Real tennis 1599. The game thrived among the 17th-century nobility in France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, and the Habsburg Empire, but suffered under English Puritanism, as it was heavily associated with gambling. By the Age of Napoleon, the royal families of Europe were besieged and real tennis, a court game, was largely abandoned. Real tennis played a role in the history of the French Revolution, through the Tennis Court Oath, a pledge signed by French deputies in a real tennis court, which formed a decisive early step in starting the revolution. During the 18th century and early 19th century, as real tennis
Oriel Square tennis court site is now the location of Oriel College's Harris Building, used for student accommodation, a seminar room and lecture theatre. Oriel Square tennis court The Oriel Square tennis court was a real tennis court that was located in Oriel Square, central Oxford, England. The "Liber Albus" mentions the Oriel court being in Vinehall Lane in 1577. The only active court left in the city is in Merton Street. Charles I played tennis here with his nephew Prince Rupert in December 1642 and King Edward VII had his first tennis lesson here in 1859. The court survived until 1923, when it