I like to think that the style of fighting a knight might do will determine hair length as well. With longer weapons, horses, and artillery starting to dominate the battle they could afford to have longer hair also. My only question becomes with the revival of the classics, why then didn't they revive the practice of shorter hair also? Even if they were not doing the in your face combat of the classical world, the theory of why shorter hair might have a tactical advantage would seem like a good idea, but it took modern warfare to return.
Hello Metatron, I was watching an episode of GMM ( Good Mythical Morning an American TH-cam show ) today and they were making a silly video ( as per usual) about food and this time it was about what bread to use for soup. When they discussed ciabatta, one of them mentioned "ciabatta is too big for 1 person for soup and also too big for a sandwich" which made me wonder. *TL:DR How do Italians eat their foods and do non-Italians eat it the wrong way?* extra: Apparently Pewdiepie eats pizza with knife and fork ( no idea if that is proper ) I eat "Huzarensalade" a.k.a. Russian Salad with my pizza sometimes and some people I know dip their pizza in garlic sauce or sprinkle whiskeysauce over the pizza and some pizza are made with Döner and Shoarma. I hope I didn't upset your Italian stomach too much with the knowledge of Germanic butchery of Italian cuisine. Anyways, have a good day and TOEDELEDOKI!!!👋
Could you do the same analysis for china region? The hair of ppl there were the longest until westernalization. Or perhaps, as well a deeper studies of native americans
But don't forget that with long hair you look clumsy ;) One of the funniest comments you've ever got. Right after someone advised you to get a decent job 🤣
Honestly regardless of historical accuracy I personally really like the image of a silver armoured knight with long hair because it just looks really heroic to me.
Well if you look at late 15th century German manuscripts you get exactly that xD basically all Knights are depicted with Long blonde hair in those. ( talking about the sword fighting manuscripts which is probably depicted in a idealistic style I imagine though. )
@@Philipp.of.Swabia There is a list with german kings including depictions if such existed and the vast majority doesn't have long hair. There is one until 1312 . So it's hard to believe knights would deviate from that on a large scale.
@@ungeimpfterrusslandtroll7155 Was the List from the 14th century ? Cause that is where shorter hair styles became quite popular all over Europe. But yes, I always go by the rule that the exceptions make the rule, I mean it’s like now at days, only because a certain hair style is very popular doesn’t mean everyone is wearing it.
Alright, alright it's a great video as always but dont think that you can fool us Metatron, we all know that this was just an excuse to flex your incredible hair
I agree with Metatron. And I think anyone else who naturally grew their hair long while constantly doing heavy labor most of their life will agree with him as well
Very interesting video! Hair is quite fascinating when it comes to history; as it has had (and still does i suppose) a massive part of culture and people. The Spartan's famous long hair demonstrating their wealth and gentlemanly status, separating them from their working helot class, is another example of long hair in a high class of people. The hair was so significant to the homoioi that before battle, in order to beauty themselves for the gods and in death, they would dress their hair in case they fell in the battle. Long curly hair, sometimes braided; it was such a character and signature of their status and their identity!
"gentlemanly" and "working helot class" are just strange words here. Let's be honest, the helots were slaves that were treated pretty brutally. They shouldn't be dumbed down as simply "voluntary migrant workers" like some Texan textbook fiasco. The long Spartan hair also had nothing to do with their manners or etiquette. They just had a culture. That's it.
@@slavaukraine716 well ive a actually done a video on if the helots where slaves, and much of the brutality of their treatment actually comes from a later writer who write about it in Roman times, so it is highly likely that much of thaf infomation is about that Sparta, as Xenphon and many other writers of the time of 5th century bc Sparta neglect to mention it.
Historically, slaves were bald, soldiers were buzzed, and those with high status had long hair. Long hair is actually pretty standard throughout human history. The current trend of men wearing short hair comes from after the Great War (WW1) when hundreds of thousands of men came back home with their short military haircuts.
Raffaelo I just dyed my gambeson a beautiful royal blue (it was my first time dyeing) and it came out so well I am positively on the moon. I'm just now seriously getting into reenactment. I just wanted to say that I've loved your channel for 4+ years and that you deserve not only the 650000 subs you have, but you deserve millions. Saluti
I'm really down with the image of the knight with long hair. And certainly long hair was popular throughout most of the Middle Ages. Hair signified status. importance and even wisdom. And it was badass. That said. it's also stated in period sources that many knights preferred shorter hair. It was practical. Commoners also found shorter hair more practical and it came to convey both humility and lower social status.
Well akktually short hair was commonly seen as a symbol of status, particularly after the time of William the Conqueror (who famously had short hair). It was seen as a symbol of personal discipline, Christian temperance and having enough wealth to be particular about your style of hair. Also, the Romans famously had short hair and mimicking Romans was (at times) a big part of the fashion.
@@markmuller7962 also lice are real things. And what's the best way to nip that problem in the bud cut that hair. There is a lot more to having short hair through out history. Not many pictures of knights having dread locks there is more than wash it comb it that went into maintaining long hair before conditioner and detangler was invented.
