The Evolution of Jousting Essay

of the Medieval knight. As being two essential elements of the Medieval period, it is seen that

Millions of people worldwide take part as spectators to the sport of prize fighting: better known as boxing. In a 1962 essay entitled “Who Killed Benny Paret?” the author, Norman Cousins, writes about the dangers that come with the sport of boxing. He especially talks about a match that resulted in the death of a boxer named Benny Paret. Cousins argues that boxing is just a show of violence and that boxers put themselves in the ring just for the simple purpose of entertaining a crowd. Even though investigations reflect the role of the referee, Paret’s manager, and the doctor’s examinations as the main cause of Paret’s death, Cousins blames Paret’s death on the people that attends boxing matches to see a man get hurt or knockout because he

Knights are one of the most mistaken figures of the medieval era due to fairytales and over exaggerated fiction novels. When medieval knights roamed the earth, it was known that they were only human and, like humans, had faults. These knights did not always live up to the standards designated by society. However, in The Canterbury Tales, the knight is revealed as a character that would now be considered a knight in shining armor, a perfect role model in how he acts and what he does. Modern day people see them as chivalrous figures instead of their actual role as mounted cavalry soldiers. As time passes, the idea of what a knight is changes from a simple cavalry soldier to a specific type of behavior.

At first knights and soldiers in the armies were of little social status. “Many knights in fact possessed little more than peasants” (Spielvogel 244). War was looked as kind of a barbaric act in the beginning and many knights could be found fighting each other. While some of this was tolerated, as they were seen as “defenders of society”, the Catholic Church decided that there should be some ground rules. At the start of the eleventh century, the church urged knights to take an oath to protect churches, and to not harm noncombatants. These rules allowed for battles to follow a civil path and to be carried out in a noble way.

During the Medieval Era, their was not much to do for entertainment besides watch the tournaments that were held all over Western Civilizations. In modern times, many people know what jousting and sword fighting are but not like the way “A Knights Tale” show them. This movie was made in 2001 and was soon a crowd favorite. The modernization of a dark age era gave the audience entertainment through action, love and comedy. The tournaments were very exciting during this era, specifically the 14th century. This movie had many mixed reviews between historians and regular movie goers. There are a lot of great aspects of this movie but also many critiques historically. The movie is a portrayal of the Medieval games which helps a more modern audience

The Medieval Times was a time period between 5th and 15th century A.D. Because of the high desire for power there were many fights usually ending with one person dead. Some of the most popular weapons include swords, daggers and knives, and polearms.

There were many sports that became popular with the citizens of Elizabethan England. Nobles often participated in archery, bowling, dice, hammer-throwing and most known tennis (“Alchin Elizabethan Sports”). Furthermore, nobles watched wrestling and the bloodiest sports including bear and bull baiting and dog and cock fighting. For example the queen often appeared at these events (Alchin “Elizabethan Bear & Bull Baiting”). Sports began to come from other countries and continents as people would travel to England, consequently making tennis the most popular sport of the upper classes as it originated in medieval France.

Furthermore, within the medieval period there was the development of certain traditions and rewards associated with the concept of chivalry. The partaking in tournaments and jousting is argued by Keen to have been a ‘step on the scale of chivalrous perfection’. In these activities acts of violence were glorified and those who were successful were rewarded, thus endorsing and entrenching the belief that violence and success in war were the main premises on which chivalry was based. The extent to which violence contributed to what came to define chivalry is

The Manly Art provides a new and refreshing perspective on life for a man in Early America, especially one of the working class. When discussing the sport of bare-knuckle prize fighting, it is essential to include the violent tendencies, just as Gorn does. He takes the time to explain his appreciation towards prize fighting and its cultural impact; he also explains the barbarous tendencies of the sport. He writes that “as men tripped off their clothes for a prize fight, symbolically, they also stripped of layers of civilization” (p. 90). The monograph likely is not a recreational read for anyone other than researchers, however, Gorn keeps readers captivated with his in-depth recaps of matches. Gorn does a fantastic job of emphasizing

The medieval period lasted from the 5th to the 15th century, which was a time of war, destruction and death. Knights and Samurai were two highly ranked warriors during the Medieval period. Knights were highly skilled warriors, who were brave and noble who fought to protect their kingdom. The life of a Medieval Knight was a preferable life than a Samurai because Knights had no punishment for not following the code of Chivalry and were more protected in battle. A Knights protective armour, experienced training, well-paid finances and code of conduct are what made a Knight so successful.

Medieval sports of the middle ages were a source of public entertainment designed to increase the overall fitness and military experiences of men and woman. These games, called béhourds, were fought by rival knights and soldiers either on horses or the ground. This was in accordance with the feudal practice that required Lords to bring forth soldiers to protect the king in exchange for ownership of land. Knights that participated in these sports used weapons such as swords, lances, daggers, and battle axes, and thus men were often killed or brutally wounded (“Medieval Sports”). These sporting contests also made it possible for men to move up in the ranks of the Pyramid of Power. Those who performed heroically in battle or were triumphant in competition would become wealthy and considered a part of the nobility, whereas, the peasant class received as little as a purse for their excellence. Similar to the fame experienced by modern-day professional football players, medieval jousters were subject to the same treatment. However, different games were enjoyed by either class of men, therefore stardom was concentrated more toward the nobility. Despite this, many of the sports enjoyed during this time are still around today, some of which have been included in the world famous Olympic Games.

The Nature of Gladiator Fights The Gladiatorial fights were noble in some ways, but in others seem to have the characteristics of the lowest form of entertainment. Gladiators were considered to fight with pride, they honoured their Gods with sacrifices and prayer for victory and they honoured their traditions and heritage, often being armed in weapons and armour, and having fighting styles originating from their country of origin. For example "the Gaul. " Glory and fame, were just two of the noble characteristics associated with gladiators, and they were dressed in the fashion of a noble soldier, often trained in the same way.

It involved activities such as mock battles and jousting competitions. Writing about the ‘Tournament at Saint-Inglevert’ Froissart claimed great occasion , where both French and English enjoyed themselves. He claimed that both sides stated that there were no injuries. Very typically on this occasion, it seems that Froissart's account was romanticised. The tournament was, according to Malcolm Vale baffling because of the how artificial it was. However, contemporaries such as Henry VII believed that the tournament gave men the chance to learn the ‘exercise of the deeds of arms’. The contemporary view of tournaments, in general, is one of praise. They were seen as entertainment and quite possibly useful too. Many contemporaries do seem to concur that the tournament was a useful exercise from a combat point of view and there must be some truth to this. The tournament certainly would not have prepared a knight for a full-scale battle, but it would have thought them essential skills such as how to joust and wield a sword. Either way, the tournament as described by Froissart was a part of the chivalric society, although we may question his claim that nobody was injured during the tournament he wrote about. It is fact that tournaments were great social occasions that were set up as methods of

Following Poliakoff’s introduction to the ancient combat sports, he proceeds to provide a basic outline to the world of ancient combat sports in a series of sections within the chapter, including: The definition of a ‘combat sport’ and its relation to recreation and training; similarities amongst combat sports, training methods and common practise; the premise of athletic festivals, and the organization of said competition.

As a combat sport, it is a very simple fight between two sportsmen wearing gloves and other equipment, who try to win each other by having a bigger score or sending the opponent to knock-out, or by throwing punches with fists. However has very strict rules, depending on whether the sportsmen are professionals or amateurs, or , if the match is supervised by the referee, which tend to make the fights less dangerous, lower risks, resulting in less injuries for boxers and also makes for a more entertaining spectacle.