What Was Sport Really Like in the Middle Ages?

What were the most popular sports of the Middle Ages? In the third episode History Hit's 'Medieval Pleasures' series, historian Eleanor Janega ventures into the Royal Armouries tiltyard to learn about popular medieval sports. Seasoned jouster Andy Deane and his opponent Andrew Balmforth face off in an adrenaline fuelled jousting tournament - and you're invited!
We discover the harsh realities of this sport that's synonymous with the Middle Ages, and learn about its close ties to the art of combat and warfare. Our knights run a gauntlet of tests demonstrating the skill and precision needed to smash lances, spear boars and possibly secure a lucrative deal for your kingdom.
And it wasn't just the knights that got in on the action, Eleanor joins the Crossbow Guild and explores how it was not only practical, but would have given people from the humbler classes a chance to tour the country, show off their skills and earn some extra coin along the way.
Then, it's the thrill of the chase that gets Eleanor's heart fluttering, as Falconry Expert Emma Rapheal introduces us to this time honoured tradition and discusses how hunting parties weren't just for putting food on the table; but a popular sport that both a lady and a knight could enjoy.
Lastly, we find the royal court is not too far from the tennis court, when Eleanor takes on Hampton Court Palace's on-site professional, Nick Wood, at Real Tennis and finds out how to handcraft a Tudor-style ball. It turns out that tennis is actually an example of an unruly street game that was adopted and adored by medieval royals and nobility.
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#medievalpleasures #eleanorjanega #historyhit
00:00 Introduction
01:10 The tournament (jousting)
11:00 Knight training
13:06 Crossbow shooting
18:51 Real tennis
25:53 Falconry
34:46 Outro

[@thebowandbullet]

Love it when Eleanor Janega is in these videos. She's so knowledgeable, funny and enthusiastic! I wish she had taught history at my school.

[@BriarRouge]

I just found out about her the other night and I’m a BIG fan!

[@aurorajude4674]

She's got my dream job!!

[@tomiosf]

100%

[@olamathsson2768]

Om

[@Thode-R]

She is a bit sexy... Cant help it!

[@keithwick6170]

The world needs more Eleanor Janega in videos. I cant get enough. Absolutely wonderful storytelling and presentation, as always.

[@thedepthsofrepair]

I wish History Hit would tag her on their videos!

[@Danthehistoryman]

I recently discovered these videos and Dr. Janega is my new favorite history presenter next to Dr. Felton.

[@nikbear]

Dr Janega is simply wonderful, passionate about her subject, she brings humor, style and quality to any video. I see she's in a video, I just automatically click,I'm hooked ❤😉👍🍻

[@dannygallaghermisc7593]

Eleanor is the best. Love watching her work its always guaranteed quality content

[@mkavanagh791]

Eleanor is the history teacher who all of us who went to study it at Uni had. They made history interesting & enjoyable.

[@insulaarachnid]

I would love to know what sorts of children's games are recorded from medieval times. The equivalent to popular schoolyard games of today, hopscotch, skip-rope, marbles etc.

[@JackieWelles]

Wonderful episode and great summary ending. Ancient past wasn’t just dark, sad black and white. When we realise it we can really appreciate and understand our ancestors so much better.

[@chillchillpill]

She really puts out Brienne of Tarth vibes when she put on that armour! :D

[@chrisball3778]

I think the editor's accidentally spliced in footage of a Goshawk when the falconer is talking about the Peregrine. Probably an easy mistake to make- they look quite similar unless you're a bird nerd. Avian pedantry aside, it's a great video. Always happy to have Eleanor Janega teaching us

[@Gr8tBlueHeron]

Yes! Thank you fellow bird nerd! Was going to mention this as well. Too bad, peregrine are gorgeous and I never get tired of seeing them. The rest of it was truly fascinating, though!

[@BirdingwithNick]

Absolutely right, I noticed that too. A minor irritation to a very interesting video though.

[@outdoorloser4340]

Goshawks suck nerds!

[@thomasamos4055]

You spoiled this for me now.

[@NoewerrATall]

The eye stripe is a dead give-away. Since we're being nerdy.

