Sarah Grace Heller Fashion in Medieval France

The Queen of Sicily's Paris Shopping List, 1277

Past Sarah-Grace Heller, Ohio Land University

Paper given at the Dress and Textiles IV: Speaking of (and with) Clothing and Textiles session, 48th International Congress on Medieval Studies (2013)

Sarah-Grace Heller examines a letter of the alphabet sent by Charles I of Anjou, King of Sicily to i of his agents in Paris, where he provides a detailed gild of textiles and clothing that he needed to accept purchased.

Margaret of Burgundy, the daughter of the Count of Nevers, had married Charles of Anjou in 1268 and became the Queen consort of Sicily. Although the couple predominately ruled from Naples, Charles was living in Rome in February of 1277 when he sent a letter of the alphabet to i of his agents in Paris, providing him a list of appurtenances to be bought in and around the metropolis, which would so exist shipped to Italy for use in Charles and Margaret's courtroom, and in many cases as gifts for their supporters and guests.

The items include:

– a yard aunes of linen, which is the modern equivalent of 1195 yards
– 10 dozen linens, which were probably meant to be household linens and cloths
– 40 dark-green serges that would exist used for pillow covers and bedding
– two dozen carpets, half green and half red, which could be used for royal interior decorating
– 60 sets of linen robes
– 4 pounds of tying laces, and two farther pounds for sewing and edging
– 60 table cloths
– twenty dozen wiping cloths, which were used by people later on a meal
– v dozen lacing needles
– 1 pelt and 2 pairs of strong hose
– 1 piece of fine linen for making coifs
– in regards to woolen fabrics, they ordered 4 vermillion scarlets, two peacock blue, 6 light-green and 6 dark blue
– six pairs of gloves lined with fur, 12 dozen unlined gloves for men and 6 dozen unlined gloves for women
– 3 dozen gilded-plated silverish belt buckles
– 2 dozen white silver belt buckles
– 6 gold brooches
– one/two poind of 'orsende', which Heller believes to exist a blazon of gilt edging
– 36 small knives
– 36 pieces of linen kerchiefs
– i piece of wimple cloth cloth
– 3 dozen large floral (or white coifs for the Queen
– four dozen full coifs for the Queen
– five dozen silk kerchiefs
– iv pieces of material for wimples that will wrap around 5 times for the Queen
– 4 pieces of fabric for wimples that will wrap effectually 4 times for the Queen
– 1 crown
– 10000 skillful pins from Lagna
– 2 dozen pearl hair ornaments for gifts
– 5 dozen working caps in several colors
– 2 dozen peal chaplets
– 5 dozen hars from Poissy ("five dozenesde chapiaus de poisson"), which was a place close to Paris

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Sarah-Grace Heller offers some insights into this list of textiles, noting that the King and Queen of Naples sought items from Paris for both mode and condolement. Plainly, they believed the French city could provide the correct supplies and right sizes for their needs, rather than more local areas, such as Italian towns like Florence or Rome. Meanwhile, with only one reference to silk goods, and none to shoes, one expects that the majestic couple were getting those materials from elsewhere.

Sarah-Grace Heller, who teaches at Ohio State University, is the author of Style in Medieval French republic . She is at present working on her next book, which will be entitled an Illustrated History of Medieval Fashion.

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