Sports During The Renaissance Era

676 Words2 Pages

Brynn Douglas

King Noble

Honors English 1

May 8th, 2015

The Renaissance Age research paper

How many days could you go without a bar of soap? Or without playing your favorite sport? About 500 years ago people didn’t possess the simple things that we currently take for granted today. Much of these things were either created or shaped during the Renaissance, the time of rebirth. The Renaissance era played an immense role in shaping modern America by forming a base for different American pastimes, creating awareness of different diseases, and encouraging originality.

A common pastime for people who lived during this time was playing sports. Different sports were played depending on which social class you were in. Poor people generally played more violent games, while the upper class played games that showed off their wealth. Most of the games that were played during the Renaissance are ancestors of the sports that we play today (L.K., Alchin. "Elizabethan Games."). These sports usually had many people involved and very little rules. …show more content…

Tournaments for these sports were used in the 11th century to keep knights ready for battle. Fencing was another popular sport. This sport started on the battlefield as soldiers started using thinner and more flexible swords. As the development of more modern weapons came into play, fencing started to become more of a sport instead of a method of combat (Lee, Austin. "Sports in the Renaissance."). The sport became more widespread as wealthy men took it as an opportunity to show off their fencing attire while dueling. In response to this, rapiers started becoming more popular fashion

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