[@tyrionstrongjaw7729]

I really adore all of Eleanor's videos. Just another great one. It's fun to look at humans and history in a more open light, instead of trying to draw over riding conclusions from religion or culture. There are, of course, differences but showing that...they were in fact human and people and sought the same vices or experiences makes history make a little more sense. Especially compared to just viewing history in clans/churches and power struggles. Those certainly existed, but so did your every day Dick and Jane.

[@Schmerb]

Every episode with Eleanor is a certified banger!

[@anthonystevens8683]

Another top well presented and educational video guys. Eleanor's narration was brilliant by taking a step back but examining and taking part in aspects of the sports of yesteryear. Well done!.

[@brinkgats5938]

Love the comment “you can take the girl out of America”. 😂. I have shot a medieval style crossbow and it’s so hard to not hold it and shoot it like a firearm. Even modern crossbows are built like firearms. Great video

[@keithsmith4946]

Eleanor is ALWAYS a win.

[@Redswipe]

@04:16 "Everything you do out of an armour you should be able to do in an armour" I wouldn't want to try swimming lol

[@SeanCSHConsulting]

Not a particularly common medieval endeavour, though. ;)

[@guymorris6596]

With the exception of a love session.

[@K8E666]

Love Eleanor Janega - she’s awesome xx

[@maryellencook9528]

Ya gotta admit it, Dr. Eleanor; one has to love a Man in a Can.😊 Crossbows rock! You have to respect someone who uses retrievable ammo.

[@peterjones7673]

Brilliant yet again a fantastic video from Dr Eleanor, she just brings every one of her subjects to life instantly. She so simply shows and tells us of what life was like in the middle ages. I can listen to her for hours. Thank you Dr Eleanor.

[@courtneywalsh9780]

During the Falconry section as the falcon started screeching my cat zoomed into the room I was in looking for whatever bird she thought was in our house 😂😂

[@robertpearson8798]

I think that snowmobile jousting would make a good Winter Olympic sport.

[@SuiLagadema]

Eleanor looks like a total badass in the armor.

[@andrewshepherd713]

Literally park next to this place every day before work. There’s a jousting tournament coming up for anyone interested. Leeds royal armouries.

[@422katieleigh]

I will watch anything Eleanor is in! I also love that almost everything about her dialect is British except the accent lol

[@cleverusername9369]

Except when she says France, she pronounces it Frahnce like a Brit

[@mocktrialbabe]

Where is she from ? I am so confused by the accent lmao.

[@422katieleigh]

@@mocktrialbabe She’s American. I think she’s just spent a LOT of time around people from the UK.

[@mocktrialbabe]

@Katie Robinson that'd what it sounds like lmao. Almost like a very faint Midwest ..but with some British notation.

[@phillipallen3259]

Lady Eleanor! It has a nice ring to it! I've seen jousting a couple times here in the States and love it so much! I don't care if we are not in Europe, it still requires years of training and practice to joust, credit must be given where it is due! Thank you Dr. and HH for another fine video!

[@Nastyswimmer]

29:13 - that's a goshawk, not a peregrine.

[@eli3568]

Every historian secretly just wants to play historical dress-up.

[@benburkin7942]

Fantastic series, really enjoying these.

[@chivalricmedia]

Well, the release of this is perfectly timed with the Jousting this weekend at the Armouries! Top video as per!

[@redwolf7929]

I'd be interested in a documentary about the type of football played between villages where you had to get the ball all the way back to the village through the country side

[@thesrow1056]

@16:12 as a soldier, I got very nervous about his hand in front of the crossbow bolt and her hand on the trigger very dangerous.

[@Cplblue]

At that part now and wanted to see if any of the comments addressed that. Made me super nervous.

[@user-ny5yv9rt9s]

Know what you mean, at one point had his hand in front of the bolt and as you say her hand on the trigger, made me wince, not a good move😮

[@thesrow1056]

@@user-ny5yv9rt9s yeah I wonder if she subconsciously thought about pulling the trigger 😆

[@davidcooke8005]

I've seen so many History Hit videos, from Dr Janega and all the others, and I only just now realized she doesn't have an English accent. It was when she said 'spo'ts' at the 20 second mark. One word had an accent, and suddenly the rest jumped out at me.

