This is the first full-length scholarly narrative of sports from the fall of Rome to the end of the Middle Ages. Organized into ten chapters, the book discusses various aspects of sports and recreations in feudal society and provides a research tool for scholars and students interested in the sports history of the Middle Ages. The first chapter, The Study of Medieval Sports and Recreations, the bibliographical essay, and the bibliography should be welcome aids to anyone with an interest in further research on the subject.
After the beginning chapter on the historiography of sports in the Middle Ages, the book looks at the evidence of sports and recreations in late antiquity. Next the volume focuses on the close relationship between sports and war in feudal society and examines how knights of the High Middle Ages developed and promoted sports reputations. Subsequent chapters deal with sports and the church, sports reflected in art, peasant pastimes and women's recreations. Sports Violence in Medieval Society, investigates the violence that sometimes accompanied sports or recreations. The last chapter highlights two medieval persons who have a relation to sports: William Fitzstephen, the twelfth-century writer who left a vivid account of London sports, and William Marshal, the famed tournament professional. The bibliographical essay and select bibliography close out the book. The work fills gaps in both the literature on medieval civilization and the literature of sports history.