Manners, Customs, and Dress During the Middle Ages, and During the Renaissance Period

by Paul LaCroix

Excerpt from Manners, Customs, and Dress During the Middle Ages, and During the Renaissance Period

In a high order of ideas, What great facts serve as a foundation to our history and that of the modern world We have first royalty, which, weak and debased under the Merovingians, rises and establishes itself energetically under Pépin and Charlemagne, to degenerate under Louis le Débonnaire and Charles le Chauve. After having dared a second time to found the Empire of the Caesars, it quickly sees its sovereignty replaced by feudal rights, and all its rights usurped by the nobles, and has to struggle for many centuries to recover its rights one by one. Feudalism, evidently of Germanic origin, will also attract our attention, and we shall draw a rapid outline of this legislation, which, barbarian at the onset, becomes by degrees subject to the rules of moral progress. We shall ascertain that military service is the essence itself of the fief, and that thence springs feudal right. On our way we shall protest against civil wars, and shall welcome emancipation and the formation of the communes. F 01 lowing the thousand details of the life of the people, we shall see the slave become serf, and the serf become peasant. We shall assist at the dispensation of justice by royalty and nobility, at the solemn sittings of parliaments, and we shall see the complicated details of a strict ceremonial, which formed an integral part of the law, develop themselves before us. The counters of dealers, fairs and markets, manufactures, commerce, and industry, also merit our attention; we must search deeply into corporations of workmen and tradesmen, examining their statutes, and initiating ourselves into their business. Fashion and dress are also a manifestation of public and private customs for that reason we must give them particular attention.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Medieval, Reference, Historical, Medieval History, Classics

644 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1877

About the author

Paul Lacroix (April 27, 1806 – October 16, 1884) was a French author and journalist. He is known best by his pseudonym P.L. Jacob, bibliophile, or Le Bibliophile Jacob, suggested by his great interest in libraries and books generally.

Lacroix was born in Paris, the son of a novelist. He was a prolific and varied writer, composing more than twenty historical romances as well as a variety of serious historical works, including histories of Napoleon III and of the Czar Nicholas I of Russia.

He was the joint author with Ferdinand Séré of a five-volume work, Le moyen âge et la renaissance (1847), a profusely illustrated standard work on the manners, customs and dress of the Renaissance. He also wrote many monographs on phases of the history of culture, including Manners, Custom and Dress During the Middle Ages and During the Renaissance Period. Someone using the name Pierre Dufour published an exhaustive six-volume Histoire de la prostitution (1851–1854), which has always been attributed to Lacroix. His works concerning bibliography were also numerous, as was his periodical Revue universelle des arts, which he initiated in 1855. In 1855 he was appointed librarian of the Arsenal Library, Paris.

Reviews

[Fredrick Danysh]

An encompassing background of the Middle Ages and Renaissance period is presented in this work. It cover both the elite and the peasants looking at among other things customs, living and work conditions, food, dress, and religion. It gives a good overview and is an interesting addition to the library of anyone interested in the history of Europe during these periods.

[Noka]

I love this book. It's one of those books that you can put down and pick up as you wish, and always learn something new. The book covers a wide range of topics from divorce law to banquet menus. By the end of the book, I felt as though I had a complete understanding of the time and it's setting.

[Kilian Metcalf]

I was too strapped for cash to buy a hard copy. Unfortunately Kindle doesn't show any of the illustrations that would make this book invaluable to an SCA member. Still, filled with good background information. You get what you pay for, and this book was free.

[Heather]

The sections on Jewish and Romani people were incredibly fucking racist. There are better books out there.

[Danelle]

This is a good introduction to customs and dress, despite its age. I would recommend looking at some of the newer works in this area, as many are more detailed.

[Tech Nossomy]

Expansive and well-written, this book provides a wealth of information on life in the Middle Ages by both the working class and the bourgeoisie. Even though the subject matter is largely France-centric, it is often brought into a more Europe-broad context as well as where applicable historical context, ie Roman / Egyptian / etc.

The many anecdotes are another reason the book is highly readable. Though first published in 1877, the information presented still largely holds up and brings to the fore the message that society back then was, as it is now, dependent on societal organisation, such as guilds, money exchange, taxation, and trade agreements. Writing style is matter of factly.

Available on Project Gutenberg.

[Mario Sergio]

É interessante observar e verificar os costumes desta época da história e sobre o qual as pessoas tem poucas e distorcidas impressões.

São abordadas questões sobre as condições das pessoas, costumes, privilégios, direitos, a vida privada nos castelos, comidas, caça e jogos, comércio, dinheiro e finanças e muitos mais coisas sobre povos tais como ciganos e judeus.

O que peca é a formatação. As ilustrações estão indicadas, mas não estão nessa versão razão pela qual eu dei apenas 3 estrelas.

Mas vale a pena para quem desejar se informar sobre esses e outros aspectos da vida na idade média.

[Alan Lampe]

Paul covers many aspects of medieval life. You really get a better understanding of how people lived back then. There isn't a bibliography at the end, or an index, or even a notes section. Which is slightly confusing because at the bottom of some pages are letters, ranging from A to 4A. I couldn't find anything that indicates what those letters are for. Still, if you are an author and want to start learning about the Medieval Life during the Middle Ages, this is a wonderful resource.

[Doris Raines]

NICE BOOK.

[Annette McIntyre]

Could be useful

Lots of descriptions are given for clothing from the time periods of the title. However, there are no pictures, even though the text refers to many illustrations.

[Tracy Shea]

Enjoyed this book on the intricacies of my favorite historical time period.

[Lindsay]

This was a painful book to read, but finally it is done.

[Jorvon Carter]

It's a little biased in favor of Christianity, but otherwise it contains a lot of information about the European Middle Ages.

[Jason]

Absent data from most of the leader's soundbites past, present, and more than probably the future.

[Deborah Pommer]

I listened to the audiobook edition while at work.

[Velvetink]

kindle

[Chic]

Good review, worth the read.