Medieval leather shoes in the Hungarian Kingdom

Leather items has been used since prehistoric times. The Middle Ages have high level prosessing of leather and specialized preparation methods have been introduced. Guilds created various branches but we can't find leather maker guild in the sources, but tanners, shoemakers and their peers should be sought. However, before turning to the theme of the thesis, take a brief look to the medieval shoemaking, what kind of leather crafts  were exactly founded in medieval Hungary. 

The tanner, and then later called tobakos-tanner crafts founded thier guild in 14th century. During the 16th century, it became the kordovánkészítő, and in the 17th century, they formed a separate guild. The furriers and the pelt-makers were created in 14th century. Saddle makers were worked with leather, who appeared in the same century officially. In 15th century saddlers made their own guild, but the belt makers became independent only in modern times, in the 18th century. Leahter workers assisted to the processing of literacy because the vellum-makers  formed their own community in the 15th century. There are still leather dyers and case-makers in  the sources, but the latter three crafts were forgotten in the following centuries, and only during the 18-19th century were recuscticated. 

From the sources we can recontstruct the phases of shoemaking  in the Middle Ages were followings: selection of the suitable leather, cutting, then soaking the pieces in water, drying and then stretching. After they imposed the pieces more precise and sewn together. The fine pieces  were sewn together then with the lining . The pieces were turned out to their color side, and then gained the final size on the shoehorn. Of course, before the 14th century the shoemaker-cobbler's job was existed, but only this century professionalized and had a separate guild. Posteriorly they were called sandal-, clam- and shoemaker. Separated from them the boot-maker in 16th century as well. The Hungarian leather making was proved to be so successful in the 14th century sources in western Europe, and appeared an expression: "Hungarian-leather". It should be noted that in ethnographic researches Alice Gáborján  collected the exact progression of the prosessing of leather in a "Hungarian way". Although the first mention came from French sources in 18th century , we know, the procedure is likely to be earlier. They depilated insted of fermentation of the fresh, raw leather, then soaked it in a alum-salt solution , trampled it, and then dried. After drying kept the leather over ember, and the opened pores of the skin were involved with hot fat. However, we do not know exactly what kind of branches of leather-proccesing craft used this mode. Next to that it is not entirely certain that the shoes produced with this process.

We mainly have illustrations about the processing of shoemaking  and we can gain informations from the tools of ethnographic data and the still existing old shoemaking shop. The first depiction of making boots came from the turn of 12-13th century from the Patternbook of Rein. You can see in details the tools and the master himself sitting in the shop at the table in the page of Mendelschen Stiftung from 1388. From 15th century is one of the most important source about shoeshop is an unknown Spanish painter's image . You can find heelless, side- laced shoes on the table and the finished products, which were found in Buda castle.

In the castle medieval houses were explored and buried wells have been found, such as Dísz Square 8 and 10, Uri street 40, Ostrom street 13 and St. George's Square. In these wells are often remained  organic findings next to the pottery , so a significant amount of leather also have been found mixed with fragments and whole shoes. Archaeologists (Katalin Írásné Melis, Dorottya Nyékhelyi) mainly searched archaeological parallels - although we must not forget that there are not too much detailed data with regard to footwear. Main parallels came from North- Europe, for example Poland (due to climatic conditions in several of these findings have been found there), and formal versions from the old Soviet Union and Western Europe. On this basis, we can say that during the 13-14th century there were three determining European shoe-fashion  These were consisted of sandal, ankle-shoe and the ankle-boot. The sandal could have been strengthened to the legs in several ways. This type are still remained till nowadays. The ankle-shoes appeared about 9th century, at least in that form founded in Buda Castle. In Hungary, such as Poland (Wolin, Gdansk) appeared at the great achievements of the side-lace. The upper piece of the shoe cut from one leather piece and sewn at one line perpendicular or slightly oblique to the base. This uppers sewn to the sole and with this new method created shoes for the left and the right legs. In 11-12. century, the shanked shoes are still widespread, it has expanded the number of styles. Archaeological finds and in images the same type can be found, so there is a clear identification, it is known in the so-called. ankle-boot. Two types are known from this period: low stalk encompasses the ankle, or the shaft is rigid and the sides do not reach each other or turns out like a collar (such piece was found in excavations in Novgorod). During 12th century the types has slowly transformed, became slimmer as well as used various upper deposits. In Opole and Gdansk in Poland have been found the earliest mentioned footwear. The long nose and fashion became a general feature of the ankle-boots in the 13th century. In addition, the coarser shoe-types were survived, but the long, slender species were fashionable. The earliest shoe- "parallels"  in Buda were come up to light from  the excavations of Gdansk and Wolin in the 12th century archeological layers, and the later parallels from the 15th century were found in Warsaw Old Town.

