Recreating historical clothing is extremely difficult and time-consuming. Instead of forgery, we will instead indulge in a little sartorial time travel. By studying dress codes from the past, you will attempt to reconstruct long-dead social hierarchies based on no more than what people at that time wore. For this assignment, we will focus on the entire historical costume. I am defining “costume” to include items of clothing, footwear, accessories any other form of decoration worn on the body. This is a broad definition that will allow you to use every detail of the dress codes below. Sumptuary Laws: Laws dating back to the Romans restricted ordinary people in their expenditure. These were called Sumptuary Laws. The definition of the word Sumptuary is derived from the Latin word, which means expenditure.For example, a law passed by Emperor Aurelian (270 to 275 C.E.) stated that men couldn’t wear shoes that were red, yellow, green, or white and that only the emperor and his sons could wear red or purple shoes. The Romans were not the first or the last to pass sumptuary laws.No matter when they existed, sumptuary laws were designed to keep the social order from changing and to keep certain people from dressing like or entertaining themselves like wealthier or more powerful members of society.English Medieval Sumptuary Laws: The Medieval English Medieval Sumptuary Laws were well known by all of the English people. The penalties for violating Sumptuary Laws could be harsh – fines, property loss, title, or death.Clothing provided an immediate way of distinguishing ‘Who was Who.’ England and its feudal system | Social Hierarchy around the worldIn England, feudalism is topped off with a monarch. In the “feudal pyramid,” the king sits at the top of society, and the levels of society under the king are nobles, knights, and serfs/peasants. Favoured by the king, nobles were given land to control and were expected to help support the kingdom in economics and militaristic issues. Knights served under the king and the nobles as warriors and a militaristic force to reign. Knights are respected members of the kingdom because protecting the kingdom and defeating their enemies grants much praise in their society. Serfs and peasants are the lowest tiers of the social ladder. You can find examples of specific early English sumptuary laws organised as a timeline here. English Sumptuary Laws-1.pdf The most detailed sumptuary law from 1363 is the most important. The introduction to the 1363 law stated: For the Outragious and Excessive Apparel of divers People, against their Estate and Degree, to the great Destruction and Impoverishment of all the Land; It is ordained, That Grooms, as well as Servants of Lords, as they of Mysteries, and Artificers, shall be served [to eat] and drink once a Day of Flesh or of Fish, and the Remnant [of] other Victuals, as of Milk, Butter, and Cheese, and other such Victuals, according to their Estate.You should focus on this law as it contains the most specific details about what different people were allowed to wear. For more details about the 1363 law, see: 14th-century-English-sumptuary-law-2.pdf To understand how sumptuary laws shaped clothing choices, you should read Chapter 5 of Ian Mortimer’s wonderful “Time Traveler’s Guide to Medieval England.” In this chapter, Mortimer explains what different classes of people wore and focuses on how social distinctions dictated your appearance. You can find a copy here: The time traveller’s guide to medieval England _ a handbook for visitors to the fourteenth century .pdf You can find additional information about sumptuary laws and national identity in medieval England in this optional reading: Rachel Shulman – Sumptuary Legislation and the Fabric Construction of National Identity in Early Modern England 2007.pdf Instructions: First, you should explain in no more than 1 page the goal of the 1363 sumptuary law. Your answer should include specific references to the secondary sources supplied above. (25 points)Second, you should analyse the outfit of THREE different types of medieval social groups. (Each analysis is worth 25 points with a total of 75 points.) You can choose from: RoyaltyEsquires and GentlemenWives and Children of Esquires and GentlemenYeomenWives and Children of YeomenMerchants, Citizens and Burgesses, Artificers, and People of Handy-craftCarters, Ploughmen, Drivers of the Plough, Oxherds, Cowhers, ShephardsFor each character, you will need:Explain the overall cost of the outfit. Is your outfit cheap or extremely expensive? Can you provide a rough overall cost in Medieval English money? Explain what fabric will be used in the garment. This is a big point as fabric choices are the key to explaining how different groups of people dressed in the Middle Ages. If possible, you should explain which season the outfit is for as the fabric could change with the weather. Explain how simple or elaborate your outfit will be. What colours can you use? Will there be any decorative accessories included? You should provide as many details as possible for this category. Describe the overall outfit. For each analysis, you will need to provide specific references to the primary sources. The inclusion of secondary sources is recommended.