In many cultures a long and well kept hair was often a sign of good health and dignity. Hair was always a serious business everywhere, because its one of those natural features which you can represent so many things with the way you wearing it. In many warrior cultures, looks were almost just as important as martial training. Altho in the end i think it was always came down to personal preference, but longer hairstyles were definiately were far more common for men before the 19 th century and the Industrial revolution in general.
@@exploatores That's why long hair is a status symbol: it shows that you have the time (or the servants) to keep it clean and pretty, while most commoners probably don't.
@@JarlFrank There's been plenty of occasions where the reverse was true, William the conqueror turned short hair into a fashion trend with the advent of Norman England and it was also well known as the style favoured by Romans, so it was common for people to mimic that.
I've always been fascinated by longer hair , but more specifically long hair on men , due to watching a lot of medieval era movies & or documentaries growing up , that was 1 of the main reasons l eventually decided to grow out my hair a few years ago .
its highly conceivable that people in the past would have been influenced by the biblical Samson, as his long hair was believed to be the source of his vitality and strength.
not to mention that the picture at 10:19 i believe is supposed to be Absolom King Davids son who had long hair and got it caught in tree branches during battle
@@spacephantomranger I always thought that story about Absolom and his hair getting caught in trees was supposed to show how vain he was? I think I remember Saint Paul writing in one of his letters that men shouldn't have long hair and women shouldn't have short hair, but idk. The Sampson story definitely sticks out as an exception as a Bible story, and not just cause of the hair thing
Reality exists most people don't get extra strength from long hair so would not have hair hanging down if going to engage in battle or riding through trees and bushes where it could get caught also it says David's son Absalom hair got caught in the trees or bushes if I remember correctly.
Merovingian Kings having long hair may be a continuity from the Gaulish custom the Romans named 'Gallia Comata' or 'Long-Haired Gauls'. Having long hair was a status symbol for the Celtic warrior classes. The Merovingian kings, who had established themselves in the ruins of Roman Gaul, were known as the Reges criniti, the long-haired Kings.
Check out what William of Malmesbury and Orderic Vitalis wrote on long hair. By the reign of William Rufus many condemned the excessively long hair of courtiers. The cliche is that Normans had Bayeux Tapestry short cuts, but that changed. There is a story about a certain bishop in Normandy who, on receiving Henry I and his knights, pulled out a pair of shears and immediately chopped their locks.
Templar knights, conversely, grew their beards long but cropped their hair short, which gained the respect of their Muslim foes as they considered men with long hair and no beards to look too feminine.
Yes, that’s because in the century’s in which the order existed Shaved faces and longer hair was a trait of worldly knights, to split them selves from these „normal“ knights, they chose the opposite look.
@@rtji0 Not necessarily. Monastic orders that devoted themselves ostensibly to prayer wore their hair in tonsures, but the Templars were formed specifically as a military order, which meant different rules and habits.
One would think that it would be more likely for a knight to have short hair since he would have to use a helm but it seems that this wasn't the case. Thanks for the video, Metatron.
The clue that knights and other military nobility wore medium length hair is that page haircut is called so. Also the short hair was probably not the best choice because hair is another layer of head protection, even in 18th century soldiers wore wigs or their natural hair (if they could) long, because it could protect from some cuts
When I worked in a care facility for troubled youths, one of my instructors told us that if we have long hair available to be grabbed, we'd have to expect to lose some scalp. I wonder if there was a correlation: the less civilized the fighting, the shorter the hair length.
I'm reminded of the movie "A million ways to die in the west." A minor plot point (and musical number) is the idea that only rich people can afford to grow a mustache, because properly caring for it is expensive. It sounds like a similar thing is at play here. Longer hair takes more work, so only the wealthy can spend that time, so hair length becomes a measure of social status, and then legislated as such because of course the rich love having status symbols only they are allows to have. So long hair isn't knightly, it's wealthy/nobility. And wealth/nobility and knighthood often correlated (though not always).
I love that in Witcher 3 Geralt actually needs to go to a barber now and then.I would guess in long campaigns far from home hair might be shorter to make it easier to deal with while a beard might be worn just so there wasn't a need to shave every day.
I've come across several sources that state that the templar knights, in particular, cut their hair short while growing out their beards. I think this sheds some light on hair length corresponding with status since the idea of the templars was that they were the poor fellowsoldiers of Christ, and the beard was to resemble Christ Himself.
OK, at 10:00 the second from the right (purple) is wearing a plait, but the second one from the left (red) clearly has tentacles growing out of his neck. Seriously though, plaits on knights are a fascinating mental image to process - learned something new from you once again.
Metatron your channel is the best, since a child I loved all things medieval and ancient in regards to warfare weapons and armor especially, and your channel satisfies all those cravings, I’m also a die hard lord of the rings fan
Some fantastic illustrations. Early lute player and plaited hair Knights. While in Ireland we have the Coolin. The Irish coolin, long hair hanging down the back. Shakespeare made reference to Irishmen wearing elf locks or fairy-locks and made mention of the knots in their hair, which was left uncombed because of bad luck. The term fairy-locks originated in the mid to late-1500s and is what many believe is known as dreadlocks today. In English folklore, fairy-locks were thought to have been the result of fairies knotting and tangling the hair of sleeping children at nights. However, while there have not been substantial archeological findings to support the argument that Irishmen wore dreads, it is clear that they sported a hairstyle of similar nature.
