Medieval Boots. Fantasy Footwear. 

The first 1,000 people to use the link will get a 1 month free trial of Skillshare: skl.sh/livinganachronism11221 I know some people will ask about what to do if you want authentic looking shoes but need arch support. There are shoes made with hidden modern support or modern soles. The shoes made by Armstreet are like this, though I have never personally used shoes from them, many of them appear to be based off of direct historical examples, and are made to have the comfort of a modern shoe.

I think one thing to keep in mind is for some time periods there won't be a big range of materials to chose from. For example, there may only be a single local tannery and the majority of the leather would be from local farm animals. So people would end up with a lot of matching gear, eg belts, pouches, etc simple due to that being the only source of material.

I found out something important about leather soles! Medieval leather soles (and a few modern high-quality soles today) were made from leather that was tanned in a specific way, because only then it would be solid enough, not rub off and be waterproof. It was achieved basically by burying the leather for 1-3 years underground surrounded by oak bark pieces, shifting it every three months or so. But! 😱 Although that used to be a central and usual material to use centuries ago, that leather is hard to come by these days! Media in my country claims that the last tannery to make it closed in 2022, but some research found a very few workshops that talk about that process in their websites and say they still make it. Of course such leather is expensive as it takes so long to make. >> Maybe we have no idea how a real leather sole behaves! >> We should really create a demand!

I never thought of it before, but low boots and leg wraps make a lot more sense than tall boots in so many ways...

There's a lot that can be learned from footwear. Ancient Romans loved sandals with nails in their soles. They gave good traction on soft ground, but were ironically absolutely horrible in cities and on streets! The advantage of sandals was that water would run out fast, if you step into a puddle, or cross a river. Japanese seem to have had a strong aversion to closed shoes as well. This might be explained by their warmer temperatures and obnoxious humidity, which could result in trench feet... Moreover, later when Tatami transitioned from beds to flooring, they needed to quickly get in and out o shoes. Thus, Geta were near ideal for their requirements. The iconic musketeer boot isn't just style over function. The brim can actually be unrolled so that a shin-high boot suddenly covers the entirety of the leg. Apparently, it was more comfortable to wear them rolled up. The heel secured the stirrup and the boot was still rather lose (like modern cowboy boots, perhaps worse), which makes sense when you all of your horse and don't want to get dragged along... The long-toe shoes had their equivalent in armor. At least there the rolled-up toe was bound up so that it doesn't get in the way, but it was still fully articulated, which probably increased the manhours by another 100... WWII soldiers still had leather soles and no padding inside (perhaps cork, but mostly leather). This could be very slippery in certain circumstances. Modern shoes have shivs securing our arch, too narrow toe boxes, and have unnecessarily high heels, and try to compensate with excessive padding. This means that most modern people have deformed feet and walk completely differently. You can even see this comparing skeletons! Plus, it does affect martial arts.

Babe, wake up! New Living Anachronism vid just dropped

The shoe and legwrappings makes a lot of sense when you remember that making things is energy and resource intensive. Getting leather involves someone killing a cow or hunting another animal down, curing the leather, sewing everything through a tough material and the more work you can cut out the better. It's the same reasons why coats and jackets became really popular after sewing machines were invented. Before that it was easier to buy a bigger piece of cloth, treat it with wax or some other kind of water resistant material and just drape it over yourself to keep off the rain and win. A coat and jacket requires a ton more stitching and outright work to make.

I use a modified plains Indian moccasin myself. They are so comfortable I wear them near daily even in wet or snow. Properly oiled they are very water resistant. My suggestion would be to get a slightly larger size than your foot so a heavy sock can be used in cold weather

“Stepping through time” is a great reference for medieval shoes. This book is organized by the construction details of the shoe, not by region or time period. It is a great visual reference for the medieval shoe maker.

as someone who's been cosplaying for the last decade before shifting into reenactment/ren faires, I wholly attest to your notion that people pay attention to footwear, even if it's subconscious, footwear can really make or break a costume lol

Nice supple leather boots you have there , Adventurer.

