What did the royalty and rich people wear in medieval england?

Question

What would kings, queens, dukes, duchesses and high society and the wealthy people wear their hair and clothes like during the period of medieval times in England?

Answer 1

It is hard to give you specifics (especially for things like hair styles) because medieval is a broad term.  However, there are things that set the wealthy and nobility apart that you can generalize.

One, the richer one is the more fabric you will use in your clothing. A noble man may wear a calf length (or longer) tunic, a field worker's may only come to mid-thigh. Women's skirts may pool around their feet...fine for a woman who doesn't have to work, not so practial for one tending a garden. Depending in what part of the medieval period you are referring to you may also see very long impractical sleeves as well.

Color and quality is important. Rich, dark colors, or colors that are harder to dye in large quantities (like red) are the kinds of things nobility would wear. The idea is that you have the wealth to spend that much dye on one garment to get it dark.. Also, bright white (especially in linen) is a status symbol. A noble would wear white linen underthings in a fine weave, but a very poor person may have to wear woolen ones. A rich or noble person would have a much nicer weave to the fabric that their clothes were made of, versus a corser, cheaper weave for the poor. Silk would be reserved for the rich as well.

When it comes to furs, a royal may wear ermine, a noble may wear squirrel (sometimes in a pattern) and the poor rabbit fur. Clothing is often lined with fur.

Another thing that makes nobles and the wealthy stand out is jewelry. Rings, broaches, girdles, belt findings, etc.  Rings especially were popular and often given as gifts.

Nobles and weathly folks also had more decorative elements to their clothing, embroidery, etc. Gold thread (real gold often wrapped around a silk thread) was very pricey.

Answer 2

"Medieval times" covers about 800 years. Fashion changed quite a lot over eight centuries! Nobody can give you a sensible answer unless you are more specific.

Answer 3

silk and fine wools furs  cotton and linen and gems gold n silver

Answer 4

Look for paintings of Royals from the Medieval times!  You know, like before Henry VIII, so, any painting of a king from Henry VII backward.  Such things can be found in libraries, art galleries, and online.

Answer 5

You're on the Internet, it's a good place to research.