Renaissance Sports History PDF

Didactic Unit V. Sport in the Modern Age Topic 8. Renaissance History of Sports Prof. Dr. Alejandro Leiva Arcas Bachelor's Degree in Physical Activity and Sport Sciences Historical introduction Modern Age: a historical period that begins in the 15th centu...

Didactic Unit V. Sport in the Modern Age Topic 8. Renaissance History of Sports Prof. Dr. Alejandro Leiva Arcas Bachelor's Degree in Physical Activity and Sport Sciences Historical introduction Modern Age: a historical period that begins in the 15th century (Renaissance) and ends in the late 18th century with the French Revolution. The Renaissance is a cultural revitalization movement that originated in Italy and spread across much of Europe. It is characterized by the recovery and appreciation of Greco-Roman knowledge, which had been largely forgotten during the Middle Ages. The Renaissance stands out as a period of cultural, artistic, and intellectual splendor, whose dissemination was greatly facilitated by the widespread adoption of the printing press. This process was accompanied by a socio-economic transformation, marked by the consolidation of urban growth and the emergence of a capitalist economy, which established the wealthy bourgeoisie as a prominent new social class. During the Renaissance, the foundations of the later scientific revolution were laid thanks to astronomical advancements by Copernicus, Galileo, and Kepler, as well as the development of the scientific method by Francis Bacon. 2 Library of the Monastery of San Lorenzo del Escorial, Madrid. Coupled with new discoveries and explorations in America,  The Renaissance and its impact on physical-sports education Broadly speaking, the Renaissance spans the second half of the 15th century and the entirety of the 16th century. It corresponds to a period of “resurgence” of Greco-Roman teachings, where physical education held significant importance. During the Renaissance, the first pedagogues emerged, laying the foundations for modern gymnastics and the initial rational systems of physical education, which were key to future developments. The fundamental intellectual movement of the Renaissance was the humanist movement, which, unlike medieval thought, advocated for: - An anthropocentric vision, where the human being is the center of interest, as opposed to the theocentric conception of the Middle Ages, where God was the central element. - A positive, active, and enthusiastic attitude towards life. - Man. The Vitruvian A comprehensive and harmonious education, where physical Leonardo da Vinci (1492). 3 education played a prominent role.  The pedagogues of the Renaissance 4 Works in a printing house in Rouen, France, around 1519.  Humanist pedagogues focused on the education of young people, understood as culture to enrich the spirit, ennoble the soul, and shape the individual’s personality. Spiritual education was in perfect harmony with physical education, as man was expected to be wise in both spirit and body to face life’s challenges. Humanist Physical Education is characterized by pursuing, in general, one or more of the following goals:  Social purpose: exercises regarded as a tool for shaping young individuals.  Military purpose: exercises for military training that strengthened the body and made it more resistant to the hardships of war.  Hygienic/medical purpose: exercises understood as essential means to maintain and achieve health. 5  Leading humanists in the field of physical exercise during the Renaissance Richard Mulcaster Francis Bacon Thomas Elyot François Rabelais Michel Montaigne Cristóbal Méndez Vittorino da Feltre Luis Vives Maffeo Veggio Ignacio de Loyola Archange Tuccaro Hyeronimus Mercurialis 6 Italian pedagogues - Vittorino da Feltre (1378-1446) - Maffeo Vegio (1406-1458) - Hieronymus Mercurialis (1530- 1606) - Archange Tuccaro (1535-1602) 7 Vitorino da Feltre Feltre (1378) – Mantua (1466) Considered the father of physical education, as he was the first to include this subject in an educational curriculum. He founded the Casa Giocosa (“House of Joy”) in Mantua, a villa outside the city donated by the Gonzaga family, notable patrons of the arts. This school was designed for the children of princes and noble families. There, he incorporated sports practices inspired by Greek traditions, such as running, walking, throwing, and jumping, alongside other activities like ball games and dance. He also emphasized military education, including training in archery, fencing, and combat simulations. For da Feltre, physical education was essential for 8 maintaining good health, fostering a connection with Maffeo Vegio Lodi (1406) – Roma (1458) He wrote the pedagogical treatise “De educatione liberorum et eorum claris moribus” (“On the education of children and their virtuous behavior”) in 1450. He was a proponent of physical education, even before birth, being one of the first authors to advocate for prenatal gymnastics to ensure children were born with a robust constitution. He distinguished between two types of exercises: a) hose aimed at recreation after intellectual work, which should be of a lighter nature, such as ball games. b) Those focused on body strengthening, which require greater effort, such as military training. He empathized with the challenges of puberty, believing that physical exercises could help prevent psychological depression in young people. 