You missed a sole option. It was more common prior to the medieval period but was still used in the period: hobnailed soles. It's a heavier sole with hobnails driven through, the point then bent and driven back into the sole. This creates a type of cleat that is great for outdoor terrain. I believe there is also evidence for hobnails in pattens as well. The big thing to watch out for is that you'll slip and slide on any kind of hard surface (wood, concrete, rock, ect.)

I'm writing a story where most of the main characters come from a mountainous climate, and I've been wondering for a long time what kind of shoes they would wear. This video helps a lot.

Wow, just last night I was trying to explain to my daughter why Daddy makes so much noise when walking around the house and I don’t. But I couldn’t think of a good reason other than “old house, more weight.” I’ve developed a barefoot stride because I spent much of my youth hiking in the woods - you guessed it - barefoot. THIS EXPLAINS EVERYTHING

In the game I'm working on, the only characters I've designed with 'structured toe boxes' on their boots are dwarves. The look is just fitting for them, I've found.

Now I'm just thinking of dutch wooden shoes. Definitely practical I swear.

4:50 that looks exactly like the typical basque footwear we use when dressing up in period clothing, so funny!

The footwear of an outfit is the most difficult to figure out. It makes everything else seem more plausible, and authentice.

Yesss, the Ranger's Apprentice reference!! I love your channel Kramer, it's such a great resource for writers like myself. I'm currently working with a Ranger OC, so having these criteria to help me figure out what boots would make most sense for him is awesome. Also, just seeing the completely different walking gaits in hard-soled vs soft-soled shoes was absolutely mind-blowing, I never realized how unnatural walking with hard-soled shoes looked until now.

Pattens are extremely effective at keeping your feet dry and as a result warmer, I use mine regularly and dont find them dificult to walk in.They are like having your own personal little wooden floor that travels with you!

The video I've been waiting for

I'm currently creating a Dúnedain-inspired outfit(video of it on my channel if anyone wants to see), and boots are pretty much all I'm missing. I'm going with boots similar to your moccasins, a pair of suede boots with thick laces wrapped around the shin, just like yours. They're made by Leonardo Carbone, as I simply don't have the skills needed to create my own...

I love that intro Kramer, the ranger arcetype is my favorite.

Great vid! Love the boots. Gotta catch up in the footware category. Nicely done!

really cool research, and very nice boots :) I find it interesting that the evolution of shoes in UK/Europe is mostly caused by paved roads preventing the leather turn show from lasting, that is also why people started adding hobnails to shoe soles to try to stop the leather wearing through. I also always believed that pattens were were a medieval London invention because, while people might not mind water soaking through turn shoe seams to there feet if they had a nice warm woolen sock on underneath, the raw sewage that was all over the roads of London was an entirely different problem Also, a little warning: as a long time barefoot shoe user I can say with certainty that walking in the correct/natural way wearing footwear that allows the foot to work in the correct and natural way is better not just for your feet, but for your whole body, however hard paved roads aren't a natural thing, so using minimal footwear for long times on them (paved walking trails and around the city etc...) is not good for your feet/joints, minimalist footwear does have it's place, as does modern footwear

I used upholstery leather to make a pair of boots and used crocheted jute as a sole liner. Some fur wrapped around the tops helped keep the warmth in

You have the best insights! Thanks for sharing them.

Those boots turned out great, good job. I also like chart you showed, i screenshotted it and saved it for later use.