I think comparing hairstyles from the 80s with those from today, versus hairstyles across the entire Middle Ages, is a bit of a stretch because how mass worldwide communication allows cultural trends to shift SUPER FAST nowadays. It would take a lot longer to change the culture if you had to walk or ride in a wagon around the country. But I do agree with your overall point XD
Fun fact, in ancient Sparta it was the standard for men to grow their hair out past their shoulders because once they put on their helmets the hair would make them look more fearsome and terrifying. In later periods it became common for them to also shave their mustaches and keep only a chinstrap style beard, but it wasn’t a requirement.
Though I'm glad to know that my lifelong notion of "long hair = nobility" to be true, you didn't touch the one point I was expecting: that people of lower economical status would have less hair because it's cheaper to maintain and to keep lice-free. Don't take me wrong, I'm saying that as an uninformed citizen, and much of the material I've seen recently proves that medieval folks weren't as crappy as modern media paints them as, so it is possible medieval people had their own ways to keep their 'dos clean and neat.
People cleaned themselves with ash and water in those times, which is very acessible, independently of class. That's the reason I have my doubts about only noble men having long hair.
I remember doing some research on medieval military & Renaissance military haircuts in Europe, and it seems to be that what we called the undercut has been very popular with knights and soldiers alike throughout most of Europe.
longer hair could also be a symbol of strenght, youth and vigor since men tend to grow bald with age. personally i would go with a maximum of shoulder length so it would be long enough to make me look mighty and give some padding in the helmet but long enough to snag on anything
My impression is that having long hair and beards is a Germanic custom, while short hair (for men) is a Roman and Greek custom. I think during the dark ages, when Germanic barbarians were overrunning Europe, it was a lot more common to see guys with long hair and beards. They didn't have much in the way of armor, and the helmet was open in the front. The helmets would just go over the hair and there was nothing to cover the beard. In the later middle ages when they started to have full body enclosing armor it was probably harder to have long hair. Especially during the 1400's when they had mail covering the areas between the plates. Maybe guys like nobility, who were only seldom in armor could have long hair, but regular guys who had to be in the armor all the time probably wouldn't want it. That's why Joan of Arc cut her hair off, and her hairstyle was considered typica for men-at-arms and knights who spent a lot of time in the armor.
I honestly think it really depends on the region, I’m more focusing on the Germanic regions and what I have noticed compared to England, the hair is always quite long, 12th century 13th Century it’s all relatively similar to other cultures, but in the 14th century when in France and England shorter hair styles start to become popular, the German nobles still hold onto longer hair ( of course exceptions make the rule ), the fashion continues until the very late 15th century, in the early 16th century we see more and more medium and short haired nobles, often with giant beards, which were in previous century’s relatively unpopular, in 12th and 13th Century depictions we see only chin beards or no beards at all, in the 14th century on some grave plates we see moustaches, but in the 15th century the beards disappear entirely ( but that was also not universal I would Imagine ).
Great video, as always. But now it's got me so curious to see how Meta would look with his hair in plaits with some adornment, like the French kings he described. Personally, I think he would look even more magnificent than he already does.
Yet another interesting video. This channel reminds me of Max Miller's history channel. It was a status symbol and also a matter of convenience. E.g. tradition of women wearing scarves over their hair is to keep it clean from dirt and dust as long as possible. Japanese girls wore a different style of kimono (long sleeved one) before they got married. Again, a matter of convenience that became a tradition. I had no idea about the knights' hair but always happy to learn something new.
I've always worn my hair long (except for 4 years of military service). My first influence to do this was a cigar box my grandfather had, it depicted the Dutch Masters. My mom was aghast when I stated I wanted to wear my hair like that. "Do you want to be a hippy?" Having no idea what a hippie was I asked, "What's a hippie?" "They live in the woods, never take baths, and don't cut their hair." Not the best thing to tell an 8-year-old boy. Later it was Frazetta's depiction of warriors and all the rock stars of the 70s. I'm 63, still wear it long and so do all my sons. I'm glad you covered this in a video Metatron, we all love medieval stuff.
In late 70s to 80s in West Germany , young men/ teenagers had, compared to now longer hair. I, Brittas boyfriend, had allways hair shorter than average young men. One day is visited a kind of show/exhibition of tools and things you can need at home. I payed the entrance fee (?) and noticed later, the woman gave me to much coins back. When leaving the event, i noticed why. There was a sign, that ,among some others, soldiers had to pay a reduced entrance fee. Now the woman saw a young man with a for the time unusual short haircut and thought, i am a soldier.
I just discovered your videos today but, I think I have already binged through twelve of them and every single one brings something interesting to the table. Your research shows and the delivery of your videos is so well done. ^_^
I wonder how the Knights Templar wore their hair? I know that they were monks, at least in principal, and that they were members of noble families, so I wonder if they had a tonsure? The drawings that I have seen indicate that they probably didn't. Metatron do you know different or what would your opinion be?
