History of the Game

The game of fort-ball has been evolving for a millennia, but the game played in the Southern part of England in the early 11th century was quite different than the game played for the highest of stakes today. One of the few constants in the sport has been that the field is a space reserved for women. A variety of events and beliefs led western culture to develop separate beliefs about the appropriate activities of each gender, but from the game's beginnings in bittle-battle to the all important upcoming Nations Cup this year the game has been the domain solely of women.

Origins in Bittle-Battle
The first written record found mentioning the forerunner to fort-ball was in the Domesday Book in 1086. Little is mentioned in the rules, but several historians have connected the game to those being played in Sussex for at least several generations by this time. The game was noted for the use of bat and ball and once again that it was a sport played by milk maids.

The game would spread throughout England during the 12th century. Norman rule helped spread the game as a unifying force. Not much is known about the exact rules of the game that were played, but some notable regional differences developed around the way the ball was delivered to the batter. Southern or Sussex style was known as bowling with the player throwing the ball underhanded to the batter. Western or Welsh style was known for its sidearm style known as tossing. Northern style was known as pitching with the overhand style.

The Rise of Scotch Ball
Treaty of Salisbury had provided that Margaret, Maid of Norway needed to arrive on November 1, 1290, but an internal dispute delayed the trip of the Maid of Norway until the following spring until the English ruler Edward I was able to restore order again. Margaret was to become ruler of Scotland after her regency ended. Margaret was to marry Edward’s son, Edward of Carnarvon.

In celebration a festival was arranged in honor of the young Queen. The young Queen is particularly delighted by a tournament of bittle-battle in a modified northern style. The game is widely promoted as a way to curry favor with the young impressionable Queen. The modified northern style gains popularity throughout Scotland and drifts southward.

The Maid of Norway and young Queen of Scotland dies likely due to food poisoning. The kingdom is in mourning but in-fighting between the nobles begin soon leading to the First Scottish War of Independence. The game of fort-ball becomes the national game in honor of Margaret dying at the age of 10.

The game was played throughout Scotland during the first half of the 14th century, but the crisis caused by the capture of King David II elevated the game to prominence. Robert Stewart uses a tournament of bittle-battle to rally support behind him while the young Scottish king is imprisoned by the English for the next decade. The competition is a rousing success and Stewart has strong backing in the Anglo-Scottish conflict that is ongoing at this point in time.

The Stewart family promotes the theory of strength throughout. The theory posited that the true strength of nation was measured by the weakest members. The athletic competition of the national game provided a fair measurement of the best that Scotland had to offer, and the Stewart Clan victory in the so-called King David's Crown marked the first use of the game to settle a political dispute in the western world.

The Auld Ball Game
Scotland and France began a military alliance in 1295 as Scotland fought for its independence from England. The conflict resulted in the Auld Alliance which would provide for the spread of bittle-battle to the continent of Europe. France mostly provided aid in the first War of Scottish Independence, but the Stewart family would promote the game widely in France in roughly 150 years.

John Stewart led a force of Scottish troops in support of France during the later stages of the Hundred Years War. Stewart was an avid supporter of the game, and made sure to bring several bittle-battle teams to entertain him and his soldiers. The major Scottish led victory in the Battle of Baugé leads to massive French interest in Scotch culture. The game spreads as a symbol of the revitalized Valois monarchy in France.

The game spreads throughout France during the 15th and 16th centuries. Henry of Navarre ascends to the throne of France at the conclusion of the War of Three Henrys. The formerly Huguenot faction leader enthusiastically adopts the game. He is apocryphally quoted as saying "Paris is worth a game of bittle-battle." The saying is frequently, and incorrectly, modernized to say fort-ball.

The British Commonwealth System
James VI of Scotland came to power as King James I of a combined England, Scotland and Ireland in 1603. The Stuart family became the rulers of France with the last Tudor monarch in Elizabeth I to pass that year. Elizabeth had established that James would take over as the ruler of England following her passing. James held his coronation nearly immediately in 1603 and announced an ambitious plan.