I fully agree with your take on rigid-soled shoes when hiking and have my own problematic experiences with inflexible hiking boots. One pair of hiking boots I bought had stiff leather uppers that basically turned the bottoms of my legs into rigid capital Ls. The soles were thick rubber but might as well have been a wooden plank - fine on perfectly flat surfaces, but if you're on a curved surface (like, y'know, bloody near any decent-sized rock you'll ever find) it was like trying to balance a plate on a bowling ball. The issues down at my feet were "outsourced" to my knees and hips since, unlike my ankles, those parts of my body could actually move and had to take up the entire task of stabilising me. We were making our way up a mountain stream bank, jumping from rock to rock and it was hard going for me because my footing was not stable. Finally I gave up, took my boots and socks off and carried on completely barefoot - it was far safer since my feet would adapt to the surface of the rocks and my ankles could flex to accommodate. Since then, my hiking footwear has been supple - sneakers and running shoes at first and now purpose-made "trail runners".

Great video with interesting takes!

As a writer and illustrator, resources like you are so invaluable!!

I have been homeless for about a month. I look like a LARPer adventurer, I wear "barefoot" boots and based my fantasy characrer look from these: sno-seal, boots from etsy. I wear them, and wool leg/arm wraps, pants, a leather belt/utility sash, a vest, wool button shirt, and a poncho, with a hood. My mountain bike, is my mule, right now.

You videos always give me inspiration. Ty)

Always well researched and very informative!! Great job as always fellow adventurer!

Just commenting that this is helping me build character outfits in my novel, thanks for making it.

I went for puttees and anckleboots. I went for the cheaper option for shelf bought medieval buckled anckleboots(that were priced around the same as a pair of joggers and happily fit perfectly)as i may use them on more rugged and rocky terrain and wear through them quickly. I also got puttees to help close the top of the shoes and to help support my anckles, and protect up to the knee on the front of my trousers or hosen from sticks etc when ranging deep into the untamed wilds of the frontieer.

Just made a pair of these last month. Put in comfy modern insoles from a cobblers supply shop. Added floppy top for looks. Wore them for Halloween 'Puss in Boots' costume. Now weather is colder wear them around the house. Very comfy.

Years ago I found a design I really like, based on a bog burrial find. A single piece turn shoe with a seam along the top, and up the back. The construction leaves a modest point at the toe.

Fantastic! Thank you for your research!

Really good video -- has that classic 'scratch the surface in a good way' vibe that sends you off down the rabbit hole to learn more. "But what about _caligae_ ? When was the Turkic/Persian boot invented? When did the army stop wearing _puttees_ ? What did Byzantine soldiers wear on their feet? What did pre-Roman Celts wear? When did pattens go out of use? Why did the Dutch choose wooden clogs anyway?"

I have made a few pair of the "Iron Age" shoes you show at 4:51 and they are amazing! I love them

This was a nice video. I appreciated the recognition of the great variety of footwear dating back to the medieval period and your focus on creating a 'fantasy' look. Also, congratulations on getting a regular sponsor.

DIY drip, love it so much.

Just discovered your channel! Binge watching today. Subscribed!!

I freaking Love this stuff. I think another con to Soft soled leather shoes is how slippery they are in muddy and wet areas, but again with time and technique getting used to walking in those types of shoes, the first thing being the muscles that we have that are actually meant for walking Natrurally that have weakened a lot because of modern shoes will tire get sore and then STRENGTHEN as is meant to be which will aid tremendously in Strength structure and balance.

Amazing vid thanks for the advice 👍 😀 🙏 🙌

I was laboriously searching historical and precise informations on medieval clothes for D&D charadesign, and your channel seems awesome! +1 sub!

This was really informative and interesting, and it works for both costuming and for writing. Especially nice that you took into consideration a larger geographical area. Thank you for this video! And you strike a really good Aragorn in the opening there.

Very nice and informative.

Some good food for thought. I recently sketched out my half elf bard/rogue d&d character and just drew some heeled boots. I think I'll have to change it up a little bit now and will probably go with a thick sole and slightly pointed toe boots that lace up. Little disappointed with myself for not looking into that a little more since I try to design things with a reason behind each choice.

As a wannabe Larper, I find your videos very helpful in my future attempts in costume creation. I've started binge watching your channel today. Your video's on costume are very informative!

