Medieval football

Long ago, people played ball games.

These games were very wild. There were almost no rules. Large groups of people ran together. They tried to move a ball. Sometimes the ball was a pig's bladder.

Players used their hands and feet. They could even use sticks. Some games were very rough. People could get hurt. Some kings even tried to stop the games. But people loved to play. They still play some ball games today.

Long ago in Europe, people played wild ball games.

These games are often called mob football. They were very different from the sports we see today. There were almost no rules to follow.

In many towns, huge crowds of people played at once. They formed a large mass of people. They fought to move a ball to a marker. The ball was often an inflated pig's bladder. Some players used their hands or feet. In a game called La Soule, they even used sticks.

These games could be very rough. Some people got hurt during the matches. Because of this, many kings tried to ban the games. They thought the games caused too much noise and trouble. But people did not stop playing. They even formed groups that look like early clubs. Today, some of these old traditions still live on. People still play special matches in places like Scotland and England. They celebrate these games during holidays like Christmas or Easter.

Long ago in Europe, people played wild ball games known as mob football.

These games were very different from the organized sports we see today. They were often chaotic and had very few rules to follow. People played them in towns and villages during special times like Shrovetide. These matches were often played by huge crowds of people. Players would form a massive group to move a ball toward markers. They often used an inflated pig's bladder as their ball.

How these games worked depended on the local area. In many matches, an unlimited number of players joined opposing teams. They would clash in a large mass of people. Players struggled to drag the ball to the end of town. Some accounts say players could use almost any way to move the ball. The only major rule was that they could not cause a death. In a French game called La Soule, people used hands, feet, and sticks.

History shows that ball games have been around for a very long time. The historian Bede wrote about ball play in the eighth century. In the ninth century, a monk named Nennius wrote about boys playing at ball. There is even a reference to ball games in southern Britain before the Norman Conquest. By the twelfth century, La Soule was played in northern France. In England, a poet named Layamon wrote about knights driving balls over fields around the year 1200. These early games were the ancestors of the football we know now.

Many important facts come from old records and carvings. A wooden carving from 1350 at Gloucester Cathedral shows young men playing with a ball.

In 1314, the Lord Mayor of London banned the game because it caused too much noise. Between 1314 and 1667, more than 30 royal and local laws tried to ban football in England. In 1409, King Henry IV also tried to stop people from collecting money for football. Even with these bans, people kept playing. Some groups even formed early clubs, like the brewers in England around 1421.

Even though many old rules disappeared, some traditions still live on today. The Highway Act of 1835 banned playing football on public roads, which caused many games to decline. However, some special matches still happen in certain towns. In the Orkney Islands of Scotland, people play the Ba game at Christmas. In Cumbria, people play Uppies and Downies over Easter. In Ashbourne, England, the Royal Shrovetide Football Match happens on Shrove Tuesday. These games connect our modern world to the lively traditions of the Middle Ages.

Medieval football refers to a wide variety of localized, informal ball games played throughout Europe during the Middle Ages. These games are often called folk football, mob football, or Shrovetide football. They are considered the ancestors of the organized football codes we recognize today. Unlike modern sports, these medieval matches were chaotic and lacked a standardized set of rules. They were often played annually during Shrovetide, the period before Lent, particularly in England and London.

The mechanism of these games involved a massive, heaving mass of people. Teams often consisted of an unlimited number of players who clashed together in towns and villages. The primary goal was to move an inflated pig's bladder toward specific markers at each end of a town. In many accounts, players could use almost any method to move the ball. The only strict limitation mentioned was that the play must not result in manslaughter or murder. In northern France, a version known as La Soule involved using hands, feet, and sticks to propel the ball.

Different regions developed distinct types of ball play. In East Anglia, players engaged in a version known as Camp Ball. This game was described as using a ball that was long and broad, unlike a standard round ball. By 1440, the English-Latin dictionary *Promptorium parvulorum* identified Camp Ball as a form of football. In other areas, the games were simply referred to as "ball play" or "playing at ball." This suggests that early versions did not always require kicking. Some images from the period show both large balls and much smaller balls being used in matches.

History shows that ball games have deep roots in Europe. The eighth-century historian Bede recorded a "playing ball" called *pila ludicra*. In the ninth century, the monk Nennius wrote in *Historia Brittonum* about boys playing *pilae ludus*. By the twelfth century, records from France described the handing over of seven large balloons. In England, the poet Layamon wrote around 1200 about knights driving balls over fields. These early mentions show the gradual evolution from general ball play to specific games like football.

The significance of these games is often reflected in the many laws created to stop them. Between 1314 and 1667, more than 30 royal and local laws were passed in England to ban football. In 1314, the Lord Mayor of London, Nicholas de Farndone, issued a decree on behalf of King Edward II. He banned the game because the "hustling over large foot balls" caused great noise and potential evils. King Henry IV also issued a proclamation in 1409 to stop people from collecting money for football. Despite these many legal attempts to suppress the sport, people continued to play.

Evidence of the game's intensity comes from historical records and art. A 14th-century wooden carving at Gloucester Cathedral shows two men running vigorously toward a ball. A different image in the British Museum shows a group of men with a leather-sewn ball. This image may highlight the dangers of the sport, as it appears to show a man with a broken arm. Other records show the high stakes of the game, such as a 1280 report from Northumberland where a player was killed by a dagger. In 1283, a man in Cornwall was accused of using a stone in a game of *soule*, which proved fatal.

Today, these ancient traditions connect to modern community life through surviving local matches. While the Highway Act of 1835 banned football on public highways and caused a decline in many areas, some games remain. In the Orkney Islands of Scotland, the Ba game is played at Christmas and New Year. In Cumbria, the Uppies and Downies matches occur over Easter. The Royal Shrovetide Football Match continues in Ashbourne, Derbyshire, on Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday. The Atherstone Ball Game in Warwickshire has also been played on Shrove Tuesday since 1199.