One Benedictine monk became so worked up about the issue he clearly dedicated significant thought and time to it. In his history of the Church, written in about 1100, Orderic Vitalis railed against the dress of Norman lords, with particular vitriol aimed at long-toed shoes. "A debauched fellow named Robert was the first, about the time of William Rufus, who introduced the practice of filling the long points of the shoes with tow..."
"They insert their toes in things like serpents' tails which present to view the shape of scorpions... They give themselves up to sodomitic filth," with "long luxurious locks like women," and "over-tight shirts and tunics" he observed (slightly lasciviously).
Poulaines, also called cracows - after the Polish city Krakow, where they are thought to have originated - were pointed footwear worn predominantly by wealthy men. The cumbersome shoes advertised the wearer's wealth and social status, becoming a source of moral panic and societal concern.
Collection
[
|
...
]