Hope you do a video on slavic/russian medieval knights (or warriors, don't know if they had a knight/samurai class on their own). Was always interested in their weird mix of viking/european/bizanthine/mongol-style armors and weaponry, and there's little info out there about it (unless one wants to deal with youtube's translation of russian videos lol).
Men regularly had "long" (shoulder length) hair right up until Henry VII. King John's tomb has him with long hair along with depictions of earlier English kings. In England this seems to have come in a short time after the Norman conquest and could be a display of the ruling Normans trying to blend in a bit with their Saxon subjects. So it is likely long hair came in with the Saxon invasion and later Viking invasions
As a bald gentleman and actor I have wondered as to how bald men of the past wore what hair they had left? I can't see many sticking with the horse shoe if there was an option. I have been turned down for roles in the past due to having too modern of a look with my shaved head and beard. 🤔
Again, another great video from the metatron but there's something that I was wondering and it comes to music from medieval era do we have any idea what music was like back then? Do we have any surviving descriptions or music notes? Or is everything that we hear in games and movies centered around it is just a rough guess on what it would been like I would really like to see a video where you would go over this topic Best wishes
We do have surviving notation. And you likely know one medieval melody already: the Christmas carol _Good king Wenceslas_ is set to the tune of the XIVth century springtime song _Tempus adest floridum_ . Look out the TH-cam channel Musica Medievale.
@@MarzoVarea One thing I really wish would be talked about is women in feudal times. You know, roles, activities, notable figures, myths, truths, exploits, struggles, etc.? As a man myself, I'd be fascinated to know about what the other half of humanity went through. Wouldn't it entice you, as well?
As a Knight of the Knightly Vodka, my hair magnificently flows below my shoulder blades, and in no way interferes with my knightly duties of making DoorDash deliveries in service to my liege, His Royal Highness the King of Delivery Gigs. Interesting, well-researched, well-reasoned, and entertaining video, Metatron. 👍
1:13 Why is my father childhood town here, lol. Garachico, Tenerife, Canary Island (Spain), founded by Genoese bankers in 1496 mostly for the exportation of sack (malmsey canary). Partially destroyed by a volcano in 1706.
Hi Metatron. I would really appreciate (and I think it would add so much to your channel) if you added the sources & bibliography you consult in the description, so we can also read about the topics you talk about
It almost seems like having attention to personal grooming as well as access to the tools and personel at your call to provide it would be a service that denotes affluence, but more likely I’m looking through my own lived, modern reasoning. Makes more sense in the old world mindset of royalty, which is its “more of something” which is yours.
11:13 "The sharing of a long haired boy without the parents' consent." I hope that you meant SHEARING or misspoke and meant SHAVING cause if not I am gonna be putting some medieval MAPS on walls.
I remember watching your videos when you cut your hair and now its waist length, your growth speed is fucking insane, I say this as someone with equally long hair.
Hahaha! At 10:25... "There be no man worth a leek, be he brave or be he meek, but that he bear a basilard." -14th century rhyme poking fun at the excessive length of some basilard daggers.😁
There is this writing from William of Apulia about the Battle of Civitate, where the Normans fought against a Germanic-papal army. William writes about the Swabians (Germans) specifically that they have long hair. This would probably have been a huge contrast to what the opposing side, the Normans, were used to, which is why this detail was probably written down.
Knights probably wore their hair as custom and fashion of their time and place dictated. They could easily find ways to make it fit under their helmets, either by braiding it, tying it back. or forming it into a bun, so they would wear it as customary when in civilian dress. Thus, you should examine, not only pictures of nights in armor, but also pictures of courtiers.
10:20 The painting is of the Biblical story of Absolom who tried to overthrow his father, king David. At the end of the deciding battle he tried riding away and his hair was so long it got caught up in the tree branch while his horse ran off without him. Just throwing it out there because that picture looks weird out of context. Lol
Use my code METATRON to get $5 off your delicious, healthy Magic Spoon cereal by clicking this link: magicspoon.thld.co/metatron_0922
yay for using jason kingsley's image
I like to think that the style of fighting a knight might do will determine hair length as well. With longer weapons, horses, and artillery starting to dominate the battle they could afford to have longer hair also. My only question becomes with the revival of the classics, why then didn't they revive the practice of shorter hair also? Even if they were not doing the in your face combat of the classical world, the theory of why shorter hair might have a tactical advantage would seem like a good idea, but it took modern warfare to return.
Oh meta bro, you and your long hair :P
I am the one who complained about you having long hair lol.
Hello Metatron, I was watching an episode of GMM ( Good Mythical Morning an American TH-cam show ) today and they were making a silly video ( as per usual) about food and this time it was about what bread to use for soup.
When they discussed ciabatta, one of them mentioned "ciabatta is too big for 1 person for soup and also too big for a sandwich" which made me wonder.
*TL:DR How do Italians eat their foods and do non-Italians eat it the wrong way?*
extra:
Apparently Pewdiepie eats pizza with knife and fork ( no idea if that is proper )
I eat "Huzarensalade" a.k.a. Russian Salad with my pizza sometimes and some people I know dip their pizza in garlic sauce or sprinkle whiskeysauce over the pizza and some pizza are made with Döner and Shoarma.
