Tirechaille
Tiro
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Frondeur par principe
Posts: 12
France
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Hello funda iucunda
I come from the center-west of France. I live in the region called "Touraine" - famous for its "châteaux de la Loire"...
As far as I know, "La fronde" was a revolt which almost turned to a civil war in France. It was at first a complaint against taxes raised to finance a war against Austria. This movement was then taken over by noblemen. "La fronde" started under the reign of Anne d'Autriche, who ran the country instead of Louis XIV, who was too young. The name of this revolt was probably chosen by comparison with the sling... Used by humble people, easy to hide, and not as efficient as modern weapons !
Nowadays, the word "fronde" has still two meanings in French : sling, and revolt.
I don't think there is a real slinging tradition in France. I know the sling was used by the Gauls, as well as by the Germans - I read somewhere that J. Cesar mentioned it. I suppose it disappeared on the battlefields when the crossbow was invented : its main advantage was that anybody could use use it, without being trained, contrary to slings or bows. More recently, the sling was sometimes used during the first world war, to throw grenades.
But I never heard you could sling in a club ! It has always been considered as a weapon for kids or peasants, and it isn't seen as smart as archery... It's a pity.
How about you ? Are people fierce slingers where you come from ?
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