Cavalier boots facts for kids

Cavalier boots are a special kind of boot that was very popular in Europe between about 1500 and 1700. They were usually soft, knee-high leather boots, often made from brown calfskin. These boots were worn by many different people, from soldiers and gentlemen to even pirates!

How Cavalier Boots Started

Tall riding boots were first worn by gentlemen and soldiers around the mid-1500s. They wore them with a type of strong leather jacket called a buff coat. By the time Elizabeth I was queen, these boots had low heels, which made them good for riding horses. They were also made of soft brown leather.

Popularity in the 1600s

When King James I ruled, boots became more popular than regular shoes, especially among rich people. They even wore them inside their homes, sometimes with spurs still on! By the 1620s, these boots looked a lot like the ones you might imagine the Three Musketeers wearing. They had a wide, bucket-shaped top and high wooden heels, a bit like modern cowboy boots.

Cavalier Boots in War

These boots are often linked to the brave and stylish Cavaliers from the English Civil War. But actually, many Roundheads (the other side in the war), like the Earl of Essex, dressed very similarly to the Royalists. Cavalier boots were used by horse soldiers (cavalry) until the late 1700s. Then, they were replaced by Hessian boots, which became popular thanks to the Prussian king Frederick the Great.

Cavalier Boots at Sea

Cavalier boots are also often seen in stories about pirates and highwaymen like Dick Turpin or Captain Blood. Sailors and naval officers really liked these tall boots because they kept their legs safe from rain and sea spray. Fishermen even wore boots like these with a Sou'wester hat and oilskins (waterproof clothes) until the 1900s. After that, they started using rubber Wellington boots and waders.

Coming Back into Style

Cavalier boots became popular again during the American Civil War. Flashy cavalry officers like George Armstrong Custer and Jeb Stuart bought their own tall riding boots. More recently, after the successful Pirates of the Caribbean movies, these types of boots have also become popular with young women, especially in Britain.

Gallery

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  This armor from around 1544, belonging to Henry VIII, shows a pair of low-heeled cavalier boots.

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  King Charles I wearing Cavalier boots.

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  Bucket-topped boots, a buff coat, and armor worn by Roundhead commander Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex, around 1642.

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  Confederate cavalry officer Jeb Stuart, known for his fancy outfits.

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  A young woman wearing "pirate boots" in 2008.

See also

• 1550–1600 in fashion
• 1600-1650 in fashion