THE HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF COSTUME

ALBERT RACINET

THE CLASSIC WORK OF THE 19TH CENTURY

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EUROPE FROM BYZANTIUM TO THE 19TH CENTURY

FRANCE

PEASANTS AND SOLDIERS

Mddle Register

THE ILLUSTRATIONS AT THE TOP of the facing page show the costumes worn by working people in 16th-century France, during the reign of Henri III. The bottom two plates are illustrations of French infantry uniforms from the same period. Some experts have argued that these costumes in fact belong to Flemish soldiers, but there are enough similarities between the uniforms of the French and Flemish infantry for the details given below to serve as an adequate description of both.

In 1574 and 1579, Henri III ruled that only infantry company commanders could wear tabards and breeches made of gold and silver material or silk on silk. Apart from this, and their possession of a baton, there was nothing to distinguish officers from men.
    There was no rigid uniform, and it was considered quite permissible to mix colours, with stockings of one colour and breeches of another. Infantry soldiers often sported as many as eight or 10 colours.
    While ladies wore busks in order to flatten the stomach, soldiers of this period wore devices known as panserons, which had the opposite effect. This gave the flamboyant French and Flemish soldiers the appearance of bully boys - apparently felt to be desirable at this time.
    The doublet, with or without sleeves and slashes, was adjusted to fit over the panseron. Breeches could be tight or baggy going down to just below the knee, but codpieces were now not worn.
    A puckered collar or ruff rose out of the doublet. Headgear consisted of a toque or a Spanish-style sombrero with a plume.
    Soldiers wore sashes as a personal token, but their rallying point was the company's flag. This was made of silk, and was often so large that it had to be held up to prevent it from dragging along the ground. Drums, too, were enormous and awkward to carry, but military cloaks were surprisingly small, barely going past the knees.

Back to France: 16th-Century Peasants And Soldiers by Racinet