he even brought her to class one day and showed her skills off it was super cool.

[@WhitneyDahlin]

fascinating! thank you!

[@fabricio-agrippa-zarate]

The "hand tennis" eventually evolved into several sports; in País Vasco, Spain, they still play with just their hands, not bare tho, as they use a special type of glove.

[@demarcusfaulkner7411]

Thank you simple history I've learned a lot from you. Keep up the awesome work

[@russellstorm804]

Fun fact: Football(soccer in this instance) was banned in 14th century England due to people always getting hurt.

[@chuckmiester2698]

Wow love the content

[@DeNihility]

Knattleiker looks like a combination of Lacrosse and Hockey.

[@clevelandbrown9202]

absolute madness

[@Axrtone500]

Yep

[@isaacgonzo]

Medieval tennis seems alot like modern day hackey sack, but swapped out hands for feet

[@howardbaxter2514]

Hackey sack or spike ball

[@CartoonHistory]

If anyone gets a chance you have to watch the Netflix documentary "Home Game". Its got an episode on Calcio - the game played in Florence since the middle ages. Its basically rughy mixed with MMA - its unbelievable - and they still play it.

[@luisemoralesfalcon4716]

Nice, this is an interesting video showing the starts of soccer.

[@benlarsen4602]

This is fantastic.

[@Axrtone500]

Yep

[@USSBOAT]

2:18 I watched a knights tale so I get this reference

[@ChrisKane-]

7:40 BOOM HEADSHOT!

[@space4166]

Sniper elite be like

[@SW-ms5pu]

Could you please do a video about bicycles used in the world wars? I'm sure the german Wehrmacht used them and there are many more armys which used bicycles in combat

[@MulToyVerse]

#GameofPalms You would think the Medieval French version of tennis would of been the ancestor to Volleyball.

[@ThrottleUp488]

great history

[@joshuabessire9169]

That Klaplinger sounds like alot like Brockian Ultracricket. Wonder if lacrosse might be related, through contact in Vinland.

[@nyimdewan3353]

The Mesoamerican ball game was brutal...The ball was extremely heavy and in one varient of the game the ball had to be put through a loop as high as 30 feet...Like the game of basketball but with legs

[@razormc954]

So tournaments basically became like medieval professional wrestling?

[@XX-sp3tt]

3:07 So pokemon training! COOL!

[@angbandsbane]

Oooh, I saw a documentary on this. "A Knight's Tale," I think it was called.

[@jawsomeben]

Could you make an animated documentary of the US Indianapolis and how it sink and people on it were eaten by sharks

[@knightdaemon4836]

We still have horse fighting where I'm from. It's freaking savage! Though it's not a fight to the death. Horses are expensive.

[@henryscarhead6119]

It means tennis evolve to two sports, tennis it self and volleyball?

[@toucanphoenix1629]

In Sweden(Gotland) we still play a very simular sport that reminds me of the old tennis sport. We call it pärk and we also use a cloth ball or a ball that resemble a cloth ball. And you hit it with an open hand or kick it!

[@oe3567]

I really like the graphics in this video

[@dallonperry3639]

Should actually talk about lacrosse's origins with Native Americans. And how it was even used to take Fort Detriot

[@howardbaxter2514]

Lacrosse is such a cool sport. It’s history is very intriguing. I’m hoping the IOC can figure out a way to get an Iroquois lacrosse team to compete in the Olympics in 2028.

[@williamromine5715]

Hand ball is still a sport. Similar to racquet ball, the palm of the had is used instead of a racquet. Generally, the player wears a glove with a tough pad in the palm, but some don't wear a glove at all.

[@paulredinger5830]

The tennis one in France is closer to handball then tennis.

[@Kaiserreich2.0]

@8:20 not quite what i imagine when i hear the phrase "ramming speed" but i suppose it does still check out

[@Dumpstermuffin1]

There is a Knattleiker scene in the movie The Northman, it's pretty brutal

[@ShivamR34440]

Nice video

[@ayoisthatliltra9547]

History class < watching this channel I swear these vids make me smarter

[@czarbuscus1475]

Knattleikr looks alot like lacrosse that's so cool

[@poil8351]

melee was common all over europe in the middle ages/medieval era and varied quite abit between countries, they all had different rules and who were allowed to participate.

[@Slycarlo]

We have modern weird sports like American Football or Handegg

[@orenges]

Simple history make a sandbox game

[@Axrtone500]

Yep

[@chlorophyll6154]

Medieval : violence Football : any touch is violence Hotel?? Trivago

[@danielcurtis1434]

Now dog fighting is cruel and awful but horse fighting??? I think that could work!!! But how exactly do you cause a horse to be violent against another to the point of death or serious injury???

[@shrek8636]

these arent weird i do them daily

[@pabcu2507]

I now understand why girls live longer than boys

[@Axrtone500]

@IMY123 what's finally here

[@aldeanhernandez2940]

The first one he missed the most intresting thing about that sport.The winner got sacraficed

[@oontgrad]

Cnutlicker sounds fun

[@howardbaxter2514]

You should have brought up lacrosse. It is estimated to have originated back in 1,100 AD and was used to settle disputes between tribes.

[@patrickkeenan8908]

Painful sport are you familiar with traditional Hurley which is basically like rugby a excuse to beat someone senseless

[@Eagle-EX]

Can ya’ll do a video on Operation Entebbe?

[@ViceN53X]

That'd be fun. Boat jousting. As long as I can swim... ...and I can't

[@AmosNg555]

What kind of Olympic games is this?!

[@trygveblacktiger597]

Hoped you would talk more of like diffrent sports from all around the world. Like i love European Medieval stuffs but i love to know of others sports too

[@bloodbushcraft2467]

The winners of the Mayan games would get sacrificed.

[@benjaminkoch2380]

Not the loosers?

[@Axrtone500]

Idk ?

[@bloodbushcraft2467]

@@benjaminkoch2380 according to the researchers, it was an honor be sacrificed.

[@L.P.1987]

@@benjaminkoch2380 No. I heard the captain of the winner team was executed.

[@bricksnation3160]

very good the video

[@Axrtone500]

Yep

[@dimitriofthedon3917]

Falkenry is still a thing today in England so are mock battles but that's all over the world

[@Btester2]

Naval jousting can be traced all the way back to ancient Egypt. They would do it on the Nile river to determine fishing rights

[@JangianTV]

06:44 Oo-er! That might win the missus over! 😛

[@dabebi8028]

Ive been watching your videos for 3 or 2 years. So can you make something like "operation oluja 1995"

[@ghostsmoke11]

I went to one of the temples in mexico where they played that game. The tour guide told us whoever was the champion was sacrificed so they could play against the gods.

[@borzoicoursing2230]

Those heathens worship SANTA MUERTE and still sacrifice to devil's, their "women."

[@howardbaxter2514]

I did too, but said rule varies from location to location. I personally went to Uxmal, and they were much more tame in their sacrifices.

[@YourDailyEditor98]

Hey Simple history Can You Do Blue angels One? And red tails?

[@metalpsyche82]

i can't wait to buy my lord title

[@nikolaparvanov7113]

Interesting fact for the mayan sport was that the team that lost was killed.☠️

[@gyromurphy]

That's ah...that's quite the thumbnail you guys got there.

[@Axrtone500]

Yep

[@organizedchaosmark]

You mean the clickbait?

[@jackrogers9660]

You should make a video on Chris McCandless