Next to Western fashion trends, it's worth reviewing the shoes for the Hungarians , as far as resources allow it, because this could have affected to the Hungarian citizen's wear. We know that the Hungarian conquerer's  also known boots, shoes and ankle-shoes from archaeological traces. The conquerers had side-laced boots, made from leather or felt with whip up-nose. Of course, the social rank was symbolized by the quality of the material of the shoe, so the richer made shoes for example, from Bulgarian leather (Bagaria) but the lower social layers prepared it from simpler leather or felt. From the ages of Árpád-housewe have limited data about shoes. From the sources and pictorial archives we can see that they wore a kind of tunic with separate stems of pants and shoes. This was pushed out from the fashion in the 12th century by the Byzantine fashion. This is a clam decorated with purple lane and gold and  we can find good example  in the crypt of the cathedral of Pécs, and this may be the fashion, which was prohibited by King Kálmán I to clergymen. The researchers believe that these types (Conquest, Árpád and the Byzantine era) were present together, so in the Middle Ages there was a very variable shoe wearing habit.  During the era of Anjou kings the shoe-types hadn't become uniform and from the Képes Krónika (Illumintaed Chronicle if we translate it) we can prove it. The Chronicle - if it applied properly to the situation - depicted the figures in eastern and western (Italian) costumes. There are three kinds of  footwear in the Italian outfit. The most common - even in Europe -  the two stem-stockings, with leather sole, on which were drew calms. King Géza and King Solomon wore them in the Chronica. In addition to these, two types of shoes were worn in the pictures: a closed, plain or embroidered, ankle-shoes and in the wearing of the Knights appears red and white cross-banded shoes wore with yellow stockings.  The outfit of kings contrusted, for example King Ladislas at the coronation ceremony wore  blue stockings, closed peaked red ankle-shoes, while the upper classes wore colorful stockings without sandals. For the oriental dresses worn yet unspecified form, but also pointed-toed shoes, but  it cannot visible because of length of clothes. Based on the Illuminated Chronicle and wallpaintings from churches  the most common form of 13-14.th century was the clam (at least in military dress were often presented, which can be seen in the depictions of St. Ladislas).

Although the Illuminated Chronicle often schematizes, the excavations of Buda confirmed the authenticity of the images depicted about footwear. The findings were preserved, restored, and because many pieces were found, researchers had to pair the pieces, also had to look for pieces, but also managed to reconstruct four ankle-shoes. All were side-laced, closed upper-piece shoes, sometimes lining pieces are also paired through the seems. We can tell about the shoes from the wells of Buda that they followed the European fashion, so the side-laced shoes made up the vast majority of the artifacts. On the shoes lace holes still visible, so the were laces too in the well, but no traces were found. The excavations of the medieval Buda told us that ankle-shoes were worn as popularly as ankle-boots. Although in the Buda have not found an example yet, but here it is worth mentioning the so-called pattens and wooden slippers   which were pulled to the soft shoes to protect them On the ankle-boots there were button holes. The buttons usually made from leather strings, but there are examples of metal buckles, or leather banded solutions as well. At the end, we can conclude that in the Middle Ages there were commonly used forms.The comfortable shoes  appeared early in the middle of 12th  century when they began to use the more tailored pieces, which are also used in the Kingdom of Hungary.

Bibliography

Bogdán István: Kézművesek mestersége. Budapest, 1989.

Gáborján Alice: A magyar módra való bőrkészítés problematikája. In: Néprajzi Értesítő XLIV (1962), Budapest, 97-140.

Írásné Melis Katalin: A budai középkori lábbeliviselet. In: Archaeológiai Értesítő 100 (1973),     Budapest, 88-101.

Mocskonyi Melinda: XIV. századi bőrcipők az ostrom utcából. Budapest Régiségei 33 (1999),  Budapest, 347-350.

Nyékhelyi Dorottya: Középkori kútlelet a budavári Szent György térről. Monumenta Historica  Budapestinensia XII. (2003) Budapest Francis Grew-Margareth de Neergaard: Shoes and pattens. Medieval finds from excavations in   ondon 2. London, 1988.