As they were poor, their clothes were generally made of rough wool or linen. Women knitted the fabric and made the clothes. The peasants generally had only one set of clothes and it was almost never washed. The men wore long robes and stockings.
Early Middle Ages clothing for peasants and the poorest people in medieval society was made of thick wool, linen, and hemp cloth. The clothes that peasants wore were often uncomfortable and boring, as they weren't dyed or treated the same way as the clothes of the rich in the Middle Ages. A basic tunic was the common work clothing of the medieval peasant farmer who worked in the fields in medieval times. The clothing of medieval peasants in the early Middle Ages was made without pockets to store things, which led to a wide variety of bags or purses that were generally made of cloth or possibly leather, in which medieval peasants could store their small important or precious objects, such as bronze and silver coins.
The clothing of medieval peasants improved compared to the early medieval period during the high and late medieval periods, however, medieval people were still desperately poor and their clothing reflected this status. Although there had been drastic changes in the improvement of textile technology since the early medieval period, medieval peasants' clothing did not keep up with these improvements, and only the wealthiest medieval people could afford clothing made with materials such as silk. If you were rich, you would probably have a variety of clothes in the latest styles and colors. If you were a poor peasant, you could only have one robe.
Although it was possible to obtain silks and other luxurious materials from abroad, they were very expensive. Therefore, most of the clothes were made of wool. This meant that clothing from medieval times itched, was difficult to wash and dry, and was very hot in summer. Although medieval peasants could wear boots or shoes, it was still very common for the poorest people in medieval society to have no protection on their legs or feet.
Peasants could now buy the best quality clothing available, and many peasants had much more higher-quality clothing to wear. For several peoples that lived in England, the Anglo-Saxons, the Anglo-Saxons, the Anglo-Danes, the Normans and the British, clothing in medieval times differed greatly for men and women, as well as for the different classes of the social hierarchy. Hats weren't very common in the early medieval world, however, in very hot countries, wide-brimmed straw hats could be used for protection from the sun. For more information on medieval clothing and other conflicting facts from ancient and medieval history, see Anthony Esolen's The Politically Incorrect Guide to Western Civilization.
Medieval peasants used to repair their own clothes and shoes when they were worn out; the soles of worn shoes were often replaced. Medieval peasants used to wear a tunic, shorts, or sometimes long pants, depending on the weather. During this time, medieval peasant women made clothes for the whole family and spent a lot of time spinning and knitting in the main room. Dyes were common, so even lower-class peasants used to wear colorful clothes.
Different materials were tested for shoe soles during medieval times, including wooden soles that were similar to clogs. Medieval peasant women wore a long shirt made of wool or linen, and over it they wore a sleeveless woolen tunic, which was normally secured on the shoulders with straps or snaps. Surprisingly, the devastating Black Death, which killed many peasants and elites in medieval times, also caused the decline of the feudal system. Among the peasants, the women of the family generally sheared the wool of the sheep and the women of the family spun it into the thread of the fabric.
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