Midterm 2 Flashcards
Rise in Christianity
Christianity began to take over westward in Northern and Western Europe. Associated with the decline in popularity of sport due to strict religion impacting culture with less importance of the body and therefore sport, more focus on the spirit and the mind. Put an end to trade and exploitation
Other religions Christians came into contact with as they traveled …
Barbaric Northern Europe more aggressive, less spiritual
Islamic, etc..
Jesus Christ
Came forth with particular message, his message transformed the world slowly in Europe, embrace by Rome in the end with the first Christian emperor - Constantine (placed head quarters in Nova Roma, known today as Istanbul)
St. Paul
One of Jesus’s disciples (apostles), born around the time of Christ, he was a jew living near Nemascus, spread word of Christ, main spot he spoke was the location of the Isthmian games (Isthmia) (not during the games)
St. Paul’s life
When he got to Rome, he was put under house arrest (detention), but even then he continued speaking of Christ from his house), remained he for 2 years. May have died or have been killed. Did not die in the arena, but at home
Nova Roma
West end of the black sea - important geographical location because it connects Europe to Asia and can control the routes of trade
Sports in Nova Roma
With the rise of Christianity, sport declined except for chariot races remained popular - one glorious sporting spectacle that remained in place (Constantine and those after him never banned it). The people of Nova Roma liked the sport too much to have it banned. Origin of board games or racket games as they moved away from physical competitions and sports
Asceticism
Individual in severe training, prolonged training for a particular day, event or season (this athlete would be an ascetic). Someone in pursuit of a goal or a mission with such determination that sometimes there is disregard to other areas of your life
Asceticism and spirituality
Devotion may become spiritual in focus rather than real or human in one’s life - concentration of the intellect (mind process rather than body process). More related to studying a topic rather than training as an athlete for the Christians. They became so infested in their spiritual connection with Christ that they became odd to the on-looker - living a life of simple pleasures, they fasted and tried to become closer to Christ
Athletes who were ascetics
Olympics were considered ascetics as they trained
Strata of Christian culture
The Christian emperors were at the top calling the shots. Beneath them were the people to ensure the faith was respected and spread (members of the church hierarchy). General population - carried out tasks of normal living. Slaves - difference among the Christians were treated more humanely than Roman and Greek cultures
Fatalism
What will happen will happen, nothing we can do will prevent this from happening. Associated with asceticism. Why was their any pursuit of exercise or health when we’re just going to die eventually and their’s nothing that can change our fate
Monasticism
Need to preserve the Christ faith - needed people well versed in the Christian faith and the church and could take part in the missionary tasks (needed education for this). Education became reality for these people - this could be related to monasticism - monks as ascetics or even fatalists as they trained young folks and reclaimed old manuscripts and copied them (they preserved the faith)
The Monasteries …
Were quite isolated so as more people were forming towns outside of this strict way of living and learning of the faith there was a need for the forming of schools
Scholasticism
Term “school-men” used to describe scholastics, was carried out in Chantry schools (preschoolers that wanted to pursue this type of education), fewer in these schools than those in agriculture or labouring schools (no physical education but learned how to read scriptures, write the language of the church which was Latin - written and oral
Chantry schools graduates …
Those that went past the Chantry schools would go to Cathedral schools, furthering education (Protestant religion hasn’t come yet). Cathedral schools taught by those who went to Cathedral schools themselves and went past them in their education and specialization
Difference between cathedral and chantry schools?
Trivium (Latin term) were at the forefront of the teachings (reading, writing and public speaking, speech to learn to the Bishop, speaker, a leader) in the Chantry schools but in the Cathedral schools it turned to Quadrivium focus where there was the addition of mathematics, science, geography and thinking of the body in terms of studying medicine
Trivium and quadrivium dedicated to …
Spiritual rather than humans and was still used to preserve the faith (interest of state, the realm and Kings and what the church needed, not what the individual needed for their life)
Language of the church and schools
Latin was the language of the Church but this differed to the language of the schools and main life. Not a complete understandings of the language of the Church and what was being said, but appreciated the rituals and traditions of the Church
Middle Ages Strata
The towns or larger, the realms were governed by the King rather than a Christian emperor.
