Pierre de Frdy was born in Paris on 1 January 1863 into an established aristocratic family.

He was the fourth child of Baron Charles ouis Frdy! Baron de Coubertin and "arie#"arcelle $i%ault de Crisenoy. Family tradition held that the Frdy name had first arri&ed in France in the early 1'th century! and the first recorded title of nobility %ranted to the family was %i&en by ouis () to an ancestor! also named Pierre de Frdy! in 1*++. But other branches of his family tree del&ed e&en further into French history! and the annals of both sides of his family included nobles of &arious stations! military leaders! and associates of ,in%s and -rinces of France. Coubertin %rew u- in a time of -rofound chan%e in France. France/s defeat in the Franco0 Prussian 1ar! the Paris Commune! and the establishment of the French 2hird 3e-ublic! and later the 4reyfus 5ffair. But while these e&ents were the settin% of his childhood! his school e6-eriences were 7ust as formati&e. )n 8ctober 18+*! his -arents enrolled him in a new Jesuit school called Externat de la rue de Vienne! which was still under construction for his first fi&e years there. 1hile many of the school/s attendees were day students! Coubertin boarded at the school under the su-er&ision of a Jesuit -riest! which his -arents ho-ed would instill him with a stron% moral and reli%ious education. 2here! he was amon% the to- three students in his class! and was an officer of the school/s elite academy made u- of its best and bri%htest. 2his su%%ests that des-ite his rebelliousness at home! Coubertin ada-ted well to the strict ri%ors of a Jesuit education. 5s an aristocrat! Coubertin had a number of career -aths from which to choose! includin% -otentially -rominent roles in the military or -olitics. But he chose instead to -ursue a career as an intellectual! studyin% and later writin% on a broad ran%e of to-ics! includin% education! history! literature! and sociolo%y. Coubertin was an educationalist who attem-ted to reform the French education system. He was interested in s-orts education as he belie&ed it had the -otential to de&elo- what he called 9moral ener%y9 and e&entually became :ecretary $eneral of the ;nion of French :ocieties of 5thletic :-orts <;:F:5=.

2he sub7ect which he seems to ha&e been most dee-ly interested in was education! and his study focused in -articular on -hysical education and the role of s-ort in schoolin%. )n 1883! he &isited >n%land for the first time! and studied the -ro%ram of -hysical education instituted by 2homas 5rnold at the 3u%by :chool. Coubertin credited these methods with leadin% to the e6-ansion of British -ower durin% the 1?th century and ad&ocated their use in French institutions. 2he inclusion of -hysical education in the curriculum of French schools would become an on%oin% -ursuit and -assion of Coubertin/s. )n fact! Coubertin is thou%ht to ha&e e6a%%erated the im-ortance of s-ort to 2homas 5rnold! whom he &iewed as @one of the founders of athletic chi&alryA. 2he character0reformin% influence of s-ort with which Coubertin was so im-ressed is more li,ely to ha&e ori%inated in the no&el Tom Brown's School Days rather than e6clusi&ely in the ideas of 5rnold himself. Bonetheless! Coubertin was an enthusiast in need of a cause and he found it in >n%land and in 2homas 5rnold. @2homas 5rnold! the leader and classic model of >n%lish educators!A wrote Coubertin! @%a&e the -recise formula for the role of athletics in education. 2he cause was Cuic,ly won. Playin% fields s-ran% u- all o&er >n%landA. )ntri%ued by what he had read about >n%lish -ublic schools! in 1883! at the a%e of twenty! Fredy went to 3u%by and to other >n%lish schools to see for himself. He described the results in a boo,! LEducation en Angleterre! which was -ublished in Paris in 1888. 2his hero of his

boo, is 2homas 5rnold! and on his second &isit in 1886! Coubertin reflected on 5rnold/s influence in the cha-el at 3u%by :chool. 1hat Coubertin saw on the -layin% fields of 3u%by and the other >n%lish schools he &isited was how @or%anised s-ort can create moral and social stren%thA. Bot only did or%anised %ames helto set the mind and body in eCuilibrium! it also -re&ented the time bein% wasted in other ways. First de&elo-ed by the ancient $ree,s! it was an a--roach to education that he felt the rest of the world had for%otten and to whose re&i&al he was to dedicate the rest of his life. 5s a historian and a thin,er on education! Coubertin romanticised ancient $reece. 2hus! when he be%an to de&elo- his theory of -hysical education! he naturally loo,ed to the e6am-le set by the 5thenian idea of the %ymnasium! a trainin% facility that simultaneously encoura%ed -hysical and intellectual de&elo-ment. He saw in these %ymnasia what he called a tri-le unity between old and youn%! between disci-lines! and between different ty-es of -eo-le! meanin% between those whose wor, was theoretical and those whose wor, was -ractical. Coubertin ad&ocated for these conce-ts! this tri-le unity! to be incor-orated into schools. But while Coubertin was certainly a romantic! and while his idealised &ision of ancient $reece would lead him later to the idea of re&i&in% the 8lym-ic $ames! his ad&ocacy for -hysical education was based on -ractical concerns as well. He belie&ed that men who recei&ed -hysical education would be better -re-ared to fi%ht in wars! and better able to win conflicts li,e the Franco0 Prussian 1ar! in which France had been humiliated. 5dditionally! he also saw s-ort as democratic! in that s-orts com-etition crossed class lines! althou%h it did so without causin% a min%lin% of classes! which he did not su--ort. ;nfortunately for Coubertin! his efforts to incor-orate more -hysical education into French schools failed. 2he failure of this endea&our! howe&er! was closely followed by the de&elo-ment of a new idea! the re&i&al of the ancient 8lym-ic $ames! the creation of a festi&al of international athleticism. He was -articularly fond of ru%by and was the referee of the first e&er French cham-ionshi- ru%by union final on DE "arch 18?D between 3acin% Club de France and :tade FranFais.