Jeu de paume "jeu de paulme" as it was formerly spelled, literally means "palm game". In time, gloves replaced bare hands. Even when paddle-like bats, and finally racquets, became standard equipment for the game by the late 17th century, the name did not change. It became known as "tennis" in English "(see History of tennis)", and later "real tennis" after the derived game of lawn tennis became the more widely known sport. The term is used in France today to denote the game of tennis on a court in which the ancient or modern game might be played. The indoor version is sometimes
Paris in the 17th century events. All they lacked were color; all the fireworks were white or pale gold, until the introduction from China of colored fireworks in the 18th century. The most popular sport for French nobles in the first part of the 17th century was the "jeu de paume", a form of handball or tennis, which reached its peak of popularity under Henry IV, when there were more than 250 courts throughout the city. Louis XIV, however, preferred billiards, and the number of courts for "jeu de paume" dropped to 114. The owners of the courts found an original and effective strategy to