Jesters and Lutes!

The Melee, from the French "to mix", was a mass fight where knights charged at one another, either on foot or on horseback. The fight was a free-for-all and every man on the field fought for themselves against all the other competitors. The aim of the melee was to capture a knight, forcing him to pay a ransom for his release. It was fought with the usual weapons and was just as dangerous as a 'real' fight on the battlefield

The mystery plays, or miracle plays as they were sometimes called, were usually enactments of stories from the Bible, though some of them were about the lives of saints. They reached the height of their popularity in the time of Richard III before being replaced by professional theatres

Milking stools were turned upside down and used as wickets. Rounders and baseball are both games also thought to have derived from stoolball

In bear and bull baiting the unfortunate animal was chained to a post and dogs were set on it. The spectators bet money on the outcome of the fight, usually on how many dogs would be killed. Occasionally the animal would escape from its chains and rampage through the streets, mauling anyone who got in its way. The bulldog got its name because it was bred to be used in bull baiting

It is not known for sure what exactly mummers did. There are records of them visiting houses or inns to perform, and a 'mummers play' was performed for King Edward III in the 14th century. It is thought that morris dancers have come down to us as a relic of the mummers

Life for minstrels changed with the arrival of troubadours and they began to perform for a different audience. They travelled from town to town singing to the common folk at their fairs and festivals. They then became known as 'wandering minstrels'. Perhaps the most famous tale sung by minstrels has come down to us as Robin Hood

The eyes of birds were sewn together so that it could not see. After a few days, when the bird was used to human company, the stitches were gradually removed. Placing a hood over the bird's head might have been a more humane way to achieve the same result, but our medieval ancestors are not renowned for their compassion to animals

They were very versatile, as this quote from Chaucer shows: "I can play the lute, vielle, pipe, bagpipe, panpipes, harp, fiddle, guittern, symphoy, psaltery, orginistrum, organ, tabor and the rote. I can sing a song well, and make tales to please young ladies, and can play the gallant for them if necessary. I can throw knives into the air and catch them without cutting my fingers. I can jump rope most extraordinary and amusing. I can balance chairs, and make tables dance. I can somersault, and walk doing a handstand"

A written guide to staff combat survives from the 15th century, although quarterstaffs are mentioned in folk tales of Robin Hood which date back to the 12th century. Quarterstaff fighting was still popular in England up until the 20th century

Medieval fools wore clothes of bright colours and entertained their audiences with their ridiculous behaviour. They could sometimes go too far though, and it was not unknown for a king to have his fool whipped. The word originated from the Latin 'follis' which meant 'bellows'; literally a bag of air