The British Commonwealth is birthed by the Commonwealth Act of 1603. The act does a number of things in creating a unified island nation. Religious toleration is granted to all, and bittle-battle is officially named fort-ball. The game had been nicknamed Stuart-ball for its long running association with the Scottish noble family, but now becomes the official past time of the new enlightened Commonwealth being founded.

A universal parliament is elected, but the glue that binds this Commonwealth together is the Commonwealth Cup introduced in 1604 by James. It is the oldest, continuously running competition of fort-ball in the world. Noble families were the only challengers for the first Cup and the prize system of buying into to win some grand reward becomes the basis of funding in the Commonwealth.

The rules were officially codified ahead of the 1604 Commonwealth Cup. The number of players was set at 10 a side. Four players were wall defenders, four players guarded the moat, along with a thrower and a receiver. The batter received four balls and four strikes in an at bat. Games were eight innings of four outs. Players were called out either by force or by "plugging", the practice of throwing the ball at the runner on base paths.

Virginia Joint Stock League was founded in 1606. A bold innovation by James I placed England’s languid colonial pursuits to be funded by fort-ball. Corporations and Noble Houses were asked to purchase shares in the new colonial expeditions. The colonial possessions would be split based on a formula for place in the league after each club played four, three game series against all the opponents in the league that season. The king controlled all the stadia located across the Commonwealth and used the vast gate receipts to replace most need for taxing.

14 clubs was the number of participants James I allowed in the inaugural season. There was a mix of teams with a number of royal houses deciding to sit out the new competition. Two types of teams formed with the older Royal teams, led by noble houses, being joined by Corporate teams, clubs run by stockholders, in the first league campaign. A corporate team, the London Company, beat another corporate team, the Plymouth Company, to win the ceremonial pennant in a dramatic final series of the season. There were no profits to be split that season with the fledgling endeavor, but the companies were given generous loans based on the eventual earnings of the colonial pursuits to keep the companies afloat. The English economy is greatly expanded with the government’s coordinated influx of capital into the market. Employment remains high and stability is maintained in the newly founded Commonwealth. Fort-ball as a national game remains a point of pride. The Clan Bruce won its third consecutive Commonwealth Cup. This time beating an English club, House of Beaufort.

The English continue to expand their colonial possessions and the expansion of the Joint Stock League into a three league system, known as the Tri-Leagues. The corporate teams make up the Common League while the noble families are split into English and Gaelic Leagues. The three winners of the pennant compete in the Colonial Series. The winner of the Commonwealth Cup is also granted a berth in the series. If the Commonwealth Cup winner also wins a pennant than they receive a bye, otherwise the team with the most wins plays the Cup winner in the first round. The winner of the Colonial Series receives the greatest share of the colonial profits of that year, profits which had begun a couple of years prior. Within a few years, James I will form divisions and create a promotions and relegation system to earn entry into the top tier of prize pool.

The Grand Wager
Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden is gravely wounded in the Battle of Lützen but miraculously survives. He is unable to travel back to Sweden and instead has to recover somewhere either in France of the Holy Roman Empire. This is where he is introduced to the game of fort-ball.

'The Grand Wager and Gustavus Adolphus use fort-ball to end the “Twenty’s” Year War. 'The Peace of Westphalia codifies fort-ball as the civilized manner of ending disputes between Christian nations. At the end of every local campaign, there is an international campaign held in the final two months of the year. These games are used to resolve any conflicts as warfare becames strictly a conflict between the "civilized' West and the "barbarian" other of the world.

The Enlightenment Rational Realignment
Voltaire writes a treatise in 1751 proposes a rationalizing of fort-ball around multiple of threes. The lineup is limited to nine players with the fourth wall defender removed. The rules are adopted quickly in international play. This is considered the beginning of the Enlightened Era of fort-ball.

The Nations Cup is played in 1754 under the the rational rules, and leagues are standardized at ten teams. European leagues are recognized on equal status. Teams play four game series during the week, and have the weekend plus Monday available for the various cups clubs compete in as well.

The Global Realignment Era
The Occidental and Oriental Leagues are formed in 1901.