Archive for October, 2009
When I was cut from full-time to part-time at work recently, I tried to make the best of the situation. Since I had plenty of money saved up from years of careful financial management, I figured it was time to indulge in a new hobby. The community theater down the street was holding open auditions for Macbeth. I tried out for several parts and eventually received a call from the director. He offered me the role of Macduff, and I gladly accepted.
As it turned out, the theater was operating on a shoestring budget. Local arts funds were running short and cast members were encouraged to supplement their wardrobe with clothes from home. I went online and found a realistic Elizabethan doublet that caught the audience’s attention and never let up. Watching a tape of the performance later, it’s obvious I could use some work with my acting chops; still, it’s been fun to pursue a new challenge.
Readers of this blog are probably asking what do these three things have in common? Footballs are pigskin balls that young men use to play a popular game. Lances and swords on the other hand are ancient weapons that were utilized in many wars of the past.
Being very good at playing football entitles young men to many privileges. Highschool football players are some of the most popular boys around. At least that is the situation in the southern United States. These athletes are even more revered in college. It requires a certain toughness to play football, and it is likely one of the most dangerous sports.
In the Middle Ages, there were sports that nobles enjoyed watching as much as we enjoy football. These were tournaments which were thrilling but potentially dangerous for the contestants just like football. Christien de Troyes remarked in Yvain, or the Knight with the Lion, that “people are wont to rush up when they are eager to see swordplay.”
Some of the participants in this ancient sport were sons who would not inherit property or a title because they were not the first son. Often they participated in tournaments to make money just like our professional footballs players today. One of the most famous of these professional sword fighters was William Marsechal. Because he was the most powerful man with a sword, he acquired a castle and land through a marriage to a wealthy noble woman. Medieval times were not so different than the modern day. A powerful athlete often attracts money and beauty.
Many times wealthy young men played the game just for love of the sport or to prove their superiority in arms. The Plantagenets, a famous ruling family, of Medieval Britain participated in this dangerous sport. Richard the Lionheart was an avid participant in swordplay games and also jousting. He usually won. His brother, Geoffrey, however, was not so lucky; he was killed in a tournament . He suffered a broken neck when he was knocked from his horse with a lance. Had he not been addicted to this dangerous sport, the Plantagenet line of ruling monarchs would likely have been much changed. Richard, who became King of England was killed in a trivial skirmish at a very young age. Geoffrey would probably have acceded to the the throne at his brother’s death, and since he had children they would have been in line to rule the British Empire.
Things change but not dramatically. Certainly we live in a different age; we play different games than the Medieval athlete. The results of being great at a sport still apply. Rewards are waiting for the “best of the best.”
For more than 500 years, the Roman Empire served as an example of what Western civilization could be. The poets, politicians, artists and merchants were the absolute best at their respective occupations, unmatched elsewhere in the world. Soon after the Empire was founded, Rome ushered in an era of piece and prosperity that allowed its citizens to enjoy tremendous wealth and privilege.
None of that would have been possible without Rome’s military prowess, of course. As early as the Punic Wars, which were fought against Hannibal and the Carthaginian Empire around 200 BCE, Rome set itself apart as a well-disciplined and technologically advanced war machine. Roman armor was distinctive for mixing protective capability with lightness and maneuverability.