Very awesome! Good Job! Fits well and great with the rest of the look! Love the off the tree, combat roll! Totally good ideas to think about while I leaf blow all the leaves out into a path of my little snapper riding mower that will erase them all. Of course it's a mulching blade. Although fall is a very pretty season, once it snows and leaves still there it's horrible! Thank you for all the ideas and hard work making and sharing the video! ❤️

I understand that medieval people tended to step forward onto the ball of their forward foot. As though testing to make sure the ground in front of you is solid, or as though you were walking across a frozen lake and leery that the ice in front of you is thin and might crack and plunge you into the water. We grew up walking heel to toe, meaning we stepped forward onto our heel. They stepped forward onto the ball of the foot. Try walking like that. It’s strange, but is actually more natural and effective and you’ll injure yourself less than stepping onto your heel, especially in slippery conditions.

I love your channel. I have made a few pair of moccasins and I enjoy them, I need to learn how to make them without a pattern. I have also just started buying and wearing modern day barefoot shoes, they are awesome

For traditional waterproofing of shoes and other clothes rub your shoes with beeswax and then heat them with a hair dryer, repeat a few times. The wax will melt and make a layer preventing water from penetrating the fabric.

I like the shoes you made. Well done

Amazing. I hope your going to show us some footage of the construction with some tips and tricks. That was a really good episode and they keep getting better.

Ahhhhhh... Good piece of info... I like how you being up the part of the sole being rolled up in the front

Great stuff mate

The point about the shoes informing the character is so true. I'm a cosplayer, so I have less creative input into my costumes, but the shoes are a key thing that inform my posture and walk and I follow that through to how I hold myself in cosplay. A character who wears riding boots will stand and walk differently from a character in ballet flats and they'll stand and walk differently from a character in heels. I walk far more carefully when I'm cosplaying Elsa than when I'm Edward Kenway, for instance.

10:15 I read Ranger’s Apprentice when I was a kid. You earned my subscription.

I enjoyed this video very much - and the boots! Exactly how I would like them if I made my own

The part about barefoot shoes was very interesting! I am clumsy and have a poor balance and now I understand why I trip so much with rigind and/or heeled shoes. Like, I literally cannot walk with heels. I olny wear thin, flat and flexible shoes.

Merry Xmas Kramer, interesting video.

Awesome video. Proving once again why you’re my favorite youtuber (next to Shad)

Thanks for the helpful and informative video! Motivating again, as well. Might be that footwear is next?

this is a pretty cool video as intro to the channel

as someone who has worn both historical mocs and historical turnshoes let me say that as far as wear and weather resistance there is minimal differance in design if you discound the one piece buttseamed sabatons where the seam runs under the sole of the foot. I don't have th skill to make that pattern so I have no experiance with it. Weatherproofing is more dependent on the quality of the leather and skill of the cobbler

Acabo de encontrar tu canal, esta información me es de mucha ayuda a la hora de diseñar personajes de un mundo medieval

This video has inspired me to contemplate the reactions of actual medieval people to seeing a fantasy character walking around with their fantasy garments and fantasy weapons. My current theory is they'd assume they were from a fairy kingdom or something.

Hey, first time visitor. Interesting content, engagingly told. I also thought that your sponsor was an excellent choice! Mostly I watch boot videos, but more from a craftsmanship angle. I enjoyed it. Thanks.

A minor upgrade suggestion for you. I've used both, and Snowseal is ok, but Hubbard's Shoe Grease is better. Also, for your next pair, I would recommend making the uppers with the rough side of the leather out. It will hold more waterproofing and is more resistant to scuffs and scratches. Soles take wear differently so don't have the rough side out on the soles unless you're more concerned with traction than longevity.

just discovered you, love the Ranger's apprentice refrences

Absolutely mind blown! Can you imagine checking shoes in your next perception check??! Find the rogues by their shoes

I've been making shoes for about 4 years (barefoot, minimal style) and there's definitely a way to stitch the soles on by hand to shape the toe box and use a nice thick sole. I'm surprised that we don't see this historically but it's still fun to do. Makes a really nice looking shoe without a last.

