Elizabethan Sports

Blood, gore, and violence were all associated with entertainment the people of England endured during the Elizabethan times. Sports and games were a way for people of England to relieve themselves from hardships of everyday life. Beginning from early stages of childhood up to death, all people including men and women played a number of sports in a variety of ways. During the Elizabethan age, numerous sports and games, for both rich and poor, provided entertainment for all of England.

Throughout the Elizabethan age there were a vast number of different types of games and sports, many of which are still used today. Games of Elizabethan time were used to pass individual free time each person had during the day. Almost all games played in Elizabethan time were linked to gambling, which was a main part of society. Common types of games played were board games, dice games and card games.

English: The "Darnley Portrait" of Elizabeth I of ...

Portrait of Alfred the Great.

Christopher Marlowe, dramatist, poet

Board games such as chess and backgammon caught attention of various people (Elizabethan Games). Vast numbers of board games during Elizabethan age dealt with strategy, which required a great deal of thinking. Dice games were another popular game played by Elizabethans during the reign of Queen Elizabeth. Dice games were very inexpensive, pre-made, and portable, which caught the eye of many commoners. Knuckle Bones and Hazard were types of dice games that were played (Elizabethan Games). Furthermore, another conventional type of game was the card game. Card games were a type of game, which were made for gamblers of Elizabethan times. Games such as One & Thirty, Maw, and Ruff and Honors were some extremely popular card games (Elizabethan Games). Whereas, games of Elizabethan Age played an essential role in leisure time spent by Elizabethans, sports were just as important.

Sports of the Elizabethan time were popular...