, later (), is a traditional team sport that originated in Normandy and Picardy. The ball, called a , could be solid or hollow and made of either wood or leather. Leather balls would be filled with hay, bran, horse hair or moss. Sometimes the balls had woolen pompons. Early records It would appear that ball games such as la soule developed naturally as a pastime, if only tossing the ball around. Such a game would be played wherever crowds of people met, e.g., after church services on Sundays or on religious holidays. La soule was played chiefly on the Christian holidays of Easter, Christmas, or on occasion at weddings or the day of the patron saint of the parish. The play could be aggressive, sometimes violent. It involved getting a ball to the opponents’ goal, using hands, feet or sticks. It was not uncommon for participants to be injured, and broken limbs were often reported. The sport seems to have been a very important stress release for the common villagers. 1147 – A charter in France specifies the payment of an amount of money and handing over of "seven balloons of greatest dimension". 1283 – The only reference to a game in Cornwall dates from this year. A man named Roger was accused of striking a fellow player in a game called soule with a stone, a blow which proved fatal. The details were recorded in the plea rolls no. 111. 1393 – In Paris, a game took place in front of Saint-Eustache. 1396 – The rules of the game were codified. The soules were getting large as people were trying to exceed their predecessors, but this zeal had to be restricted. A rule dated 1412 limited the size of the ball or soule, stating that it had to be small enough to be held with one hand. This habit disappeared within the 16th century. 1365 – Documents record the game of soule as an ordinance of Charles V "that the solles cannot appear among the games which serve the exercise of the body." Moreover, it does not appear that the Breton sovereigns (Brittany being independent at the time) continued the game, as it was not under the same ecclesiastical authority. 1440 – Another prohibition by the bishop of Tréguier made it clear that this game had been practised for a long time. He threatened the players with excommunication,