1191 Chinese mathematicians start experimenting with the Indo-Ara-
bic numeral zero. The transmitters were more likely Indo-Iranian
merchants than Zen monks, for if the Zen Buddhists had trans-
mitted the knowledge to China from India, then Chinese mathe-
maticians would have started experimenting with the “gap,” as
they called the numeral, 300 years earlier than they did.
Thirteenth Tahitian priests introduce the Hunareligion into Hawaii. The
century martial art associated with this religion was known as Lua,a
word meaning “to pit [in battle]” or “two” (e.g., duality; the
idea was to balance healing and hurting, good and evil).
Thirteenth According to tradition, a text called Mallapurana(literally,
century Old Story of the Caste of Wrestlers from Modhera) appears in
India. Although the exact date is uncertain (the oldest surviving
copy of the text only dates to 1674–1675), the Malla Puranais
clearly one of the oldest surviving Indian wrestling manuals.
1215 According to tradition, Swiss mountaineers develop Schwingen
(German; swinging) wrestling at Unspunnen, near Interlaken, in
honor of their duke, Betchold von Zaringenn. While thirteenth-
century Swiss mountaineers clearly used wrestling matches to
resolve or minimize intracommunity conflicts, the earliest veri-
fiable Schwingen matches were only held in 1593, and the
sport only became popular following the introduction of
Swedish and Prussian gymnastics into Switzerland during the
1830s.
1228 A woman challenges a man to a judicial duel at the lists in
Bern, Switzerland, and wins. Such challenges were not uncom-
mon in Germany and Switzerland during the thirteenth century,
particularly in rape cases.
1235 Crossbows enter common use with Swiss hunters, and in 1307,
an Altdorf farmer called Wilhelm Tell reportedly uses one to
shoot an apple from atop his son’s head. While the veracity of
the latter tale is questionable (it did not appear in print until
1470), it has become an important part of modern Swiss na-
tionalism.
About 1250 Chivalric codes are codified throughout France.
1258 English clergymen tell their parishioners that they should not
engage in violent wrestling (axlartok),ring-dancing, or dishon-
est games on church holidays.
About 1261 English minstrels create stories about a landless outlaw of the
Sherwood Forest called Robin Hood. Robin’s arrow-splitting
feats appear to combine folklore—heroes are always super-
men—and gambling games with old men’s memories of days
gone by.
1280 The Venetian merchant Marco Polo describes a Mongol
princess named Ai-yaruk (Bright Moon), who refused to get
married until she met a man who could throw her in wrestling.
1285 A Chinese actor introduces Chinese military dances into Viet-
nam. These dances were a possible source of inspiration for the
Vietnamese court dances known as vo vu,which were in turn a
source of inspiration for the eighteenth-century Vietnamese
stickfighting art known as Vo Tay Son(Tay Son fighting) or Vo
Binh Dinh(Binh Dinh fighting).800 Chronological History of the Martial Arts