Sunday, May 18, 2008

Jeu de paume


As promised, here is the link to an excellent article on the history and current practice of the precursor to modern tennis, jeu de paume. It includes a fascinating account of Margot of Hainault, who in 1427 defeated some of the best male players of the game. Henri II played daily, dressed in white, with white shoes and a straw hat upon his head. He supposedly allowed no deference for his royal status while on the court. Think you'd be brave enough to beat the king?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

So Henri II is the one who launched white clothes for tennis players?

Julianne Douglas said...

I don't know if he started the trend, but he certainly reinforced it.