Nice work

I agree that shoes matter but I went to TX renfest after Thanksgiving this year. Im pretty sure I was the only person in handmade turn shoes. Luckily Im used to barefoot shoes so it felt really amazing and natural. Most people had period looking boots but with modern zippers and button and gaint rubber soles. A few people thought they were at comicon. The worst I saw was cowboy boots with a kilt. I fully appreciate how you approach designing outfits.

Those boots look so good my dude. With the whole kit too-mm *chef’s kiss*

very nice! they look good! GJ!

There's something to say for "barefoot" shoes. Many years ago I saw a documentary about an indigenous people in (I think) South America who can walk and run great distances barefoot. Comparing their running technique with a marathon runner on sport sneakers, scientists found out that the way the tribesmen ran, touching the ground first more at the front of the foot instead of at the back, put way less stress on the bones and muscles of their feet. It may very well be that because of the way modern shoes are cushioned humanity developed a different way of walking that isn't how the human body was designed to walk. They concluded I may even be responsible in some cases for back- and muscle problems. After learning about this I have made a point of walking more often in this toe step way, at least around the house. That intro was epic, I jumped up at the sight of the silhouette. Only difference is your boots are clean and not "caked with mud". Only thing that would've made it even better is if there had been less light to add to the mystery.

I agree with 10:35. I developed weird knee soreness over the course of months from wearing boots with very stiff soles. When I wear soft soled sneakers with a thin or very soft/foam midsole the problem went away. when I wore those boots I also began walking with a more mid-foot strike to mitigate the pain. even after the pain was resolved I kept walking that way because it's more comfortable and I can hike the whole day with my pack with minimal rest using that type of stride. cool video and I would've never guessed you don't have experience making shoes given how good they came out

A very boots on the ground approach, one could say you put your sole into this video. Honestly though this was a well tread topic though, and though I may be overstepping, may be one of your best videos to boot 😂 Okay enough with the puns, I really loved this video, great work Kramer!

Glorious.

You are now the second one that does these kind of videos (thought that guy is motr history and nature oriented) that give their votes towards barefoot shoes over normal ones, there is really a pattern here. For my part, will I've never used a barefoot shoe, I can say that one should avoid shoes with too thick and sturdy soles, once I had these "rapper" shoes with really thick, firm and stright as hell soles, it hurt to even stand still a few minutes on those. This video comes at an amazing time, I'm thinking on learning leatter craft mostly to repair an old boots whose soles got totally busted, so this comes really handy for that, thanks a lot!

Nice work! Wanted to add, that probably I would probably never returned into larping if there weren't your videos. Thanks so much for the inspiration.

moccassine-like shoes have been present in the medieval period else-where as well, look up opanke shoes in europe. there's also advantage to having open shoes in humid or rainy weather, since it is faster to dry feet. a lot of people just straight up went barefoot in mud and such, or used clogs. other than that, wool socks are a huge advantage since they keep your feet warm even when wet.

Finally. Took you long enough. Love your videos man

The wideness of shoes definitely affects balance. My sneakers were worn so much that the soles were separating, I started wearing boots to work, and I found it somewhat harder to keep my feet upright when moving around. Side note: not for medieval theme, but steel-toed sneakers are the best

Hey Kramer, as a cheap addition to help protect your soles from wear and add some additional grip you can get stick on tread for leather soled shoes or high heels it's super thin so it won't add height

YAAAA KRAMER POSTED

Take a look at viking shoes, during archeologial digs a 1000 year old shoe set has been found and the design is worth taking a look at. It can also be tweaked to something better without chaning the look very much, so they are a good choice.

