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When Boys Wore Dresses, and Other Fascinating Traditions and Conventions From History

Khalid Elhassan May 16, 2024 29 min

Tradition - A young King Louis XIV, in male clothes after he was breeched, and his young brother, the Duc d Orleans, in a dress before he was breeched — A young King Louis XIV, in male clothes after he was breeched, and his young brother, the Duc d Orleans, in a dress before he was breeched. Pinterest

Shoe Traditions Around the World and Across History

Tradition - King Tiglath Pileser III of Assyria places his foot atop a defeated foe — King Tiglath Pileser III of Assyria places his foot atop a defeated foe. British Museum

The cultural significance of shoes varies, depending on the historic era and location. In the ancient Middle East, shoes were seen as symbols of authority. The placement of one’s foot on a defeated enemy’s head or neck demonstrated dominance. To kiss the shoe or foot of a ruler was a ritualized display of submission to his authority. That belief in the shoe or foot as symbolic of authority eventually made it to Europe. In medieval France, for example, kings required vassals to kiss their feet as a demonstration of allegiance.

A Viking warrior topples King Charles III of France as he kisses his foot. Pinterest

One such, King Charles III of France, grew tired of Viking raids, and figured that it takes a thief to catch a thief. So he granted Normandy to Rollo the Viking, in exchange for the latter’s agreement to become Charles’ vassal, become a Christian, and fight off other Vikings. To seal the deal, attendant bishops urged Rollo to kiss the king’s foot as a display of fealty. Rollo adamantly refused to kiss another man’s foot. Instead, he ordered one of his warriors to kiss the royal foot on his behalf. Rather than kneel down to do so, however, the Viking remained standing, lifted the king’s foot to his mouth, which caused Charles to topple over.

Written by

Khalid Elhassan

A lifelong history buff, I developed a particular passion for WW2 history as a child, when I spent hours listening to my grandfather, enraptured, as he recounted his wartime experiences in the British East African Campaign and with the British 8th Army in North Africa.

I graduated with a history BA from George Mason University, then went on to get a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law. After lawyering for a decade, I moved to sunny Rio de Janeiro and a less demanding career, opening a tourism agency in Copacabana.

A big chunk of my free time is spent blogging (you can follow me on Quora https://www.quora.com/profile/Khalid-Elhassan ) or freelance writing, mostly about my favorite subject, history.