I hope I didn't upset your Italian stomach too much with the knowledge of Germanic butchery of Italian cuisine.
Anyways, have a good day and TOEDELEDOKI!!!👋
Could you do the same analysis for china region?
The hair of ppl there were the longest until westernalization.
Or perhaps, as well a deeper studies of native americans
I'm flattered that you featured a few photos of me (and Warlord my horse!).
You are the most knight looking person I’ve ever seen so I had to 😅
I had a good chuckle at the references but I also loved it. You look very dashing and knightly indeed.
But don't forget that with long hair you look clumsy ;) One of the funniest comments you've ever got. Right after someone advised you to get a decent job 🤣
@@metatronyt but he's Jason Kingsley, not Knightsley... 😃
And Warlord also has long hair!
Honestly regardless of historical accuracy I personally really like the image of a silver armoured knight with long hair because it just looks really heroic to me.
I’m on the same page with you
For me it's quite the opposite.
Well if you look at late 15th century German manuscripts you get exactly that xD basically all Knights are depicted with Long blonde hair in those. ( talking about the sword fighting manuscripts which is probably depicted in a idealistic style I imagine though. )
@@Philipp.of.Swabia There is a list with german kings including depictions if such existed and the vast majority doesn't have long hair.
There is one until 1312 .
So it's hard to believe knights would deviate from that on a large scale.
@@ungeimpfterrusslandtroll7155 Was the List from the 14th century ? Cause that is where shorter hair styles became quite popular all over Europe.
But yes, I always go by the rule that the exceptions make the rule, I mean it’s like now at days, only because a certain hair style is very popular doesn’t mean everyone is wearing it.
Alright, alright it's a great video as always but dont think that you can fool us Metatron, we all know that this was just an excuse to flex your incredible hair
I agree with Metatron. And I think anyone else who naturally grew their hair long while constantly doing heavy labor most of their life will agree with him as well
Yup, tie it back and get it out of the way
Yep. My hair is as long as the Metatron's and in work I have to tie it up similar to a bun.
@@hawkticus_history_corner yup get outta my face
I have super long hair I havent cut it in like 7 years so I fold it twice then tie it. More bun like like others say.
@@ElDrHouse2010 Thats the one brother.
Very interesting video! Hair is quite fascinating when it comes to history; as it has had (and still does i suppose) a massive part of culture and people. The Spartan's famous long hair demonstrating their wealth and gentlemanly status, separating them from their working helot class, is another example of long hair in a high class of people. The hair was so significant to the homoioi that before battle, in order to beauty themselves for the gods and in death, they would dress their hair in case they fell in the battle. Long curly hair, sometimes braided; it was such a character and signature of their status and their identity!
"gentlemanly" and "working helot class" are just strange words here. Let's be honest, the helots were slaves that were treated pretty brutally. They shouldn't be dumbed down as simply "voluntary migrant workers" like some Texan textbook fiasco. The long Spartan hair also had nothing to do with their manners or etiquette. They just had a culture. That's it.
@@slavaukraine716 well ive a actually done a video on if the helots where slaves, and much of the brutality of their treatment actually comes from a later writer who write about it in Roman times, so it is highly likely that much of thaf infomation is about that Sparta, as Xenphon and many other writers of the time of 5th century bc Sparta neglect to mention it.
Historically, slaves were bald, soldiers were buzzed, and those with high status had long hair. Long hair is actually pretty standard throughout human history. The current trend of men wearing short hair comes from after the Great War (WW1) when hundreds of thousands of men came back home with their short military haircuts.
"I cut my hair in place of my head"-Cao Cao (three kingdoms China) th-cam.com/video/sofWyx6EsnM/w-d-xo.html
@@slavaukraine716 Chilax man, there's no need for drama.
Now anytime someone asks me why I don't get my hair cut, I'll answer "Well, a nobleman wouldn't do that."
Wow, your hair is so beautiful in your pfp ❤️
Damn bro , you'd tottaly be mistaken for a prince in medieval times , absolutley phenomenal .
Raffaelo I just dyed my gambeson a beautiful royal blue (it was my first time dyeing) and it came out so well I am positively on the moon. I'm just now seriously getting into reenactment. I just wanted to say that I've loved your channel for 4+ years and that you deserve not only the 650000 subs you have, but you deserve millions. Saluti
Grazie mille and Graz on your Gambeson
Royal Blue is the most beautiful colour in the world, no other colour is beautiful than royal blue!
maybe except Yamaha Blue.
I'm really down with the image of the knight with long hair. And certainly long hair was popular throughout most of the Middle Ages. Hair signified status. importance and even wisdom. And it was badass. That said. it's also stated in period sources that many knights preferred shorter hair. It was practical. Commoners also found shorter hair more practical and it came to convey both humility and lower social status.
Not last the long hair provided thermal isolation for the nek and shoulders during winter times
Well akktually short hair was commonly seen as a symbol of status, particularly after the time of William the Conqueror (who famously had short hair).
It was seen as a symbol of personal discipline, Christian temperance and having enough wealth to be particular about your style of hair.
Also, the Romans famously had short hair and mimicking Romans was (at times) a big part of the fashion.
