The history of ice-skating is wrapped in myster
y and with it also the development of ice skates. The only thing we have to go by, is a print made in 1498, which depicts an incident that occurred 100 years earlier: The fall of Lydwina of Schiedam on ice. The picture shows the in 1890 canonized Lydwina with ice skates under her feet similar to the ones shown in later medieval works of art. Unfortunately, the print does not show exactly what her ice skates looked like but from the posture of the skater in the background we can conclude that at the end of the middle ages already ice skates were designed in such a way that they could be used to push off with. Most likely they already were provided with a metal strip underneath.Animal bones as gliders
There is a written 'description of the most noble city of London
', drawn up in Latin and published in 1180, which was translated by Stow, a London chronicler, into English in the 16th century. The account was written by a man named Fitzstephen, who, at that time, was secretary to the Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas à Beckett, and reads as follows: "(...) when the great fenne or moore (which watereth the walles of the citie on the North side) is frozen, many young men play upon the yce, some striding as wide as they may, doe slide swiftly (...) some tye bones to their feete, and under their heeles, and shoving themselves by a little picked staffe, doe slide as swiftly as
birde flyeth in the aire, or
an arrow out of a crossbow. Sometime two runne together with poles, and hitting one the other, eyther one or both doe fall, not without hurt; some break their armes, some their legs, but youth desirous of glorie, in this sort exerciseth it selfe against time of warre (...)". From this description it appears that it is likely that in the 12th century ice skates with metal blades did not yet exist. In the 19th century, when archaeology became a science, these bones were found at several places in Europe when making excavations. Generally they concern bones out of the legs of cattle like horses, cows and sheep. They were made suitable for gliding
by flattening one side and drilling holes athwart for fastening them with laces. Further research has made clear that the use of bones as gliders under sledges and feet in northern Europe has been wide spread. Anyway, a development from gliding on bones to skating on ironed wood seems to be logical. But unfortunately we do not know how this development has taken place.The Vikings or the Dutch?
But the diffusion of the art of ice skating as such is unclear too. It is generally thought that the cradle of ice skating stood in the Netherlands (literally: the low lying countries) and that around 1600 the art of ice skating spread to other countries on the continent as well as to England and from there to other Anglo-Saxon countries like the United States and Canada. In the Scandinavian countries, however, it is claimed that ice skating was introduced in the Netherlands around 800 by the Vikings. They think the art of ice skating derived from the Nordic custom to prevent people from sinking in loose snow by binding boards under boots. This custom should have resulted in both skiing and ice skating.