9 Hieronymus Mercurialis Forlì (1530) – Forlì. (1606) An Italian physician, author of the first manual on physical education and one of the most comprehensive documents on Greek gymnastics. His work, titled “De Arte Gymnástica” (“On the Art of Gymnastics”) (1569), served to recover, highlight, and disseminate the medical significance of gymnastics as proposed by Greek physicians such as Galen. In Mercurialis’s writings, three types of gymnastics can be distinguished: a) Military gymnastics, with the aim of acquiring skills for warfare. b) Athletic gymnastics, to gain strength and to win competitions and public contests. c) Medical gymnastics, to which he attaches the greatest importance since its purpose is the preservation of health and the good preservation of the10 body. Archange Tuccaro L’Aquila (1535) – ? (1602) He was an Italian acrobat who worked in various European courts. Among his notable roles were those in the service of Maximilian II of Habsburg and Charles IX of France, who appointed him as the “king’s jumper” and his personal instructor. He authored the work “Three Dialogues on the Exercise of Jumping and Tumbling in the Air” (1599), one of the first treatises on acrobatics. The book, written in dialogue form, contains over 50 illustrations and 88 engravings depicting flips and acrobatic movements. For Tuccaro, actions such as somersaults, roundoffs, or twists in the air had medical benefits: they strengthened the body, aided in the expulsion of waste, and alleviated pain. 11 12 French pedagogues - François Rabelais (1483-1553) - Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) 13 François Rabelais Chinon (1483) – París (1553) A writer and physician, he is the author of the series of novels “Gargantua and Pantagruel” (1532–1552). In these books, Rabelais advocates for a series of educational reforms, emphasizing that physical education should be included as part of the teaching process. For this author, traditional theoretical training based on rhetoric, grammar, and dialectics was insufficient unless complemented by physical instruction. Among the activities he proposed are horse riding, shot put and javelin throwing, archery, climbing and scaling, ball games, rowing, and swimming. All activities should take place in freedom and within a natural environment. 14 Michel de Montaigne St. Michel de Montaigne (1533) – Ibid. (1592) A writer and essayist, he was able to dedicate himself to an intellectual life thanks to the inheritance from his parents, which resulted in an extensive bibliographic production. In his works, Montaigne defends physical education as a means to achieve balance between the soul and the body, stating: “It is not a soul, it is not a body that must be educated; it is a man.” In this context, he criticizes traditional education for neglecting the physical aspect. For Montaigne, physical activity was essential for hygiene and good health. He was highly critical of sedentarism and its effects. For him, education was not just reflection but also action. His physical education program included activities 15 such as running, wrestling, dancing, horse riding, English pedagogues - Thomas Elyot (1490-1546) - Richard Mulcaster (1530-1611) 16 Thomas Elyot Suffolk (1490) – ? (1546) He was the first English theorist to address the issue of physical education in the training of young people. His ideas are encapsulated in the work “The Book Named the Gouvernour” (1531), an educational treatise for the gentlemen of the time. In this work, he recommended daily physical exercise, including throwing, stick fencing, and dancing. Regarding dance, he made a strong defense of this activity against the attacks of the Church, which sought to restrict it. Another of Elyot’s contributions was identifying the physiological benefits of physical activity. Among its effects, he highlighted improved digestion, increased body temperature, stimulated appetite, strengthened metabolism, and the cleansing of bodily channels. 17 Richard Mulcaster Carlisle (1530) – Essex (1611) He was a teacher and pedagogue, author of the works “Positions” (1581) and “Elementarie” (1582), which were forgotten until their re-editions in 1888 and 1925, respectively. His golden rule was that education must consider the natural development of the learner. Mulcaster’s work is particularly noteworthy as it anticipated by several centuries some of the foundations of the systematization of physical exercise, which became popular much later. Categorization: Physical exercises were classified into three criteria: 1) Place of practice: indoor and outdoor. 2) Purpose of execution: preparatory, athletic, and medicinal. 3) Desired effects: improvement of breathing, muscles and joints, and the cardiovascular system. Physical exercise: Mulcaster defined it as “the action of moving the human body vigorously, which alters breathing, serving to maintain health and give the human body a good habit.” 