Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
In England, which in this respect was typical of Europe, from the reign of Edward III in the Middle Ages until well into the 17th century, [3] sumptuary laws dictated what colour and type of clothing, furs, fabrics, and trims were allowed to persons of various ranks or incomes. In the case of clothing, this was intended, amongst other reasons ...
In the Middle Ages, the types of clothing which people could wear were dictated by clothing laws. These laws dictated which classes of people could obtain and wear certain types of clothing. The laws were based on a hierarchy of wealth or status. These laws are sometimes labelled as sumptuary laws.
A Statute Concerning Diet and Apparel (37 Edw. 3. cc. 1, 3 - 19) (Latin: Statut' de Victu et Vestitu) was a sumptuary law introduced by the Parliament of England in 1363. It was one of a series of laws over a couple of centuries that form what are known as the Acts of Apparel.
The medieval sumptuary laws or "acts of apparel" were put into place to regulate the clothing choices of people during that time. [75] Those who supported the enactment of such laws did so because the laws emphasized the differences between the classes, and clearly defined what those differences are. [76]
The Middle Ages saw clothing become a direct reflection of social class. Nobility and royalty wore intricate, heavy garments with embroidery, fur, and jewels, while common folk stuck to simpler ...
The Cloth Act 1337 (11 Edw. 3.c. 2) was an Act of the Parliament of England passed during the reign of Edward III.. The act legally obliged all English people to wear English-made cloth. [1]
The expense meant that purple-dyed textiles became status symbols, whose use was restricted by sumptuary laws. The most senior Roman magistrates wore a toga praetexta, a white toga edged in Tyrian purple. The even more sumptuous toga picta, solid Tyrian purple with gold thread edging, was worn by generals celebrating a Roman triumph. [4]
With the wages of the lower classes still rising, the government also attempted to regulate demand and consumption by reinstating the sumptuary laws in 1363. [177] These laws banned the lower classes from consuming certain products or wearing high-status clothes, and reflected the significance of the consumption of high-quality breads, ales and ...