[@andyharding8630]

Thanks really enjoyed this and other episodes informative and fun to watch 👍

[@Angela-en6oh]

What a great video. Something for everyone to enjoy - and learn from. More please!

[@farenmareeramos]

You’re my favourite historian Dr Eleanor! Your series is fantastic! ❤❤❤

[@frankshailes3205]

A stunt man and experienced jouster died recently when a splinter of lance penetrated his eye and brain through the visor slit. Always a good idea to wear protective goggles underneath.

[@nilo70]

This is my second view , and I think She looks Great in Shining Armor ! If She’s Pissed , I don’t want to fight Her. I’d “Run Away “ 😊

[@fr.michaelknipe4839]

This was so good. Excellent 👍🏼

[@54mgtf22]

Love your work 👍

[@youknowjuno145541]

I think this is my favorite of these medieval videos so far

[@kenc9236]

This is such a wonderful channel.

[@allanburt5250]

Great stuff 👏

[@lauragraham170]

Love this video! Great historical details and insights. One quibble... when the peregrine is being discussed, the bird shown is a goshawk, not a peregrine.

[@katherinecollins4685]

Very informative

[@Harry-Hartmann]

A Very Good Video 👍🏻

[@robtaylor3335]

We need to bring this sport back.

[@garryt6356]

Awesome video as always! Eleanor is amazing and a must watch! Who won the tennis match on the cloth of gold! The English King or the the French King?

[@neil4692]

Hey I was watching the joust there yesterday. Andy was great in the joust!

[@davidcreager1945]

Would love to see a video on what ( if ) any sports or anything that the peasants or non elite classes enjoyed . Great video though ! Can't wait to see what's next ! From History Hit 👍 !!!

[@andrewmcalister3462]

5:10 Dr Eleanor of Tarth ❤

[@AnnaAnna-uc2ff]

Thank you.

[@CheifR0cka]

I love Dr. Janega!! I was initially worried when she took over at Gone Medieval, as I don't like any change, ever, but she quickly has become my favorite! I must know about her accent though.. it's like..90% American with the occasional British or French accented word thrown in lol. It makes her so interesting and is bet she has an enthralling life story!

[@asherhammond8754]

I tried looking her up to see about other projects, papers etc. Havent found much yet, but pretty sure she is from America and moved to the UK. She said during the crossbow part, something like "take the America out of the girl", so it must be! She speaks so well, very impressed - I want to know her diction/lecture/public speaking teacher too! Maybe she is a natural, wouldn't suprise me as her outfits are totally fabulous.

[@nancytestani1470]

Right in the heart.

[@mikecobalt7005]

:) Excellent

[@salz--]

Me: (watching this in a quiet room on my second monitor while working, listening in on my headset) Random Falcon in the background: EEEEE EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE Me: holy fuck what was th- EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE

[@Jay-ql4gp]

Eleanor does indeed look good in armour!

[@gordonstewart8258]

Actually, when I think of medieval sport the firs one that comes to mind isn't jousting; it's football. You should do a video about the sports of the common folk.

[@jiwik731]

I like the hair clip of hers in 4:00. It makes ridiculous contrast with the rest of her armour. :D

[@andysoll5702]

Love how people just walk on to the range behind the target.

[@changeintheair9648]

Interesting how falconry and Hawkray and use of Peregrine was prized of the elite. An open predator that prey could see (highly visible) coming and thus prized. It parallels the old way of fighting where battles were fought in visible formation and marched towards one another. The other type of bird of prey that hid and suddenly sprung on prey (ambush tactic) was lowly viewed, yet mirrors modern day warfare.

[@kingpoxy2289]

Having an american be a straight up dressing in armor in a mock medieval tournament in england warms my ohioan heart 🥹

[@mrmeowmeow710]

outstanding video 2 mega thumbs up great job

[@HistoryHit]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@stc3145]

Killing bandits and doing quests for tavern inkeepers of course

[@pandorabryn]

Anyone else old enough to remember grabbing the brass ring on a merry-go-round? That must have come from jousting at the rings!

[@Bobbymaccys]

I feel like I should be paying to watch this, so we’ll put together. Top tier work!

