Abstract

The first Italian tourney was held in Rome in 1265 in honour of Charles of Provence. The Romans, even if some historians think that they had no knightly customs, participated in several tourneys, such as the demonstration of town power, as well as proof of courage and strength. The papal power at first condemned the tourneys. Later when tourneys had reached a courteous phase and they were more choreographic and theatrical, the papal power kept and used them as propaganda. The popular feasts of Testaccio and Agone, and the Ludus Carnelevarii, after centuries of successes, suffered the same density, and were transformed into private noble feasts. Some popular games, played in Rome till the end of the last century, had their origin in the Middle-Ages and Renaissance, though they have traces of the ancient Roman world. Verf.-Referat