Violent Mob Football
In the days leading up to Lent in the medieval era, especially in England, people played an exceptionally rough ball game that came to be known as mob football. There were regional variations throughout Europe, but the game tended to share basic similarities across regions. Teams from different villages and towns, whose numbers could range anywhere from a few dozen to hundreds of players, met in a central location. Then a ball was thrown, and the rival teams vied with each other to capture the ball and take it back home – usually to their church’s front porch.
Restrictions as to team sizes or ball handling were few or nonexistent. The massive matches usually lasted for an entire day, and many players dropped out due to fatigue or injuries. Bruises, scratches, cuts, and lacerations were common, and deaths during the game were not unheard of. Despite those risks, medieval mob football remained popular throughout Europe for centuries. However, the game’s destructive nature eventually got it banned in England by King Edward II in 1314. In what might or might not be a coincidence, Edward II went down in history as one of England’s most unpopular and despised kings.
_________________
Where Did We Find This Stuff? Some Sources and Further Reading
Adams, Tracy – Agnes Sorel and the French Monarchy: History, Gallantry, and National Identity (2022)
Archaeologist, The – Medieval Traditions Not Taught in Class
BBC – Trial by Ordeal: When Fire and Water Determined Guilt
British Library – Travel, Trade, and Exploration in the Middle Ages
Church Pop – Wow! Medieval Cathedrals Used to Be Full of Brilliant Colors
Drury University Humanities and Ethics Center – ‘Witch Hunts’ Now and Then, Myths and Realities
Encyclopedia Britannica – Dozsa Rebellion
Evans, G.R. – The University of Oxford: A New History (2010)
Gresham College – How to be an Atheist in Medieval Europe
Harvey, I.M.W. – Jack Cade’s Rebellion of 1450 (1991)
Historia Cartarum – What Does a Stick of Eels Get You?
Health and Fitness History – Medieval Mob Football
History Collection – 20 Things Everybody Gets Wrong About the Middle Ages
History Extra – 8 Things You (Probably) Didn’t Know About Medieval Elections
JSTOR Daily, September 13th, 2017 – When Societies Put Animals on Trial
Medievalists – Did People Drink Water in the Middle Ages?
Medievalists – Erectile Dysfunction in the Middle Ages – Cases From 14th Century York
Medium – Medieval Peasants had More Days off Than the Average American Worker
Molnar, Miklos – A Concise History of Hungary (2001)
Motley Fool – Here’s How Many Hours the Average American Works Per Year
Oxford Mail, August 17th, 2011 – Rioting Over Wine Led to 90 Deaths
Slate – What Was the Drink of Choice in Medieval Europe?
Tradition in Action – A World of Brilliant Colors
Tuchman, Barbara – A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century (1978)