[@davidwong9230]

Joust what I needed 😆

[@murkyseb]

That was so interesting, I’d like to know how to play the peasant tennis that was so fun people couldn’t stop playing it

[@samiicameron]

Anyone else majorly crushing on Dr. Janega or is it just me?

[@lennartswenson2690]

I understand that smooth armor will deflect better, but how did armor GET so smooth? No hammer marks at all, like the metal was rolled in a machine. The metal is also a uniform thickness everywhere, again like it was rolled in a machine. Yes, these pieces of armor are modern and came from a steel mill. But it was the man who mentioned smoothness being better, and I don't recall any suits of armor ever with hammer marks. Yet another mystery...

[@peerschulz2029]

Not really a mystery though. These armors get hammered, sanded and polished for a very long time. You can achieve a pretty smooth surface with the basic tools you have on hand. After that in order to achieve the smoothness we see in museum-pieces today you just grind and polish the armor a lot. This is done over days or even weeks (depending on where your smith lives) by the shops apprentices. The armor Eleanor is wearing is Italian, more precisely it's an "A La Tedesco" (so "German-Like") style. These are (basically) mass produced by the early 15th century by (for the time) huge companies employing up to hundreds people. They were produced on masse, compareatively affordable and exported everywhere. This is why there are so many Italian armors around to this day. The rules for smithies in Italy were very lax compared to other European regions at the time. As an example: in Germany an armorsmith often HAD to specialise in certain armor parts (I. E. a Helmschmied is specialised in making helmets) and were only allowed to produce their special armor parts and nothing else by the guilds (the amount of specialisation can vary from town to town though). They were also limited in how many people they could employ (mostly 1 master, 2 journeymen and up to 3 apprentices) in order to keep competition at bay. On the other hand an Italian armories didn't have these restrictions. Everything they usually were limited to was "if you produce armor you can't produce tools, knives or weapons". This lead to cities like Genoa or Milan becoming major hubs for the production of Armor in Europe. There we have almost industrial manufacturers with shops often employing several dozen smiths of varying degrees of skill with the biggest shops even employing several hundred people. In Germany you could order a full set of armor from a merchant and get it in less than 6 months for a price that is comparable to a VW Golf in todays money. Compare that with ordering from Germany and you look at around the same time it takes to get your armor (if you are lucky) but it costs you the equivalent of a new Porsche 911. Armor in general was NOT as expensive as we ofthen think. In fact it was cheap enough that, by the mid 15th century, some German cities made it a requirement for their citizens (as in actual citicens with rights, not just people living there) to own a full set of plate armor for civil defense if the city would be besieged.

[@MrUkrpride]

It's what tv used to be like! love it

[@TomiTapio]

Adding a few entries to the #TimelineOfMankind project because of this video

[@karlpower5476]

I used to find jousting boring to learn but with the political machinations and social aspects that come along with made it very interesting.

[@andersonic]

One has to wonder why jousting in Game Of Thrones is designed to kill as many trained knights and highborn sons as possible.

[@chris.asi_romeo]

Jousting would be very cool to bring it back probably in Olympics.

[@transvestosaurus878]

I've always had a thing for smart women in armour

[@joaomanoel3197]

Muito bom

[@johnslaughter5475]

I like this video. It was fun. But, I also think that Ms. Janega should've queried the squire a bit more on his duties. The squire was also required to keep the armor clean. This could be most unpleasant after the knight had been tilting or actually fighting for a lengthy time. The knight could not just simply take the armor off when nature called and it could be quite messy. Of course, he could always look forward to his own knighthood when he would have his own squire(s).

[@arbitrary_raspberry]

It was about sports tho so it was more about the Knights that part of the video. I have seen a video about the Knights and squires in a tournament, i think its with Tony Robinson, where he takes on the job of a squire and need to fix/replace lances and clean armor etc

[@jamesswindley9599]

And the biggest sport… drinking water without dying 😅😂❤

[@chriskelvin248]

We want to keep seeing content from our lovely Brienne of Tarth.

[@briganja]

I don’t care for sports but still watched this for some dr janega!

