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From: William Hyde <wthyde1953@gmail.com>
Newsgroups: soc.history.medieval
Subject: Re: 6 Ways to Pass the Time in the Middle Ages
Date: Thu, 9 May 2024 16:15:38 -0400
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a425couple wrote:
> from
> https://www.thecollector.com/middle-ages-entertainment/
> 
> 6 Ways to Pass the Time in the Middle Ages
> The Middle Ages, like today, had their times of fun and frivolity, with 
> many forms of entertainment taking place.
> 
> May 7, 2024 • By Greg Beyer, Assistant Editor; African History
> middle ages entertainment
> 
> 
> 
> There is a common misconception that life in the Middle Ages was 
> extremely harsh and depressing. This couldn’t be further from the truth! 
> While it is true that, at times, war and disease spread across the land, 
> not all was doom and gloom. People (including peasants) had plenty of 
> free time to enjoy life, and there were many ways to enjoy it. Here is 
> the entertainment that was on offer during this time.
> 
> 
> 
> 1. Board Games
> pieter bruegel the elder childrens games detail
> Detail from Children’s Games by Pieter Brueghel the Elder, depicting a 
> game of Knucklebones. Source: Wikimedia Commons
> 
> 
> Board games were a very popular form of entertainment in the Middle 
> Ages. They challenged the mind, requiring deep thought within a 
> competitive environment. Many of these games are still popular today, 
> such as Chess and Checkers.


Until about 1200 the version of chess would be the Arabic version, but 
at this time people started modifying the rules, resulting in what was 
essentially the modern game by 1500, though a variant rule of king-side 
castling remained common in Italy until the late 1800s.

Surviving game scores from the 1600s show knowledge of some opening 
systems that are still played today.  Scholar's mate and fool's mate are 
terms going back to the 1600s, too late for the middle ages, but they 
were probably played within hours of the Queen acquiring her new powers, 
which might be in-period.

A number of paintings show the game being played, though these should 
not be  taken too literally.  Even today, artists find it too much work 
to portray a chess board set up with the right orientation, or even as 
eight squares by eight.  IIRC a number of plates illustrate this in 
Edward Lasker's "The Adventure of Chess".



William Hyde