What did medieval men wear under their fancy clothing? Did medieval male underwear look like modern underwear?
My research post about male underwear during the middel ages and renaissance. It is mostly a photo reference post. At the end there is a list of neat links.
The inner layers (linnedklæder) was a shirt (skjorte) and breeches/braies/breeks (brog) normally made from linen. Over that the fashion changed – but mostly for the nobles and rich merchants.
The breeches or braies
Loincloths / Trewes / Breeches / Braies / Bracchæ
In the early part of the medieval period they were pretty loose but as the tunics became shorter and more fitted so did the breeches. The length could be anything from upper-thigh to below the knee. Braies would either be closed with a drawstring or have a separate belt that could be tucked under the garments on top. Some people would wear their purse tied to this belt.
They were often made from linen, but fancier fabrics such as finely woven wool or even silk could be used.
The early loose braies or trewes
These were also often used as shorts while doing hard labor in hot weather without a shirt on. If so they would be of the long verity with the legs tied up to keep them out of the way. These are perfect if you are wearing chausses over them.
The Bristol Psalter, 1000’s Add MS 40731
Two farmers in their braies working. Notice their covered heads even as their upper bodies are nude. c. 1250
Braies, 1200’s
‘The De Brailes Hours’ c. 1240
Braies 1250
Wrestling men c. 1260 in braies. One man is wearing chausses over his trewes
Man in braies and a hooded short cloack holding a sheild. c. 1260
A peasant working the feild in his braies, coif and shoes. c. 1260
Notice he is wearing chausses as well as braies or a loincloth, c. 1270
braies c 1275-1300
Men in braies, early 1300’s
Christ in braies, 1420
The later tighter and shorter braies
In the late 1300’s and 1400’s the silhouette got more fitted with shorter tunics which called for a tighter fit for the underwear and the style shifted from the very loose loincloth like types to something closer to modern boxers. At this point in time we stop seeing men working just in their braies. They do however seem to have been used as bathing shorts as well as regular underwear – men in public baths are most often depicted wearing these short braies.
Braies 1300’s
Braies 1410
the Bedford Hours c. 1410-1430
Fountain of Life fresco painted from 1418-1430 by Giacomo Jaquiero at Castello della Manta.
In the bath
Loose short braies c. 1425-1450
short braies c. 1410(?)
‘Three young men pull down the breeches of a judge from the Marches, while he is administering justice on the bench’ Flemish, 1400’s
Short braies 1400’s
Short tight breeches 1400’s
Young men learn to swim, The Decameron (BNF Arsenal 5070), 1432
Braies c. 1435
Tight brief-like breeches, 1476
1475
Braies with tiny codpiece, c. 1492-1495
France, Paris, between 1495 and 1498 MS M.934 fol. 5v
braies and split hose, 1493
c. 1515-19
The very small underwear
A few years ago a pair of underpants was discovered in Lengberg castle – there seem to be a consensus now that these are tiny male under pants, rather than what the modern viewer might think of as female bikini bottoms. It would seem that in the 1400’s and 1500’s some men, sometimes wore tiny little underpants. One scene is in a common bath which seem like a logical place to wear something like that. Notice that they are tied on the side.
1414-15
Early 1400s
c. 1445
ca. 1460
1465
1465
1471
ca. 1500
c. 1512
The shirts or shift
Men would wear linen shirts under any other garment worn. The length seem to depend on the fashion of the time as well as the station of the man. A lot of commoners seem to have worked in their shirts and braies when it was hot or dirty work, while we never see woman doing the same. Apparently it was acceptable for at least working men to be in their underwear in public. Men’s shirts were also their sleep clothing as seen in some of the scenes – more likely than not this was the same shirt as worn during the day.
France, Paris, ca. 1244-1254 MS M.638 fol. 28v
Man in a coif and shirt (camisa) with gussets at the hem, 1200’s
Two men wearing loose shirts and braies while threshing grain
Shirt is made of rectangles with gussets at shoulder, underarm, and hem. 1300’s
Peasant in shirt, braies and stockings. 1300’s
Traveler stripping off his outer clothing, now wearing a long shirt. Early 1300’s
Peasant working in his shirt, short braies, hose, a hat and shoes. 1386
Barley, Tacuinum Sanitatis 1370-1400
Medieval oven 1390-1400, Tacuinum Sanitatis (BNF Nouvelle acquisition latine 1673)
“Lancelot and the Seductive Damsel”, Lancelot du Lac (BNF Fr. 118, fol. 299v), early 15th century.
