English King and German Commoner: An Exploration of Sixteenth Century Clothing and Identity

Abstract

There is perhaps no other external article which is more closely tied to one’s sense of identity than clothing. With a quick glance, one can readily gauge a person by their dress. So too, in the sixteenth century; clothing was used to construct identity, and in some cases to deconstruct it as well. This paper seeks to explore how identity and clothing are in many ways, inseparable. Concepts of religiosity, gender, nationalism, and “the other” were all intimately tied to dress and fashion. During the sixteenth century, perhaps even more strongly than now, clothing could be read like a book in order to divine a person’s social standing, religious affiliation (Catholic/Protestant, Jew, or Muslim), indeed, even the nation, state, or city they were from