Clothing of the Early Middle Ages
From 300 – 1500; including Byzantium, Holy Roman Empire, Viking Age, Feudal
Europe & Anglo-Saxon England, 12 th century Europe, & 13 th century Europe
(Note: vocabulary terms are in italics throughout this document)
Tunic – dominant garment for all classes and regions throughout period, changes in fit,
ornamentation and sleeves as period progresses
Sources for costume information:
ART






Mosaics (ie: Justinian & Theodora @ Ravenna)
Paintings (usually of saints & Holy Family, but period attire seen around the edges)
Frescoes (gouache on plaster, wall decoration)
Statues
Funeral effigies
Embroidery (Bayeaux Tapestry shows Anglo-Norman styles, 1066)
ARCHAEOLOGY


grave excavations – provide burial garments
Oseborg ship (Viking burial ship)
LITERATURE
Byzantium (c. 456AD – 1453AD)





Fabric: silk, cotton, linen, & wool
Loved colors, esp. red (purple for royalty)
Heavily ornamented (pearls, gems), ornate weaving (brocade, floral, geometric)
o Layers, longer on women & shorter on men (& slaves), longer tunics on men = more
wealth or social status
o Outer tunics decorated at wrists, hems, & shoulders (minimum)
o Clavi
o Segmentae
o Dalmatic - outer tunic, heavily decorated, often has wide full sleeves cut to display
under tunic sleeves
o Worn belted
Rectangular cloak with tablion, pinned at shoulder, worn mostly by men; women wore the palla
Jeweled collar – popular for women, also called a pectoral



Shoes – soft shoes or sandals
Hair
o Men – short, clean-shaven
o Women – long, pulled back from face from center part, turban-like hats (decorated with
jewels) or veils
Jewelry – Yes. Lots of it. For both men & women.
Early Middle Ages (Merovingian/Carolingian Europe, Holy Roman
Empire,)







Influenced by Byzantium, but less wealth to display
Tunic worn in layers, made of wool or linen, decorated at wrist and hem, still short on men
(often regardless of rank) & long on women
Braies – loose pants worn by men for warmth, may be cross-gartered from knee to ankle
Hose – wool leg coverings worn by men & women for warmth, men - attached to belt at waist &
tied at knee with woven garters to keep them well fitted, women – knee high & gartered at knee
Hair
o Men – worn long early on, but gradually shortens
o Women – worn in braids or veiled for married women, loose for unmarried women
Belts – called girdles, worn over outer tunic, may be ornately jeweled or more functional
Shoes – soft shoes or calf-high boots
Viking Age




Women wore a single tunic (or tunic & skirt) with an apron over the top
Apron pinned on with ornate brooches
Chatelaine – string of beads between brooches, shows wealth & authority
Men wore loose pants with leg wraps & shorter tunics layered over the top
Feudal Europe & Anglo-Saxon England (through end of 11th century)



Undershirts – called chemises, short-sleeved linen garments, worn under tunics
Braies – loose fitting linen breeches fastened at the waist with a belt, may be short or long, long
braies were worn with cross-gartering – only worn by men
Tunics – shorter for men (knee length) & floor length for women, worn in two layers over
chemise
o Under tunic had longer fitted sleeves, often excess fabric in sleeve is pushed up to
bunch at the wrist
o Over tunic had fuller sleeves, worn VERY loose & bloused over the belt at the waist.
o Made of wool & linen mostly, only the very wealthy wore silk





Hoods begin to be separate from cloaks (also called mantles), mantles are rectangular, may be
fur-lined, may be open down the front or closed with space for the head to go through
Shoes – soft, heel-less shoes & calf height boots (also without heels) made of leather or fabric
Socks – woven, often brightly colored
Hair
o Men – worn short & parted in the center
o Women – worn in braids or veiled for married women, loose for unmarried women
Belts – called girdles, worn over outer tunic, may be ornately jeweled or more functional
12th Century Europe





Tunics are still the dominant garment, but they undergo some critical shifts
o On men, tunics are no longer layered, we see increased evidence of only a single tunic
being worn, or that undertunic is no longer visible
o On the upper classes, tunics begin to fit MUCH closer to the torso & upper hip, even
being laced closed at the sides, but with an attached and fuller skirt to better drape the
hipline – French writers of the period call this a bliaut.
 Modesty shift: Both the bliaut & chemise were laced. These laces often landed
on top of one another, showing the bare flesh beneath.
o Sleeves for women’s outer tunics become even longer & more exaggerated (pendant
cuffs, wide cuffs with decorative banding, or bell-shaped)
Chainse – washable, probably linen; long & pleated garment with side lacing, worn inside or
over the chemise (but w/o outer tunic)
Mantle – long, capelike garments that opened down the front & fastened with a long ribbon
that was attached to clasps placed on either side of the front
Pelice, or peliçon – any fur-trimmed (or lined) garment, could be under tunic, outer tunic, or
mantle
Hair for women: worn in braids to either side of the face, may be entwined with ribbon, veil
draped over top (veil may hide hair entirely in lower classes)
o New developments in headdresses include:
 Barbette – linen band passed from one temple under chin & up to other temple.
Worn with fillet
 Fillet – standing linen band over which a veil might be draped
 Wimple – fine white linen or silk scarf that covered the neck, center placed
under chin & each end pulled up & fastened above the ear or at the temple.
Generally worn in combination with a veil
13th century Europe

Name changes:
o Braies eventually become breeches
o Chemise definitely means undershirt







o Undertunic becomes cote (may be slit in the front from hem to waist)
o Overtunic becomes surcote (may be slit in the front from hem to waist)
Sleeve variations:
o Cote:
 Long & tightly fitted
 Very full under the arm, tapering to a close fit at the wrist, sometimes called a
Magyar sleeve
o Surcote:
 Sleeveless with a round or wide horizontal neckline & wide armholes, sewn
closed under the armholes (armholes for women were wider so cote would be
visible underneath – in France, these sideless surcotes were called “gates of
hell”)
 Sleeves to the elbows or ¾ of the way down the arm (cut more wide & full for
women than for men)
 Magyar style
Outdoor garments:
o Open & closed mantles are still worn
 Garnache: long cloak with capelike sleeves, often lined or collared with fur,
open at the sides under the arms
 Herigaut (sometimes called gardcors or gadrecorps): full garment with long
wide sleeves & a slit below the shoulder in the front through with the arm could
be slipped, leaving the long, full sleeve hanging behind
 Tabard: short, loose garment with short or no sleeves; fastened under the arms
with seam or fabric tab; worn by servants and decorated with insignia to
identify household
 Fitchet: slits that look like pockets made in looser garments to be able to reach
inside for warmth or to reach purse hanging from belt underneath.
Shoes – soft, heel-less shoes & calf height boots (also without heels) made of leather or fabric;
may buckle or lace
Socks – woven, often brightly colored; hose still worn, beginning to be footed
Hair & headdresses
o Men – hair worn short & parted in the center, few beards
 Coif: linen cap worn over hair, can be tied under chin
 Hood: worn without cape, fit the head closely and made with a long, hanging
tube of fabric hanging down the back called a liripipe
o Women – unmarried girls wear their hair uncovered, married women cover hair with
veils & hair nets; barbettes, fillets, & wimples still appear but worn over hair nets rather
than over veils
Belts – called girdles, worn over outer tunic, may be ornately jeweled or more functional
Accessories:
o Gloves: may be wrist or elbow length
o
o
o
Purses: worn suspended from belt, sometimes underneath outer garment & accessed
via fitchet
Jewelry: rings, belts, clasps, & brooches
Cosmetics: perfumes & ointments come back into general use after the Crusades