[@billdavies8018]

World needs more of Eleanor Janega. Any justice the beeb or Ch4 would give her a wadge of cash to do whatever with.

[@williamrobinson7435]

Beautifully done! I'm wondering how much truth there is to the stories of jousting being done in order to compete for 'a Lady's favour', or the bit of cloth that she wraps round the victor's lance as he couches said weapon before her at the end of the contest.. The naughty symbolism of this is obvious and, I think rather delicious; I can hardly think that this would be lost on Eleanor, in view of the tenour and subjects of some of the vids, esp the ones with Kate involved! 🤣I do hope there's something in these tales. Courtly love rules! 🌟👍

[@letssee8397]

GET HER FINGER OFF THAT TRIGGER!! OMG, SAFETY!!

[@jetsons101]

For some reason I want to watch the 2001 movie "A Knight's Tale" If tennis was banned because no one was doing any work anymore, lets ban smartphones? Must say the Hawking Birds are beautiful, I have heard that Falcons are used at the Parliament Buildings in London to help keep pigeons and other pests at bay. This was such a enjoyable watch.... Thanks.....

[@chrisball3778]

I haven't heard that they use birds of prey to scare off the pigeons at Parliament, but that's certainly something they do in some places (although they usually seem to use Harris Hawks, which are easier to train, rather than falcons). There are also actually lots of wild Peregrine falcons in London, including right near the Houses of Parliament. Peregrines live in many large cities, all around the world. They eat pigeons so there's plenty of food for them, and they like nesting on tall buildings, which mimic the high cliffs they often choose to nest on in wilderness environments. I've seen them loads of times in cities (including central London, right near Parliament), but because they tend to stay high up during busy hours, most people don't even notice them. A Knight's Tale is a great movie. It has a lot of deliberate anachronisms like modern music and product placements, but it uses them really creatively to try to bring across how medieval people might have seen their world. It also has lots of little in-jokes for people who are interested in medieval history and literature.

[@jetsons101]

@@chrisball3778 I believe it was the Parliament Buildings that has a "falconer" to keep other birds away because the bird droppings eat away at the sandstone of the buildings. I may be wrong but that's what I have read.

[@CalidrisJZ]

You got your birds mixed up - showing a goshawk when talking about the peregrine and a peregrine when talking about the lanner.

[@giuliano170]

I never thought an American accent could be cool.... how refreshing?

[@JZsBFF]

15:59 Doc El has a terrible case of trigger discipline failure.

[@nancytestani1470]

Look at that bolt! Yeesh. Definitely, killing power.

[@Heavi001]

I'm a simple man. If I see Dr. Eleanor Janega is in a video or podcast, I click on it.

[@Chlo-ee]

Alright, ladies got to do some sports… “miniature version falcon” 😂

[@HunterTeddy010]

"You can take the girl out of America" I love how intrinsic firearms are to our culture, but the lack of.... where to start? Humanity, conscience, thought, mindfulness, and awareness that comes from zero training is insane. Why are training and background checks disputed?

[@Faceplay2]

There not, you clearly don’t own guns in the US. You have to do a background check and training is mandatory to use them in any professional job. Also you can’t get a ccw without taking a class.

[@wenthulk8439]

They didn’t seem to show Peregrin Falcon

[@TheSuzberry]

“Jousting became the State Sport of Maryland in 1962” Per Google.

[@arlinbantam7101]

God, I love this woman

[@rossthrasher3167]

ok so there is a Peregrine Falcon next to them when they start to talk about it, but then the footage shown is of a Eurasian Goshawk

[@usmc1379]

As is often the case, movies and TV portray a squire as a personal servant given as a gift to every new Knight. Rather than an apprentice.

[@duncanrobertson9176]

I believe early football was from then. A stuffed balll of straw would be placed half way between two villages, the aim being to kick it into your opponent's main square and, thus, win. There were no rules, so all forms of dirty tricks were used.,,,,, This evolved into our present day Footy, VAR & all...

[@jethrogauld7437]

Great video but when the lady was describing a peregrine you were showing a Goshawk

[@obsidiancrow450]

I LOVE ELEANOR!!!!!!!!]

[@danielforrest3871]

Her finger on the trigger while he loaded the bolt stressed me out.