Category: Male clothing > medieval shoes

Medieval knight shoes

Medieval knight shoes

Century: XIII, XIV, XV

CODE

Material

Standard ? × SPES products - technology & methods of manufacturing Machine-made standard - products with visible signs of using modern methods and tools in their production; e.g. visible outside and inside seams in clothing made with the use of a machine. Mixed standard - products with visible signs of using both modern and traditional methods and tools in their production; e.g. main, inside seams in clothing are made with the use of a machine while outside stitches and details are sewn by hand. Hand-made standard - goods with visible signs of using only traditional methods and tools in their production; e.g. all seams in clothing are sewn by hand. *NOTE. We always use high quality materials and fabrics while making our products - the above standards of their production are not related to the materials used.

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This medieval shoes were designed for reenactors and medieval soldiers. Knight's medieval boots are dedicated to all who care about comfort of use but also safety and versatility.

Medieval knight shoes are the perfect choice for knights and reenactors taking part in historical tournaments. Our knight footwear will work during both one-on-one duels and group fights, like bohurts. Medieval knight boots will also work in everyday routines in a medieval camp or during elevated celebrations.

Medieval shoes for knight of this type are made of cowhide of at least 2 mm thickness, plant tanned or chemically tanned depending on a chosen color.

High upper parts in these medieval knight shoes reaches the calf. It works as an extra protective layer during fights. These historical shoes are tied up in the front with a leather strap.

In the basic version, the knight’s boots are made of one layer of soft leather, hardened with a heel and fabric insert. All the stitches in these medieval soldier’s shoes are fully hand-sewn. Heels are manually glued to the upper, with no additional stitchings, just like inner leather insoles.

Soldier shoes are available in two options:
- MSS1430 - leather shoes with rubber sole
- MSS1431 - leather shoes with leather sole

NOTE - knight boots are sewn from various deliveries of leather from the suppliers. Colors presented on pictures may slightly differ from the final product. You get a unique pair of shoes.

Our knight footwear is available in a range of colors: natural, black, brown, and red. Fully leather shoes have a light-brown sole. A rubber sole option is available in the following colors:
- natural - light-brown sole
- black - black sole
- brown - dark-brown sole
- red - light-brown sole
If you want to change any of the mentioned colors (of the sole or of the upper part), please contact us to check the possibilities.

Please choose a size of your knight footwear from the chart below. To choose the correct size, please measure the length of the foot and length of the insole in your shoes.

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Knight shoes from the Museum

A collection of medieval shoes, including leather knight boots tied up in front, can be found in the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen.

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Main features:

- made of natural cowhide
- wide range of colors to choose from
- high upper part ensuring an extra protective layer
- dedicated for medieval knights
- perfect for duels and group fights (bohurt, reenactment)
- high quality in a fair price thanks to hand-sewing of visible stitchings
- tied up with a leather strap makes it easier with fitting to the leg’s width

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Shoes in the Middle Ages

Nowadays we perceive footwear as an essential part of everyday clothing. It had similar role even hundreds years ago. A shoe protects foot against overload but also against water, cold and injuries. It also provides proper traction.

Shoes were always made of 2 parts: a sole and upper. These were produced mostly of grain leather sewn together with hempen thread. Later, historical shoes became a representative symbol which indicated the wearers’ wealth and social status. The richer a person was, the more decorative their shoe was

Today we know that foot protection was popular even in prehistory. In 1991 a pair of tourists during their trek in the Alps, near Ötztal in Southern Tyrol, found frozen corpse of a man from around 3300 BC. Ötzi, as that is how the man was named, was wearing shoes from deer skin and bear sole. He had straw of grass inside the shoes. Such construction protected his feet again injuries and moisture and ensured comfort and hygiene. In the ancient times people worn usually sandals from papyrus, sometimes from leather. Romans worn leather shoes similar to sandals with full sole, often with studs. These were called caligae.

Footwear fashion evolved in the Middle Ages. Medieval shoes were produced from cattle, sheep or goat leather. They were sewn on shoemaker's lasts. The sole was mounted with nails, then other elements were sewn together. In the 12th century a shape of shoe known today came to existence. Distinctive medieval shoes with lengthened tip can be found on miniatures from 12th century onwards.

There were many ways of decorating medieval shoes. Leather was often hemmed and decorated with additional outer elements. Usually medieval footwear was cut out, punctured, stamped, embossed, embroidered, or simply additional fancy elements like pearls were sewn onto it.

Another interesting fact is connected with colour of shoes contrasting with hose. Of course, the more fancy a shoe, the wealthier his owner was. In the medieval times people believed that the less decorative shoe was, the more god-fearing and well-behaved his owner was.

In the 15th century, shoes with pointy toes gained great popularity. These were called poulaine or crakoves. Their special shape made it a bit difficult to walk in them. It was the most significant change in the European shoe shape. The people of commune wore medieval footwear with much shorter toes. Typical poulaine were accompanied by other decorations, also to underline the original outfit. However, as soon as such footwear started to be perceived as reprehensible, wearing it became forbidden.

There is a theory saying that both of these special names can be associated with Poland. In France, it was called a la Poulaine (from Poland), and in England - crakoves (from Cracow). However, scientists till this day are not sure about the correctness of this theory.

Each medieval person knew overshoes – rigid, wooden soles with heels worn under leather shoes. These protected the footwear against mud, rain or snow. Usually it was made from one piece of wood matching the size and shape of shoe and feet. They had numerous decorations like rosettes on sides or on soles. The richness of ornaments depended mostly on the wealth of owner.

Great part in discovering the history of medieval shoes was played by Gdansk city, where numerous historical footwear were found. Both male and female examples are decorated with various adornments and embroideries which gave them unusual look. Historical notations confirm that there were 3 models of footgear: for wintertime with short upper part, traditional with revealed ankles, and shoes with a deep cut-out instep and with long tips. The craftsmen of that time found inspiration in trends from France and England.
As long as the middle of 19th century, footgear was made by hand.