Many Different Sources of Entertainment

Even though the medieval times were tough due to war, famine, disease, and thieves, it did not stop people from enjoying the fun part of life. There were many different sources of entertainment, like music, pageant wagons, tournaments, and certain types of entertainers that performed for people. Much of medieval music was influenced by Catholic churches and pagan rituals. Some instruments included harps, flutes, horns and the hurdy-gurdy. Troubadours, which were musicians and singers who specialized in courtly love from the 11th century to 13th century, and minstrels, which were medieval singers or musicians who recited poetry to the nobility, were popular at the time.

People could always dance along with the music to make it more enjoyable. Even though the poor were not able to afford professional entertainers, many of them knew the basics of an instrument and could still dance and sing along.

Courtly love was a major type of music and it took place in the late 11th century.

The musical entertainers could perform at banquets as well as feasts, for the king, queen, and nobles (rich people). Pageant wagons were movable stages or wagons used to entertain the mystery and miracle play cycles from the 10th to 16th century. The religious plays peaked in the 15th century before the rise in popularity of professional theatre. These wagons were originally found in York and Chester but also used in Spain, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Pageant wagons came in all different shapes and sizes depending on what they offered and who the actors were performing for.

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Plays were shown in a sequence and each play was performed only a few times. The pageant wagons were decorated with props and drapes. Today, European street architecture designs are inspired by pageant wagon designs. In addition, some theatre companies mainly in Europe reenact plays from the medieval times.

There were different types of tournaments mainly for training and/or entertainment. Some of these tournaments were very aggressive; people were often injured or even killed. The people who fought in medieval tournaments were normally wealthy people or nobles from Europe because they had the money to train, unlike the poor. It was very common for knights to have broken limbs or bloody areas on their bodies after their fights. Earlier war games between rival knights and soldiers known as small melee battles eventually led to the first medieval tournaments. Melee battles were mock battles that were between two armed horsemen. These opponents could be on foot as well. The medieval tournaments had several purposes. One of these purposes was for testing the armor and weapons they provided in war to see how they would do in realistic fighting situations. For example, if the weapon or armor piece/set did well in the tournament, knights and soldiers could use it for real battles.

The early games lacked the competitive boundary and discipline that was needed to train knights for warfare. So, medieval elites realised they needed a new type of contest, which was tournaments. Medieval tournaments allowed knights to practice their skills and taught them to be ready for battle. In addition, it was a great opportunity for knights to show off their best skills in the performance to represent their family and to impress the Lords and Ladies in the audience. Jousting tournaments were the highlight of all tournaments. An armored knight on horseback would joust his fellow contestant, trying to get that person to fall off their horse. Jousting was when someone used a long weapon for thrusting that had a wooden shaft and a pointed steel head called a lance to try to defeat the other person. The winner of the Joust could take the defeated knight’s armor or his horse.

There was also an alternative prize, if the winner did not want any of the prizes provided by the loser. The Joust was considered to be the main event of the tournament. There were also horse fights and swords fights in a tournament, but they were not as important. The sword fights used daggers and blades to fight and test how well the participant’s skill was. Horses were excellent in warfare because they allowed people to charge at the enemy, however, the people riding needed to be trained how to properly use a horse in a war. There were many types of entertainers in the medieval ages. These entertainers included Jesters, Mummers, Minstrels, Troubadours, Acrobats, Jugglers, and Conjurers. A Jester was a professional clown owned by a king or nobleman for entertainment. A Jester was also known as a fool, buffoon or clown in medieval courts, and they are similar to circus clowns of today.

These professional court jesters reached their highest point of influence and recognition in Middle Ages. Mummers were masked, costumed merrymakers, or dancers at festivals. A medieval mummer was an actor who performed in village plays at harvest time and Christmastime, and they were not professional. As well as providing entertainment to peasants and nobility, mummery helped spread new ideas and beliefs to encourage the local culture, especially spreading Christianity through plays. Medieval mummers were always men. In the performances, young men played the parts of women because their voices had not changed yet, and they did not have beards. Minstrels were rhymers who performed songs telling the tales of distant lands. Medieval minstrels got rich by singing folk tales about distant lands and imaginary historical events. Minstrels usually traveled from village to village, however they were sometimes hired by nobles and royal courts and lived in luxury.

The early Troubadours travelled from village to village like minstrels, while others travelled abroad. Popular places the troubadours travelled to were the major cities of Europe and the Holy Land with the people who went on Crusades. All that travelling helped troubadours spread the latest news through songs that represented romantic ballads like chivalry and courtly love. Medieval troubadours played for royalty nobles. The themes of the songs sung by the Troubadours also dealt with chivalry and courtly love but they also told stories of far lands and historical events. Acrobats walked tight ropes, did flips and other stunts to entertain the crowd, using their body and special skills to entertain. Jugglers were comic performers who used humour in addition to his juggling skills. Jugglers were not that well respected in medieval times mainly due to the Church’s attitude towards them, this meant that they mainly performed in places such as markets, fairs and public houses.

To make a living, a juggler had to ask his audience for tips because being a juggler was not a paid job. Last but not least, conjurers used powers of the “supernatural” to pursue either a good or evil purpose. A conjuror mostly used abuse to gain power over another human. Conjuring had nothing in common with entertainers who practiced the art of illusion for their jobs by putting on shows that delighted their audiences. In conclusion, without entertainment in the medieval ages, people would be very depressed because it was such a dark time with nothing to do. The medieval ages were even called the Dark Ages due to the crimes, violence, and lack of protection. However, entertainment helped lighten people up and not focus on the hard part of life. These types on entertainment included music, pageant wagons, tournaments, and certain types of entertainers that performed for people.