Medieval Games

Tournaments

The Joust

The joust was performed by two knights in full armour on horseback riding towards each other with lances. The purpose of the joust was to knock your opponent of his horse with the lance. The lance was a long piece of wood. Points were scored for unseating the other rider or hitting the opponent with the end of the lance in various places.

Hunting and Hawking

Hunting and hawking were normally the sports of royalty and nobles of the land. Large amounts of land were set aside for these sports. The king had royal forests where hunts took place. Hawking is the sport of hunting with a bird of prey.

Bear baiting and cock-fighting

Sadly, medieval people found enjoyment in treating animals cruelly. Bears and bulls tied to posts were baited with dogs and crowds would watch and bet on fights bewteen birds.

Indoor games

Board games such as chess was played in medieval times. A game similar to our Noughts and Crosses (or Tic-Tac-Toe) was widely played. All that was required was a wooden board with holes and some pegs. These boards can even be found in the cloister benches of Westminter Abbey where the monks would play in their spare time.

Nine Mens Morris

A more complicated version was called 'Nine Mens Morris' (or Merrills) and consisted again of a board with holes and pegs. The game dates back possibly thousands of years and the characteristic shape of the board has been found carved into ancient temples and the wooden seats in abbeys used by monks. The standard game implemented here consists of three concentric squares with lines joining the centres of the four sides. The playing pieces can be positioned at any of the 24 intersections and can move along the lines. Each player has nine pieces to play with. Creating a row of three pieces is called a mill and allows a piece belonging to the opponent to be removed.

There are several variations to the game. One variation is called Twelve Mens Morris where each player has twelve pieces and extra diagonal lines are added to the board. Other variations include using three dice during the opening part of the game. Rolling a combination of numbers allows the thrower to remove a piece belonging to the opponent. Another variation allows the player with only three pieces left to move to any position on the board.

The object of the game is to remove the pieces belonging to your opponent from the board. To do this you have to get three of your own pieces in a row either horizontally or vertically, but not diagonally. Three pieces in a row is known as a MILL.

In the opening section of the game you take it in turns with your opponent to position the pieces on the board. If you create a mill you are allowed to remove a piece belonging to your opponent. Once all pieces have been placed on the board you move into the mid-game section.

In the mid-game section you take it in turns with your opponent to move a single piece one position along the lines of the board. Again, if you create a mill you are allowed to remove a piece belonging to your opponent. Note that if a piece belonging to your opponent is part of a mill it cannot be removed unless there are no non-mill pieces left.

To win the game you must remove all but two of the pieces belonging to your opponent or force your opponent into a position where they have no move to make.

Play Nine Mens Morris

You can now play the game of Nine Mens Morris against a friend or your computer.

Mystery plays

In medieval towns the guilds used their wealth to put on plays called mystery plays that were based on stories from the Bible. The word mystery is probably a mispronunciation of a medieval word for guild or craftsmen. Each guild was responsible for putting on a particular story.

Festivals

Festivals were held on paricular days to celebrate the lives of the saints. Many of the festivals were carried over from the Pagan religion.