Historical Accounts of Medieval Wrestling

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ares007

Master Knight
I am looking for historical accounts of Medieval wrestlers. I know one of the Robin Hood tales involves a wrestler, but otherwise I can't find anything.

I'm not looking for the treatises. I have already studied some of these. I am looking for actual accounts whether in recorded history or Medieval literature.

Can anyone help me? Thanks!  :grin:
 
There is this rare account, from the book of Roland Ye Olde Wrestelynge Fellowe:

''Roland did graspeth Geraint's thighe, and didst hoist ye fellowe oer Roland's hede and casteth hym upon yonder tabyl most mightily.''

I hope this serves to keep you going until someone contributes a genuine account.

 
Thanks!

I also found another fictional account: In Gamelyn, Gamelyn defeats his brother's champion wrestler.

I am trying to gain an understanding of the context of medieval wrestling. How did wrestlers make their money? How were matches initiated and carried out and for what reasons? What were the typical rules (very likely quite varied I imagine)?
 
ares007 said:
I also found another fictional account: In Gamelyn, Gamelyn defeats his brother's champion wrestler.

Fascinating, truly fascinating. This area of (pretend) history really is an unmined seam of riches, isn't it? However.....

I think I've found one very high status wrestling incident, though the internet is my only source so far as I just googled for it 5 minutes ago  :wink: Apparently at the famous meeting at the Field of the Cloth of Gold there were wrestling matches between many men, and Henry even challenged King Francois of France- and lost. Wikipedia and most other sites I've checked (admittedly only 3 or 4) mention it, so I think it can be trusted.

The wrestling matches were part of the festivities and competitions; there were also jousting and archery competitions among others. Apparently both Kings performed very well at the joust, Henry doing a little better though. I saw no mention that they fought each other in the joust, but there is a description of one of the French King's jousts:

''When the French king and the Earl of Devonshire charged at each other, so fierce was their encounter that both their lances broke. In all they ran off eight times, during which the French king broke three lances while the earl broke two lances and the French king’s nose''

Sounds like spirited stuff, both Kings were still young at this point so Henry wasn't at his famously corpulent stage.

It seems then that one opportunity for wrestling was as a part of wider festive occasions.
 
I've also heard of the field of cloth whatever featuring wrestling. As you say though it seems to have been a part of the many dozens of weird events they had. I would imagine professional wrestling* to be a very renaissance thing too.

*reeeeclaaaaimin' his title against the king of france, it's Heeenry Ceeena!! [Trumpet Fanfare]
 
In that regard, can I join in and ask about boxing in the Middle Ages? I've read of one occasion where a Hungarian king sent a pair of boxing gloves to a Bulgarian tsar, so I was wondering if maybe it was a mistranslation or something...
 
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