Warriors tend and tended to keep their hair short through out history and today. One less thing for your opponent to grab and use against you.
@@spiderfan1974 What about the stereotypical warrior? The Celtic warrior, the Germanic warrior?
Spoiler: You're wrong about anything you said
@@markmuller7962 also lice are real things. And what's the best way to nip that problem in the bud cut that hair. There is a lot more to having short hair through out history. Not many pictures of knights having dread locks there is more than wash it comb it that went into maintaining long hair before conditioner and detangler was invented.
In many cultures a long and well kept hair was often a sign of good health and dignity. Hair was always a serious business everywhere, because its one of those natural features which you can represent so many things with the way you wearing it. In many warrior cultures, looks were almost just as important as martial training. Altho in the end i think it was always came down to personal preference, but longer hairstyles were definiately were far more common for men before the 19 th century and the Industrial revolution in general.
Not forgeting that it would have taken. a lot of work to have it clean. It´s not like pepole could take a morning shower.
@@exploatores That's why long hair is a status symbol: it shows that you have the time (or the servants) to keep it clean and pretty, while most commoners probably don't.
Being able to keep your hair in good condition and well groomed showed you had the time or people to do it
@@JarlFrank There's been plenty of occasions where the reverse was true, William the conqueror turned short hair into a fashion trend with the advent of Norman England and it was also well known as the style favoured by Romans, so it was common for people to mimic that.
I've always been fascinated by longer hair , but more specifically long hair on men , due to watching a lot of medieval era movies & or documentaries growing up , that was 1 of the main reasons l eventually decided to grow out my hair a few years ago .
its highly conceivable that people in the past would have been influenced by the biblical Samson, as his long hair was believed to be the source of his vitality and strength.
my favorite story
not to mention that the picture at 10:19 i believe is supposed to be Absolom King Davids son who had long hair and got it caught in tree branches during battle
Nope, slaves and people of the lower classes had short hair.
Royalty and nobility had the right to wear long hair.
@@spacephantomranger I always thought that story about Absolom and his hair getting caught in trees was supposed to show how vain he was? I think I remember Saint Paul writing in one of his letters that men shouldn't have long hair and women shouldn't have short hair, but idk. The Sampson story definitely sticks out as an exception as a Bible story, and not just cause of the hair thing
Reality exists most people don't get extra strength from long hair so would not have hair hanging down if going to engage in battle or riding through trees and bushes where it could get caught also it says David's son Absalom hair got caught in the trees or bushes if I remember correctly.
Elves certainly did!
I guess Amazon didn’t get that memo.
Merovingian Kings having long hair may be a continuity from the Gaulish custom the Romans named 'Gallia Comata' or 'Long-Haired Gauls'. Having long hair was a status symbol for the Celtic warrior classes. The Merovingian kings, who had established themselves in the ruins of Roman Gaul, were known as the Reges criniti, the long-haired Kings.
Thanks!
Thank you!
The age old question - what precisely is long?
Check out what William of Malmesbury and Orderic Vitalis wrote on long hair. By the reign of William Rufus many condemned the excessively long hair of courtiers. The cliche is that Normans had Bayeux Tapestry short cuts, but that changed. There is a story about a certain bishop in Normandy who, on receiving Henry I and his knights, pulled out a pair of shears and immediately chopped their locks.
Templar knights, conversely, grew their beards long but cropped their hair short, which gained the respect of their Muslim foes as they considered men with long hair and no beards to look too feminine.
Yes, that’s because in the century’s in which the order existed Shaved faces and longer hair was a trait of worldly knights, to split them selves from these „normal“ knights, they chose the opposite look.
templars would be tonsured since they were monks right?
@@rtji0 Not necessarily. Monastic orders that devoted themselves ostensibly to prayer wore their hair in tonsures, but the Templars were formed specifically as a military order, which meant different rules and habits.
@@rtji0 yes, or at least very short hair.
One would think that it would be more likely for a knight to have short hair since he would have to use a helm but it seems that this wasn't the case. Thanks for the video, Metatron.
I dunno about knight helmets, but the distinctive samurai haircut of the "chonmage" came about because the topknot helped keep the helmet in place.
The clue that knights and other military nobility wore medium length hair is that page haircut is called so. Also the short hair was probably not the best choice because hair is another layer of head protection, even in 18th century soldiers wore wigs or their natural hair (if they could) long, because it could protect from some cuts
When I worked in a care facility for troubled youths, one of my instructors told us that if we have long hair available to be grabbed, we'd have to expect to lose some scalp.
I wonder if there was a correlation: the less civilized the fighting, the shorter the hair length.
this was very informative! details like these makes my day on how people used to have different customs
I'm reminded of the movie "A million ways to die in the west." A minor plot point (and musical number) is the idea that only rich people can afford to grow a mustache, because properly caring for it is expensive.
It sounds like a similar thing is at play here. Longer hair takes more work, so only the wealthy can spend that time, so hair length becomes a measure of social status, and then legislated as such because of course the rich love having status symbols only they are allows to have.
So long hair isn't knightly, it's wealthy/nobility. And wealth/nobility and knighthood often correlated (though not always).