Loving these videos you make! Great information and inspiration for fantasy writing. I'm wondering about the softer shoes, moccasin-type probably, and how it would be to climb trees with? Let's say you have a forest-dwelling character that occasionally travels by way of branches. Would they be too slippery? I think I remember you saying (may have been a different video) that these shoes would be too slippery for urban parkour, how much so? Could something be done to the soles to remedy this? What type of tools would be needed for a crafty person to make simple shoes like these, at the bare minimum?

I've done dark ages reenactment for the last 10 years here in Australia, turn shoes I find to be exceptionally comfortable vs modern shoes. Australia, when all's said and done, is a country with a culture of thongs/flipflops, and a well made pair of turnshoes are a blessing, the lead advantage I've found with them, is that eventually the sole will wear through so all you need to do is retrace that sole and restitch the upper to the new sole. The two pair I currently have are a pair in the hedeby style ankle boots with laces 10-11thC, and toggled Anglo-Saxon turn shoes 11-12thC. One thing I'd add to the learning how to step in them, is learning to lead with the ball of your foot, something that Roland Warzecha also mentions in his "How to" vids on "Viking combat". I've done one form or another of martial arts since I was 10, so it hasn't been that much of a learning curve for me to learn to walk almost "Pidgeon toed" in these shoes. It also helps in combat/sparring sessions as you generally don't have a grippy sole on these shoes, which can be an advantage and disadvantage on different terrain. Learning how to slide the foot like you would in karate in almost an L shape is generally how I teach new combatants how to step in sparring.

Barefoot shoes are awesome! I started wearing them just on the weekends first then I was able to wear them at work and I haven’t worn anything else since. I’d love to make my own boots like that!

That was way interesting.

Cool video

Those leg wraps make one of my favorite pairs of boots in Skyrim make a lot more sense; they're ankle high with wraps. Some clothing seems to use these wraps on the arms too.

Interesting that you brought up the wooden slippers. When i started watching this i did a search for wooden soled medieval boots and saw those kinda wooden slippers or sandals.

Boots were for those whose legs needed protection, which thus meant labor in fields, forest, or military; the former two were strictly activities of low class/caste (aside from hunting as sport, such as _par force_ ) and thus were an indication of low social status and rank. Conversely, the affluent, who were mostly inside, often deliberately wore fine and delicate shoes as a show of wealth and position as their lifestyle-walking around less and on smooth stone floors and carpets of estates, courts, were far less rough on feet and footwear and thus not especially damaging to delicate footwear. Fashion changed during the Late Middle Ages, where boots became more common generally and raised from ankle to mid-calf to knee-high or over, to a great degree due to the connection to horses (and military fashion was always in-fashion). We also get lots of pictures of peasants, serfs, and laborers wearing tall boots in the Late Middle Ages, although they are notably quite loose. The length of toes was an indication for _part_ of the Middle Ages-mostly a High Middle Ages and 14th century thing. It waned significantly through the Late Middle Ages (regulations, among other things), and showed up in other ways through the 15th and 16th centuries (the 16th is easily construed as a transitional period from Medieval to Early Modern). As for soles, jackboots came in during the... 13th century? Maybe 14th. And rougher, sturdier laborer's footwear often had additional layers of leather at the sole, and/or hobnails. There were also pattens were mostly to protect the more delicate shoes when a person wearing them _did_ go outside in rougher terrain, or as fashion. Soles were also not as big a concern then as shoes were usually worn over woolen hosen (sometimes linen, sometimes silk for the wealthy) that are like _very_ thick woolen socks and themselves significantly cushion your foot. Something that must be kept in mind with period art and extant artifacts is survivor's bias; period artwork has a _strong_ bias towards the middle and upper classes and castes, and the common laborers often wore and repaired their shoes until they fell apart, making them especially unlikely to leave extant finds, and leather finds are rare to begin with because they decay quickly.

I haven't gotten the the idea of adventure mocassins outta my mind since I watched this video a month ago.