18 Spanish pedagogues - Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491- 1556) - Juan Luis Vives (1493-1540) - Cristóbal Méndez (1500-1556) 19 Saint Ignatius of Loyola Azpeitia (1491) – Roma (1556) A soldier and priest, he founded the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) as a response to the spread of Protestant ideas. His educational proposal emphasized the parallel development of physical and spiritual exercise, suggesting that both require training, progression, and regularity to achieve a goal. Loyola’s pedagogical approach advocated for incorporating rest periods between academic work and the integration of physical activities. To support this, schools were encouraged to 20 have open spaces that allowed students to Juan Luis Vives Valencia (1493) – Brugges (1540) One of the leading figures of European Renaissance humanism and a key proponent of humanist pedagogy in the 16th century, alongside Erasmus of Rotterdam. His educational principles advocated for peace and harmony among nations. He emphasized the importance of the frequency of physical exercises during childhood and the establishment of appropriate spaces, akin to the ancient Greek gymnasiums. He also recommended recreation and games as educational tools, strongly defending traditional games. In his work “Dialogues” (1538), Vives describes the joc de pilota (Valencian ball game) through the adventures of three imaginary knights, outlining the rules of the game and providing valuable insights into its practice in the city of Valencia. 21 Cristóbal Méndez Lepe (1500) – Sevilla (1556) Considered one of the founding fathers of sports medicine, his key work was “Libro del ejercicio corporal y de sus provechos” (“The Book of Physical Exercise and Its Benefits”) (1553), which outlined the principles of exercise adaptation. He advocated that women can and should engage in physical activities. Among his proposals, he highlighted the classification of exercise based on: - Gender, suggesting specific exercises for men and women. - Age, tailoring exercises for children, adults, or the elderly. - Location and season of the year. - Health status of the practitioner, differentiating between healthy and ill individuals. 22 - Body areas to be targeted during exercise.  Physical Education: Between Medicine and Pedagogy 23 Anatomical drawing from “De Arte Gymnastica”. Hyeronimus Mercurialis. 1569.  Medical gymnastics The fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire prompted the migration of numerous intellectuals to the West, bringing with them the medical ideas of Hippocrates (460 BCE – 370 BCE) and especially Galen (129 CE – 216 CE), who are considered the fathers of medicine. Building on classical knowledge, Renaissance medicine advocated for a balanced conception of health, Galen where prevention was as important as cure. In this context, medical or hygienic gymnastics gained significance, as it  The Italian physician and pedagogue MERCURIALIS deserves special recognition. His key work, “De Arte Gymnastica” (1569), is considered one of the most influential treatises on the relationship between gymnastics and sports medicine. In this work, Mercurialis revisits the ideas of great Greek authors such as Plato and Aristotle, alongside the aforementioned Galen and Hippocrates, establishing a vital connection that ensured his legacy endured through subsequent centuries. “De Arte Gymnastica” is a comprehensive compendium of gymnastic activities, designed as tools for health and physical well-being. Its novelty lies in the classification of exercises into therapeutic, preventive, and recreational, emphasizing that exercise is a key component for maintaining and restoring health.  Physical and sporting activities of the Renaissance 26 Calcio Storico match in Piazza Santa Maria Novella, Florence. Jan Van de Straet. 1561  Children's games Pieter Brueghel “the Elder” (1560) Painting of great historical- documentary value in which up to 80 recreational activities and children's games are represented. 27  Hats throwing Hoop game Spinning tops game Bowls 28  Golf The French reference a medieval game called coculpe, the Spanish point to the vilorta castellana, and the Dutch claim that kolf (“club”), mentioned in 12th-century texts, is the true predecessor of the sport. Flemish manuscript from the late 13th century depicts a game with sticks and a ball, possibly the game of Kolf. However, despite the terminological similarities (kolf/golf), the Dutch kolf is a game played on an indoor field measuring 17.5 x 5 meters, where the objective is to hit a ball with a club towards a post to score points. The outdoor version of golf, as it is played today, has a clearly Scottish origin. 