The gorgeous dress style of Tudor dynasty in England: clothing becomes spiritual culture, emphasizing the value recognition of knights.

It is human nature to love beauty. Even though the productivity of ancient society was far worse than it is now, this nature has never changed. On the contrary, it has produced different standards and different forms of beauty in different times.

In order to achieve the beautiful appearance, people spend a lot of effort on clothing, or the technology has been admirable until now, or the gorgeous cost is unacceptable.

Both are necessary for court intermediaries who hold all the power of the state. But at the same time, clothes are not just clothes. By studying them, we can see the customs of that era and many cultures behind them.

1, the booming national strength provides the basis for enjoyment.

Tudor dynasty occupies an important position in British history, mainly because Tudor dynasty is the transitional period from feudalism to capitalism in Britain, which also makes it widely regarded by scholars as the golden age in the history of British monarchy.

In the early Tudor dynasty, Britain was only a traditional underdeveloped agricultural country. As the pillar of the national economy, the wool textile industry was far behind the European continent, not to mention other industries.

In view of this, mercantilism appeared in Britain at that time, thinking that "money is the standard to measure a country's wealth." Only by supporting the development of industry and commerce to promote economic prosperity can we finally promote the prosperity of the whole country. The Tudor rulers took this argument seriously and incorporated mercantilism into the national governance policy.

In this case, the development of British capitalist industry and commerce entered a state of rapid development, and maritime trade began to flourish and spread all over the world with the support of British military forces; The enclosure movement provided a large number of cheap labor for the development of industry and commerce.

By destroying the ownership of temple land, the royal family occupied a lot of temple property and used it to support the growth of the emerging bourgeoisie and new noble. The price revolution led the old nobles to sell their land to pay their debts.

The land ownership of feudal nobles is also declining. Coupled with the alternating rise and fall of old and new cities, it also realized the transfer of wealth, which made the whole Britain enter a prosperous state at that time.

In this case, hedonism hidden in people's hearts naturally arises. A dazzling array of goods, seemingly inexhaustible wealth, impetuous people's hearts and turbulent society all stimulate people to spend a lot of money to satisfy their various desires, especially for civilians and nobles.

Especially for nobles, every aspect of life requires them to spend huge amounts of money. In fact, the collapse of feudal land ownership was caused by the old nobles' pursuit of pleasure to some extent. And among many consumption contents, isn't it the most basic to wear gorgeous clothes?

2. The ideological changes brought by the Renaissance.

Due to various factors, Europe after the disintegration of the Roman Empire could never return to the original unified state, and the fief system became the main administrative system of that era.

In this case, kings, lords, nobles, knights and other classes are progressive and interdependent, which constitutes the political ecology of Europe as a whole. It was also under this political system that Europe at that time formed a complicated situation of "my vassal's vassal is not my vassal", and they seemed to know each other but seemed strange.

Over time, feudal kingship was divided and weakened to some extent. Don't say that it is not easy to form a unified political power like the Roman Empire, even to hold the kingship in your own hands.

In contrast, religion, as an ideology and culture that ignores language, nationality and region, occupies an important position in the minds of Europeans. So at that time, the church was so powerful that it sometimes dared to snatch the supreme power of the country with feudal kings.

Religion, on the other hand, thinks that human body and desires are humble, selfish and even harmful. Only when people control this desire to a minimum, or even get rid of all desires, can they finally achieve their own moral perfection, which is called asceticism.

Interestingly, due to the lofty status of the church at that time, many religious insiders reached the realm of "wine and meat penetrate the intestines, and the Buddha pays attention."

In this environment, human nature has been greatly suppressed, and economic, political, ideological and cultural fields have been affected to varying degrees. But as the saying goes, where there is oppression, there is resistance, and the Renaissance is one of the most famous.

It first originated in the Italian city-state, and then gradually spread to western European countries, including Britain.