Lancelot Le livre de Lancelot du Lac France ca. 1401-1425 Paris Bibliothèque de l’Arsenal 3480 p. 33
the Bedford Hours c. 1410-1430
Peasant reaping in linen braies and shirt. c 1412–1416.
Peasent in a loose shirt, c 1412–1416.
Peasant working in his shirt, c 1475
Loose shirt and braies. 1420-23.
A man in shirt, jacket and Braies. 1400’s
Prisoners(?) Shirts and braies, c. 1410
Notice that the shirt is buttoned closed, 1435-1440
Man in under shirt. Notice how loose it is at this time. He has long hair and a stubble. 1497
A beautiful shirt collar on a nobleman
Stockings, chausses and hose
On their legs men would wear stockings (hoser), either short hose (korthoser) to the knew or longer ones to midd- to top thigh (langhoser). Some had a foot, some didn’t. In the later part of the period some stockings were tied to the doublet. The early hose are single legged and can be worn tied to the belt of the braies. They can be worn rolled down to knee or ankle in hot weather. There are a number of different types of stockings. Some poor people just wore simple leg wrappings. Worn by different type of people at different times:
Short hose
Either a short hose or chausses rolled down
Swine herd wearing leg wrappings, c. 1416
Man cuting down a tree in the winter, c. 1415
Either a short hose or chausses rolled down
Either a short hose or chausses rolled down
Either a short hose or chausses rolled down
Either a short hose or chausses rolled down
Either a short hose or chausses rolled down
Title Book of Hours, Use of Rome (The ‘Huth Hours’), 1485-1490
Either a short hose or chausses rolled down
The white stockings are worn below the knee with wooden shoes over. 1400’s
Person wearing two sets of hose. A short white one and a longer red one. 1486
Chausses: 900 – 1420
Chausses 1200’s
Man in hose pinned on another set of hose (it would seem), early 1300’s
chausses tied up to the belt
Man with a basket full of stuff. He is wearing very worn chausses, a very short tunic, braies and a hood. late 1300’s
Notice the bottoms on the jacket. He is wearing braies, a shirt and chausses under his jacket. He is also wearing a coif and black shoes. c. 1413
Chausses fastened with a string and peg. 1410 – 1418 ca
Round toed Chausses attached to the doublet by garters. c. 1420
Men stripping off their hose. c. 1430
Chausses tied to the breeches, 1440
Man warming his feet at the fire. No foot chausses., late 1400’s
footless chausses rolled down
footless chausses
footless chausses
Split Hose tied to doublets 1400’s
Over time doublets brew shorter, which meant that the braies had to be tighter as shown above but that also meant that more of it was visible.
Split hose with a bit of skin showing 1400’s. It looks as though he’s wearing short, black braes under the split hose.
c. 1410
c. 1450
1400’s workingman in unlaced hose rolled to the knees. Wearing undergarment, a chemise. c 1455
Split hose tied to the jacket c. 1460
Split hose tied to the jacket c. 1465
Joined Hose 1400’s
The short doublets eventually lead to the joined hose where everything was nicely hidden away but it also added the the cod-piece became common. Sometimes it is just a piece of fabric tied on, but it can become quite elaborate pieces, jeweled and embroidered. Joined hose are fitted pants. Sometimes it was tied to the doublet and sometimes not.
Joined hose c. 1470
Joined hose late 1400’s
St Bernardino posthumously heals the wounds of Giovanni Antonio Tornano, who has been hurt in an ambush.
Joined hose tied to the jacket. Late somewhere around 1500
Man in a waist length doublet and joined hose tied to his doublet. His sleeves are fitted and tied on to let his smock show though. Late 1490-early 1500’s
Joined hose with codpiece, ca. 1550
Italian hose of the first decade of the century. The man on the left wears hose divided into upper hose and nether hose or stockings. The man on right wears hose slashed around one thigh, with a pouched codpiece, 1500–1510.
Useful links
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