29  Scottish golf Modern golf is a Scottish invention. Its origins likely trace back to Highland warriors who struck stones with sticks to drive them into rabbit holes. It is first mentioned in the Scottish Parliament Acts of 1457, under the name gowk, possibly an alteration of the Dutch term kolf. During the second half of the 15th century, golf was banned by several Scottish kings to ensure citizens focused on archery training. This prohibition was lifted after the peace treaty between Scotland and England in 1502, leading to its growing popularity, so much so that King James IV commissioned his own set of clubs in the same year. Golf quickly spread across Great Britain during the 16th century. The first documented golfer was Sir Robert Maule in 1527, and the earliest reference to golf in Saint Andrews dates to 1552, when the city’s archbishop granted locals permission to play on the links (coastal grassy dunes). Mary, Queen of Scots, introduced the sport to France, 30 drawing Illustration criticism from the book for1540 “Book of Golf”. playing golf shortly after her husband’s Fencing During the Renaissance, fencing gained significant importance in several European countries. Spain is often cited as the birthplace of the modern school of fencing, although its prominence shifted to Italy and later to France. The invention of gunpowder had a paradoxical impact on fencing: while firearms rendered armor obsolete, they spurred the development of fencing as an essential skill among the nobility, focusing on technical refinement and mental agility rather than combat purposes, as was common during the Middle Ages. Italy, in particular, excelled in the practice and perfection of fencing during the 16th century, with Italian fencing masters becoming highly sought after in European courts. In Spain, the renowned master Jerónimo Sánchez de Carranza (1539–1608) founded the “Verdadera Destreza” (“True Skill”) school of fencing, which combined the art of combat with geometric principles (mastery of the “circle,” or the fencer’s sphere of action) as well as philosophical ideals, establishing that fencing should serve justice and defend Christian ideals. His work was continued by his disciple Luis Pacheco de Narváez (1570–1640), author of “De la Grandeza de la Florentine calcio Calcio Storico A ball game with connections to modern football and rugby, its origins may be linked to the Roman harpastum. It is played in Florence once a year in the Piazza Santa Croce. Its origin dates back to 1530, when a match was organized to boost the morale of the Florentines during a siege by Spanish troops. In 1580, the rules of the game were established, most of which remain in use today: - Two teams of 27 players each (15 forwards, 5 midfielders, 4 wingers, and 3 defenders). - The ball can be struck with both hands and feet to move it towards the opponent’s goal. Scoring a goal is called a caccia, and the team with the most cacce wins. - If a team sends the ball over the net or misses, the opposing team receives half a caccia (0.5 points). - The game is marked by intense physical contact and has few 32 rules: Do not hit an opponent from behind; Do not strike an  Today, four districts of Florence compete in the game, each represented by one of the four colors of the Italian flag: Santa Maria Novella (red); Santo Spirito (white); San Giovanni (green),; Santa Croce (sky blue). For the players of Calcio, participating in this event is a great honor, as it fosters a profound sense of identity and belonging to the district they represent. However, there are voices in Italy calling for the suspension of this activity due to its high level of violence and aggressiveness. 33  Other Italian ball games Pallone col bracciale Tamburello Game with roots in the Middle Ages but whose A game similar to tennis, but with two practice became popular during the Renaissance. teams of five players. It is played with an Very widespread in northern Italy. It consists of implement in the shape of a circular paddle Aquí va tu ecuación hitting the ball with an irregular wooden Aquí va tu ecuación that reminds of a drum. bracelet. It is played outdoors. 34 Equestrianism Equestrianism also held a prominent place during this period, especially in Italy. The nobleman Federico Grisone founded the first equestrian academy in Naples during the 16th century, marking a significant turning point in the development of the discipline. Unlike medieval cavalry, Renaissance equestrianism focused on dressage, emphasizing agility, precision, and technical refinement, moving away from reliance on brute force. Mastery of horseback riding became an art form that, like fencing, required an elegant control of movement. One of the most notable transformations was the replacement of heavy warhorses with lighter and more agile horses. This evolution allowed for greater maneuverability and facilitated the emergence of equestrian spectacles. Particularly noteworthy were the “carousels”, displays of classical dressage performed by groups of riders and organized by various European courts to  Palio di Siena Although it has a medieval origin, the Palio di Siena is a horse race held in this Italian city, which has preserved its distinctive Renaissance aesthetic. The Palio takes place twice a year (in July and August). It is a wild and chaotic horse race consisting of three laps around the Piazza del Campo, covering a short but thrilling distance of just over one kilometer. Out of the city’s 17 districts (contrade), only 10 riders are chosen by lot to represent their districts. The horses are ridden bareback. The speed and intensity of the race frequently result in blockages, collisions with walls, and falls. As a curiosity, it is not required for the rider to cross the finish line—if the horse finishes without its rider, the victory still counts. 36 Piazza del Campo, Siena, Italy 37 Didactic Unit V. Sport in the Modern Age Topic 8. Renaissance History of Sports Prof. Dr. Alejandro Leiva Arcas Bachelor's Degree in Physical Activity and Sport Sciences