It's like a spoiled child bottoming out. In the past, people couldn't spend money indiscriminately, but now they have to spend money indiscriminately. The whole society is like opening a valve, from which the desire for consumption keeps pouring out. Pursuing gorgeous clothes is one of the effective ways to release consumption desire.

1, different clothes represent different social classes.

Under the ancient feudal system, people were divided into three classes, the highest class was naturally the dominant aristocratic class, and the ordinary people, especially the peasant class, were the targets of exploitation and oppression.

In order to better distinguish it from the middle and lower class civilians, or to show their sense of superiority, the nobles regard the splendor of clothing as an important means.

Just as people except the emperor were not allowed to wear yellow clothes in ancient China, Henry VIII of Tudor dynasty also promulgated the Law on the Prohibition of Luxury, which legally regarded clothing as a symbol of social class.

Although the name seems to be aimed at prohibiting luxury, it actually only turns luxury into the exclusive possession of princes and nobles, so that clothes carry the connotation of status level.

The bill stipulates that "only knights and above can wear velvet cloaks or stockings; Only women with the title of earl or above can wear purple silk or gold and silver cloth. "

As long as people of different grades strictly abide by these regulations, they can accurately judge their social class by observing their clothes, which will undoubtedly help nobles to communicate efficiently.

It can be said that clothes are no longer just clothes, but an embodiment of ideology and even a spiritual culture. But this kind of culture can only exist on a large scale in ancient society, while modern society has basically lost the soil for its spread and development.

2. Emphasize the cultural identity of knights.

As mentioned above, since the disintegration of the Roman Empire, Europe has never formed a unified regime. Coupled with other factors, hundreds of regimes, large and small, have been distributed in Europe.

In order to protect themselves and expand their territory, European feudal lords began to carry out standardized and programmed military training for some people and let them fight for themselves. This is the famous knight in Europe.

Unlike those aristocrats who inherited the titles of their fathers and were born in the upper class, although knights are also part of the aristocratic class, most of their titles were earned by their own efforts, and quite a few of them were just civilians.

In order to completely integrate these knights who were originally civilians with themselves and form a consistent foreign United front, European nobles must establish a unified cultural identity and values for knights.

Humility, honor and sacrifice in chivalry are on the one hand, and on the other hand, they also make chivalry noble. In addition to awarding them medals symbolizing lofty honors, they should gradually form gorgeous styles in their daily lives, including gorgeous costumes.

From this point of view, promoting gorgeous costumes is actually one of the means of rulers, which can be said to be omnipotent.

In fact, in the early Tudor dynasty, costumes were not famous for their splendor, and simplicity was the main feature of that era.

At that time, the clothing style was closer to the human body, and the shoulders and waist were more natural. The material is usually gray fur. Even the clothing styles of princes and nobles can be said to be ridiculously expensive, and the gorgeous styles are far from perfect.

During the reign of Henry VIII, clothing styles began to become rich and diverse. Not only the material of the clothing itself has amazing value, but also the decoration on it has gradually increased and become more luxurious, and the overall clothing has become exaggerated, and it is no longer designed for practicality.

By the reign of Elizabeth I, the gorgeous style of this dress reached its peak. But this brilliance is not only about gems and materials, but also about the technological content and decorative skills of clothes.

The reason why this happens is not only because Britain itself is in a state of rapid development, but also the subjective will of Elizabeth I has played an important role.

Even though her gorgeous clothes are inconvenient or even harmful to health, she pays more attention to the social significance and cultural connotation of clothes, which is an important means for her to show her status and power.

Generally speaking, the popularity of Tudor gorgeous costumes is not only the inevitable result of the rapid development of Britain, but also the subjective choice made by the British in pursuit of pleasure.

With the emergence of human social strata, clothes are no longer just a tool to keep out the cold and keep warm, but also a symbolic tool of people's status.

It is true that gorgeous clothes are easier to attract people's attention and make the wearer more gorgeous, but if there is no other purpose, how many people are willing to endure the discomfort when wearing them?