Billiards - Early History 1470 - 1600

In this article we are going to continue with the early history of billiards picking up from the late 1400s.

The early table games of the late 1400s were very similar to the games played on the ground. They were also played with pegs, posts and arches. The differences were that the maces were smaller in order to accommodate the raised playing surface. Also, rails were attached to the tables to keep the balls in play. There were many variations of the early, which were played mostly by monarchs and noblemen. These rulers literally dictated the rules that would be played on what was called their "home" table.

In the early 1500s the game spread like wild fire, especially in France. By the end of the century you could find billiard tables in taverns, inns and a number of other public places. From France the game eventually spread to other European countries. In each case it would find itself in homes of nobility and in the royal courts. As the need for tables began to increase at an alarming rate, monarchs would compete with each other to find artisans who could design the most magnificent tables and gaming rooms.

Even through the game was mostly played by nobility, the commoners of the lands also had their own tables built or built them on their own. This included farmers, migrants, field hands and just about anybody. The tables themselves were crude by comparison to the nobleman's tables, usually composed of whatever materials they could get their hands on. And even though some of these tables would fall apart in a stiff breeze, the joy that the game gave to these common folk was unequalled by even the wealthiest kings.

In the mid 1500s the billiards craze spread to England and believe it or not, at least according to history, one of the greatest fans of the game was Mary, Queen Of Scots, who, unfortunately was executed for her part in the attempt to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I, in 1588. When she was first placed in jail, she was allowed the use of a billiard table inside her prison cell. Before she was beheaded this privilege was taken away from her and she wrote a letter of complaint to the Archbishop of Glasgow. Even though she was never allowed to play again, one last wish of hers was granted. After she was beheaded her body was wrapped in the cloth from the table that she played on in her prison cell.

It is obvious from the above account that women enjoyed the game of billiards as much as the men. They also played and competed on every level. Legend tells us that these women were so skilled that they, Marie Antoinette for one, on the eve of the French Revolution, regularly pummelled their male opponents. This has to this day made billiards a popular sport for women as well because the nature of the game, not requiring a lot of physical strength, puts women on an equal playing field with men.

In the next article on billiards history we'll pick up with the 1600s.

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Billiards

Billiards - Early History 1470 - 1600

In this article we are going to continue with the early history of billiards picking up from the late 1400s.

The early table games of the late 1400s were very similar to the games played on the ground. They were also played with pegs, posts and arches. The differences were that the maces were smaller in order to accommodate the raised playing surface. Also, rails were attached to the tables to keep the balls in play. There were many variations of the early, which were played mostly by monarchs and noblemen. These rulers literally dictated the rules that would be played on what was called their "home" table.

In the early 1500s the game spread like wild fire, especially in France. By the end of the century you could find billiard tables in taverns, inns and a number of other public places. From France the game eventually spread to other European countries. In each case it would find itself in homes of nobility and in the royal courts. As the need for tables began to increase at an alarming rate, monarchs would compete with each other to find artisans who could design the most magnificent tables and gaming rooms.

Even through the game was mostly played by nobility, the commoners of the lands also had their own tables built or built them on their own. This included farmers, migrants, field hands and just about anybody. The tables themselves were crude by comparison to the nobleman's tables, usually composed of whatever materials they could get their hands on. And even though some of these tables would fall apart in a stiff breeze, the joy that the game gave to these common folk was unequalled by even the wealthiest kings.

In the mid 1500s the billiards craze spread to England and believe it or not, at least according to history, one of the greatest fans of the game was Mary, Queen Of Scots, who, unfortunately was executed for her part in the attempt to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I, in 1588. When she was first placed in jail, she was allowed the use of a billiard table inside her prison cell. Before she was beheaded this privilege was taken away from her and she wrote a letter of complaint to the Archbishop of Glasgow. Even though she was never allowed to play again, one last wish of hers was granted. After she was beheaded her body was wrapped in the cloth from the table that she played on in her prison cell.

It is obvious from the above account that women enjoyed the game of billiards as much as the men. They also played and competed on every level. Legend tells us that these women were so skilled that they, Marie Antoinette for one, on the eve of the French Revolution, regularly pummelled their male opponents. This has to this day made billiards a popular sport for women as well because the nature of the game, not requiring a lot of physical strength, puts women on an equal playing field with men.

In the next article on billiards history we'll pick up with the 1600s.

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Billiards

The Pool Table

Bars and recreation venues in rural or urban areas offer to their visitors the excitement and the sportsmanship of a famous table-played game, called pool or billiard. On the billiards table's totally flat surface, pool game fans strike, with the use of a specially designed long wooden stick known as "cue stick," colorful balls moving them around the table's area. Pool games attract a variety of publics from around the world, who enjoy the exhilaration of calculating angles and estimating how many strikes it will take them to accomplish their winning goal.

Pool tables are mainly separated into two categories, called carom and pocket tables. In fact, the word "billiards" when standing alone refers to the carom games played on a table without pockets, as opposed to games played on pocket billiards which people recognize as "pools" or also known as "snooker" tables. In Britain and Ireland though, the word "billiards" denotes the "English billiard" exclusively, which is the version of the table with the ball pockets. The difference between the two types is that carom billiards tables do not have six openings -four at each table corner and two at the middle of each of the table's largest sides- in which the pool player is called to direct the colorful balls on the surface of the table by striking each one of them, or more than one at a time, with a white ball. The white ball acts as the "mediator" between the cue stick's point and the round surface of the colored ball the striker aims to hit. If the striker manages to hit the white ball with the right speed and from the right angle then it will in turn hit the colored one which will be directed to fall into one of the tables' holes. Pool table fans generally refer to pocket billiard games, such as 8-ball, 9-ball, straight pool and one-pocket.

Found in many sizes and styles, billiards or pools are tables in a rectangular shape and are generally twice as long as they are wide. When someone refers to the number of a pool table's foots this actually denotes its longer sides' length. Mainly a function of space, the pool table's length varies. English billiard tables, for example, are 12 feet long, while bars typically offer 7-foot tables. Pool halls tend to have 9-foot tables for more professional players, whereas the once commonly found 10-foot tables are now considered collectible items. Finally, the "felt" or "baize" is the cloth that covers the pool table's exposed surface and he higher its quality the faster the balls run on its completely flat surface.

While the word "billiard" has presumably originated from the French word "billart," which means "mace"-an implement that was the predecessor of the modern cue-the game did not remain constricted in Europe. Evolving from an outdoor to an indoor game, billiard became known as "pool," which originates from "poolrooms" where people gambled off their money betting on horse races. Since billiard tables were commonly found in this type of venue, pools became a synonym of billiards and gained fanatic supporters in every continent.

John Gibb is the owner of pool table resources , For more information on pool tables check out http://www.pool-tables-resources2k.info