Crazy how it's different these days. Shorter hair for men is now seen as a status symbol versus hair that's been left to grow.
I'd love to see something like this about the Roman Republic and the Empire.
I think the ancient greeks tended to wear their hair longer than the ancient romans. At least for the most part.
I love that in Witcher 3 Geralt actually needs to go to a barber now and then.I would guess in long campaigns far from home hair might be shorter to make it easier to deal with while a beard might be worn just so there wasn't a need to shave every day.
I've come across several sources that state that the templar knights, in particular, cut their hair short while growing out their beards. I think this sheds some light on hair length corresponding with status since the idea of the templars was that they were the poor fellowsoldiers of Christ, and the beard was to resemble Christ Himself.
OK, at 10:00 the second from the right (purple) is wearing a plait, but the second one from the left (red) clearly has tentacles growing out of his neck. Seriously though, plaits on knights are a fascinating mental image to process - learned something new from you once again.
Metatron your channel is the best, since a child I loved all things medieval and ancient in regards to warfare weapons and armor especially, and your channel satisfies all those cravings, I’m also a die hard lord of the rings fan
Some fantastic illustrations. Early lute player and plaited hair Knights. While in Ireland we have the Coolin.
The Irish coolin, long hair hanging down the back. Shakespeare made reference to Irishmen wearing elf locks or fairy-locks and made mention of the knots in their hair, which was left uncombed because of bad luck. The term fairy-locks originated in the mid to late-1500s and is what many believe is known as dreadlocks today. In English folklore, fairy-locks were thought to have been the result of fairies knotting and tangling the hair of sleeping children at nights. However, while there have not been substantial archeological findings to support the argument that Irishmen wore dreads, it is clear that they sported a hairstyle of similar nature.
Megatron, who hurt you? Who would dare imply that your bountiful locks weren't historic?
They aren't, because he's not a lord or a knight.
I think comparing hairstyles from the 80s with those from today, versus hairstyles across the entire Middle Ages, is a bit of a stretch because how mass worldwide communication allows cultural trends to shift SUPER FAST nowadays. It would take a lot longer to change the culture if you had to walk or ride in a wagon around the country.
But I do agree with your overall point XD
Real men go in to battle with long hair and blue paint.
And then get hung, drawn and quartered
Fun fact, in ancient Sparta it was the standard for men to grow their hair out past their shoulders because once they put on their helmets the hair would make them look more fearsome and terrifying. In later periods it became common for them to also shave their mustaches and keep only a chinstrap style beard, but it wasn’t a requirement.
Though I'm glad to know that my lifelong notion of "long hair = nobility" to be true, you didn't touch the one point I was expecting: that people of lower economical status would have less hair because it's cheaper to maintain and to keep lice-free.
Don't take me wrong, I'm saying that as an uninformed citizen, and much of the material I've seen recently proves that medieval folks weren't as crappy as modern media paints them as, so it is possible medieval people had their own ways to keep their 'dos clean and neat.
People cleaned themselves with ash and water in those times, which is very acessible, independently of class. That's the reason I have my doubts about only noble men having long hair.
Keep it up connazionale!
Well, I now know if I was in the Medieval era I would be treated as a prisoner.
I remember doing some research on medieval military & Renaissance military haircuts in Europe, and it seems to be that what we called the undercut has been very popular with knights and soldiers alike throughout most of Europe.
longer hair could also be a symbol of strenght, youth and vigor since men tend to grow bald with age. personally i would go with a maximum of shoulder length so it would be long enough to make me look mighty and give some padding in the helmet but long enough to snag on anything
Metatron rocking some Bretonnia and Empire models in the background!
Physical activity, helmets, and long hair is a bit of a pain to keep, due to sweat and tangles.
Great video!
As an active long hair I find the braid or plait to be the best option.
My impression is that having long hair and beards is a Germanic custom, while short hair (for men) is a Roman and Greek custom. I think during the dark ages, when Germanic barbarians were overrunning Europe, it was a lot more common to see guys with long hair and beards. They didn't have much in the way of armor, and the helmet was open in the front. The helmets would just go over the hair and there was nothing to cover the beard. In the later middle ages when they started to have full body enclosing armor it was probably harder to have long hair. Especially during the 1400's when they had mail covering the areas between the plates. Maybe guys like nobility, who were only seldom in armor could have long hair, but regular guys who had to be in the armor all the time probably wouldn't want it. That's why Joan of Arc cut her hair off, and her hairstyle was considered typica for men-at-arms and knights who spent a lot of time in the armor.
I honestly think it really depends on the region, I’m more focusing on the Germanic regions and what I have noticed compared to England, the hair is always quite long, 12th century 13th Century it’s all relatively similar to other cultures, but in the 14th century when in France and England shorter hair styles start to become popular, the German nobles still hold onto longer hair ( of course exceptions make the rule ), the fashion continues until the very late 15th century, in the early 16th century we see more and more medium and short haired nobles, often with giant beards, which were in previous century’s relatively unpopular, in 12th and 13th Century depictions we see only chin beards or no beards at all, in the 14th century on some grave plates we see moustaches, but in the 15th century the beards disappear entirely ( but that was also not universal I would Imagine ).
