Friday, October 23, 2009

Soccer, Anyone?

Jackie at Weave a Garland has an interesting post about soccer (football) in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Henry VIII even had a special pair of soccer shoes made for himself!

5 comments:

Jackie Hodson said...

Thank you for the link Julianne. I was totally amazed to learn about Henry's football boots. It should be a hard picture to conjure up - but, somehow, isn't :o)

Julianne Douglas said...

Henry was quite the athlete in his early years, as was François. Your post about football reminded me of the frantic rooftop foot race scene in Dorothy Dunnett's QUEEN'S PLAY.

Jackie Hodson said...

A fellow DD-er. Yay!
That scene in Queen's Play is incredible...it stays with you forever.

I'm half way through Game of Kings for the nth time and have fallen in love/hate with the Master of Culter all over again :o)

Julianne Douglas said...

I adore DD! Even though QP is set at the French court, my favorite volume is Pawn in Frankincense. I think the chessboard scene is one of the most heart-rending scenes ever written. If I could ever write one page as skillfully as DD, I'd die a happy woman.

Jackie Hodson said...

I've only read PiF once but it still haunts.
Likewise with the skilful writing - she is still without equal.