Nobles - below Kings, they rules over sub-aspects of the realms and they were the ones born into ruling (higher families)
Vassals (knights) - offered protection and watch over the lands (protectors of the faith and the military)
Peasants - provided food and services to those above them
Slaves - lowest but still treated more humanely than in the past
Feudalism
The dominant social system in medieval Europe in which the nobility held lands from the Crown (King) in exchange for military service and the vassals were in turn tenants of the nobles, while peasants were obliged to live on their lord’s land and give him homage, labour and a share or produce
Main focus of the strata of the middle ages
Main focus of the strata was to preserve the faith
Chivalry
Is the process where a knight became a knight. Concern of exercise in the sporting context as they trained to become a knight. Knights were the military arm to protect the faith from outsiders. In time they also responsible for extending the faith with the expansion into the East. Needed to be to trained in physical skills of weaponry and riding a horse, also hunting with a falcon or bird
Educational potential
Hierarchical structure in realms of Europe with Kings, then nobel (ruling own area), then vassals (knights). Education process - given to the sons of the nobility (not women) indent for the labouring or the slavery class. This is also true for the church education from last note. When a boy was around the age of 7 or 8 it was chosen for him by his noble parents to either go through the church schools of chantry and cathedral schools or chivalry schools
Sons not of nobility and education
The sons of the vassals in the outmost areas of the realms would also have the choice made for them and they would be sent to the church or the court and then pursued his education - he is known as a page
Page responsibility
The page boys would become messengers between Senates - they delivered messages outside of their education. Pages were responsible to become knights and would marry a girl of the court, began to learn to use the sword and preliminaries of horsemanship. Little emphasis on intellectual education
Squire
This would progress to around 13-15 years of age and then would graduate into a squire, responsibility of protecting the faith and continuing education
Squire responsibility
Squire would attend to the needs of the full pledge knights. Squires were responsible for the knight’s hunting, would skin and prepare the food that the knight caught, also responsible for their clothing and equipment. The faster the squires learned, the faster they become a full pledged knight
Knighthood appeal
The appeal of knighthood was the promise of gold and wealth, usually from the spoils of victory with beating your opponent
Knighthood
Used birds to aid in hunting, falconry. One of the main activities was jousting - want to knock off opponent off their horse, became more and more prominent with time and became a sorts of a professional sport. More concentrated in France than it was in Southern Europe. Became more violent as time progressed. Ended in the 1600s
Venery
The art of dissecting / skinning and preparing game of eating - the squire was responsible for this in the field
Use of the crossbow and the longbow in the Knighthood
Elongated bow with more torque and much greater range than the short bow and the crossbow - learned this when they were of age as a page and subsequently as a squire
List
Jousting grounds separated by a fence (ground plus fence)
Melee
A confused fight, skittish or scuffle, jousting and fighting, usually with religion contexts and done during celebrations
Gay Sciences
Those activities particularly of the squire, responsible for entertaining their knight. Gay sciences - needed to be trained in some musical instrument to entertain the knight, sing songs and play
Games in the middle ages
Introduction of board games and card games - subsequently gambling rose in popularity with card games
Overall emphasis of sports and games in the middle ages
At least, among the peasantry - the dark reality was there was little development of the mind and the body. Increasing emphasis more on intellect rather than physical education, little exercise done. Dancing more performed by the peasantry class during celebrations or at funerals (more of a plaintive activity)
Which era is the one we know the least about of sport?
Medieval era
Two types of people of middle ages
Rural people (working class and peasants) (London) and urban people (Yorkshire)
Activities of the rural people
Activity was more outdoors
Activities of the urban people
Activity more indoors, more limited
Common activities of the middle ages
Board games, chess, wrestling common and alcohol often paired with it
Primary evidence of sport
Handwritten records of the peasants and their crimes gave evidence of activity. Little evidence the rural (ruling class, upper class), little record of much activity
Activities among those in religion setting
Monks sometimes wrestled peasants, sometimes in team. Infatuated by handball because they had the walls of the chapels which were perfect for the sport. Monks were more accepting of the lower classes, especially in their religious realms, but better outlook on them then the ruling class
Violence and games in the middle ages
The peasants often resorted to violence, particularly to deal with things that would often to be dealt with in courts (ex. burglaries) because peasant wouldn’t gain much in court because of their lower class. High violence in sports because of presence of weapons and alcohol. Often people would carry weapons and so sports (even chess) could end in death - evidence of excessive violence
Females involved in games / sports in middle ages
Women involved only a bit in sports and violence, limited in participation. One of the few cases where females were more involved in sports was back in Spartan time where education was fairly similar between boys and girls in educating them in physical combat and weaponry
Class distinctions in participation in sport
Upper classes didn’t want to compete with peasants (beginning of the concept of amateurism). The upper class didn’t want to compete with the peasants particularly in activities that were part of their work (ex. canoeing where they could have advantage through practice)
Renaissance period and sport
Focus grows on the body and importance of health and exercise
Renaissance period and humanism
Becoming one’s best self, the best version of who you are meant to be (religious and health contexts), focuses on the real (here and now), less focus no the past
