In
early medieval times, everyday fashion marked the wearer’s status, aristocrat
or commoner, laity or clergy. Widespread poverty gave peasants little choice,
and it was common for someone to have only one set of clothing and not be able
to afford undergarments.
The
few clothes they possessed were made of wool or linen they helped produce. Silk
was imported and thus reserved for the wealthy.
At
least, that’s what we surmise. The authors of early medieval primary sources
usually didn’t bother with information their contemporaries already knew. When
reading them, you get the feeling the authors would look at you askance and
say, “Who cares about peasants? Let me tell you about my boss’s victories in
battle or this saint’s piety.”
According
to Theodulf, the undercover prelate would trade his fine linen shirt for a
rough one, cover it with a loose knee-length garment rather than one that fit tightly
on the torso, and don a hood, probably made of wool. The costume also involved wrapping
the prelate’s legs with narrow strips of cloth and slipping his feet into heavy
shoes, likely with wooden soles.
To
finish the look, he would put a knife in his belt, which was perhaps rope or a
leather thong. Everyone, both men and women, had eating knives.
Beyond
Theodulf’s poem, we can guess at a few more things. A woman likely wore a linen
shift (if she could afford one), covered by an ankle length woolen garment, and
heavy shoes. She, too, would have at least a knife at her belt. If she was
married, modesty dictated she cover her hair with a veil.
To
keep warm in the winter, peasants might use cloaks of sheepskin or wool, the
latter when undyed and tightly woven repelled water, and sheepskin mittens
would protect their hands.
While
peasant could not afford precious metals and stones for jewelry, it’s not too
much of a stretch for them to use less expensive materials such as bone or wood
to adorn themselves with rings, broaches, or pendants. Even if you had only one
set of clothes, you’d want to look nice.
Sources
Daily
Life in the World of Charlemagne, Pierre Riché (translated by Jo Ann McNamara)
Daily Life in the Age of
Charlemagne,
by John J. Butt
Einhard’s
The Life of Charlemagne,
translated by Evelyn Scherabon Firchow and Edwin H. Zeydel
The
heroine of Kim Rendfeld’s upcoming release, The
Ashes of Heaven’s Pillar (August 28, 2014, Fireship Press) is an early
medieval peasant who will go to great lengths to protect her children after
she’s lost everything else – her husband, her home, her faith, even her freedom. To read the first chapter or find out more
about Kim, visit kimrendfeld.com, her blog
Outtakes of a Historical Novelist at kimrendfeld.wordpress.com, like
her on Facebook at facebook.com/authorkimrendfeld,
follow her on Twitter at @kimrendfeld, or contact her at kim [at] kimrendfeld
[dot] com.
