Essay on Clothing and Middle Ages

Mrs. Fong Nicholas Kim and Jonathan Tsai Social Science, Period 5 February 17, 2014 title Our focus is going to be clothing that peasants wore during the Middle Ages that lasted from 500 AD to 1500 AD. The subtopics are men and children, class(rank), women, and the materials that the Medieval people used. In general the people wore different types of clothes depending on rank. We will also focus on the shoes (artifact) which was worn by all classes in fabrics and staple especially for winter.
The men and children in the Medieval era didn’t have the best clothing. The type of clothing and the quality of their clothing the men wore depended on how wealthy they were. Usually outdoor workers, such as stable boys and gardeners, were likely to come in contact with visitors and have been better dressed. The peasant men’s clothing was made of rough wool that was dyed brown, green, or yellow. Men wore loose garments (tunics) like short dresses reaching down to the knees. The tunics were tied at the waist with a rope or leather belt that were held with a knife in a pouch. Older and wealthier men wore long flowing tunics. Men also wore clothes that suited their work and carried tools of their trade. Craftspeople wore belts on which hung large squares and bags of tools. Craftsmen wore simple skull caps called coifs to keep their hair out of their face when they worked. Mens’ fashions changed the most when men began to wear hoses with short jackets (doublets) that ended just below the waist. Boys dressed like their fathers and wore woolen tunics and stockings and leather belts and boots. In the Middle Ages, clothing wasn’t designed specifically for children. Children and men had many difficult times in the Middle Ages. Women also had clothing that was out of fashion at the time. Peasant women wore simple tunics and aprons while doing work. Most women worked indoors and didn’t need a protective outer garment. Women typically wore aprons throughout the day. Women might wear a simple shawl, cape, or pelisse during the cold weather. Virtually, every woman knew how to sew if only a just a little and garments were patched and mended for years. The basic garment was the tunic. These tunics were made either by folding over a long piece of fabric and cutting a hole in the center of the fold for the neck, or by sewing two pieces together at the shoulders.
Nobles and peasants had many differences and similarities in the Middle Ages. Kings and queens were the most important nobles in Medieval Europe and the clothing they wore at public coronations and weddings included crowns decorated with precious jewelry, while peasants had no precious jewelry at all. Reeves were manor officials who carried tally sticks which were wooden handles. The manor officials used the tally sticks to keep track of the amount of crops and the number of work days the peasants owed to the nobles. It was common for peasants to walk barefoot, especially in warmer weather. In cooler weather however, a simple leather shoe was worn. The most common style of shoes was the ankle high boots that was laced in the front. Later, styles were closed by a single strap and buckle. Jesters only entertained the nobles in castles, and they wore colorful stockings, and tunics and hats with bells. Peasants were very different and similar to the nobles in the

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