Apparently monks exemind the body of king Æthestan noted his long blonde hair and that I was braided
In England they had it long until the Norman invasion
@@humblelad yes, The normans brought in these funky short hair cuts with the shaved back xD
Thanks for doing the research !
Very informative, as usual....
I LOVE your Pomeranian !!
Glad you mentioned the Merovingians- is gave called you out had you not!
First time watching after long, too busy at work. I missed these!
Oh man I love Magic spoon,way to go!
Your hair looks so healthy I looove it!🤩
Love your work!
Great video, as always. But now it's got me so curious to see how Meta would look with his hair in plaits with some adornment, like the French kings he described. Personally, I think he would look even more magnificent than he already does.
Was being bald a bad thing? Or was there nobility or kings who chose to be bald. How was baldness looked upon?
It was much less common back then, voluntary shaving I assume was not seen too often, might be accused of trying to pass of as a cleric.
Looked bad because it was associated with AGING. A monarch who lived a lot and aged gracefully would be seen as blessed by God himself
Yet another interesting video. This channel reminds me of Max Miller's history channel.
It was a status symbol and also a matter of convenience. E.g. tradition of women wearing scarves over their hair is to keep it clean from dirt and dust as long as possible. Japanese girls wore a different style of kimono (long sleeved one) before they got married. Again, a matter of convenience that became a tradition. I had no idea about the knights' hair but always happy to learn something new.
I loved this intro. LOVED IT.
I've always worn my hair long (except for 4 years of military service). My first influence to do this was a cigar box my grandfather had, it depicted the Dutch Masters.
My mom was aghast when I stated I wanted to wear my hair like that. "Do you want to be a hippy?"
Having no idea what a hippie was I asked, "What's a hippie?"
"They live in the woods, never take baths, and don't cut their hair." Not the best thing to tell an 8-year-old boy.
Later it was Frazetta's depiction of warriors and all the rock stars of the 70s.
I'm 63, still wear it long and so do all my sons.
I'm glad you covered this in a video Metatron, we all love medieval stuff.
CALLED! IT!
Thank you... this is exellent and very informative!
In late 70s to 80s in West Germany , young men/ teenagers had, compared to now longer hair. I, Brittas boyfriend, had allways hair shorter than average young men. One day is visited a kind of show/exhibition of tools and things you can need at home. I payed the entrance fee (?) and noticed later, the woman gave me to much coins back. When leaving the event, i noticed why. There was a sign, that ,among some others, soldiers had to pay a reduced entrance fee. Now the woman saw a young man with a for the time unusual short haircut and thought, i am a soldier.
Great video as always
great topic
All these videos about hair,
We get it we all want to know your hair care routine
Awesome content oh Mighty Metatron. Have peace and prosper.
Thank you very much for your choose of such interesting topic ☺️ !!!
I always love your history vids, keep up the awesome work Raff!
10:19 the guy is like "oh well, another monday"
I just discovered your videos today but, I think I have already binged through twelve of them and every single one brings something interesting to the table. Your research shows and the delivery of your videos is so well done. ^_^
I wonder how the Knights Templar wore their hair? I know that they were monks, at least in principal, and that they were members of noble families, so I wonder if they had a tonsure? The drawings that I have seen indicate that they probably didn't. Metatron do you know different or what would your opinion be?
Hope you do a video on slavic/russian medieval knights (or warriors, don't know if they had a knight/samurai class on their own). Was always interested in their weird mix of viking/european/bizanthine/mongol-style armors and weaponry, and there's little info out there about it (unless one wants to deal with youtube's translation of russian videos lol).
Men regularly had "long" (shoulder length) hair right up until Henry VII. King John's tomb has him with long hair along with depictions of earlier English kings. In England this seems to have come in a short time after the Norman conquest and could be a display of the ruling Normans trying to blend in a bit with their Saxon subjects. So it is likely long hair came in with the Saxon invasion and later Viking invasions
As a bald gentleman and actor I have wondered as to how bald men of the past wore what hair they had left? I can't see many sticking with the horse shoe if there was an option. I have been turned down for roles in the past due to having too modern of a look with my shaved head and beard. 🤔
Modern history looks great!
Again, another great video from the metatron but there's something that I was wondering and it comes to music from medieval era do we have any idea what music was like back then? Do we have any surviving descriptions or music notes? Or is everything that we hear in games and movies centered around it is just a rough guess on what it would been like I would really like to see a video where you would go over this topic Best wishes
We do have surviving notation. And you likely know one medieval melody already: the Christmas carol _Good king Wenceslas_ is set to the tune of the XIVth century springtime song _Tempus adest floridum_ . Look out the TH-cam channel Musica Medievale.
@@MarzoVarea One thing I really wish would be talked about is women in feudal times. You know, roles, activities, notable figures, myths, truths, exploits, struggles, etc.?
As a man myself, I'd be fascinated to know about what the other half of humanity went through. Wouldn't it entice you, as well?
7:18 Rare few images of Metatron in his younger years.
As a Knight of the Knightly Vodka, my hair magnificently flows below my shoulder blades, and in no way interferes with my knightly duties of making DoorDash deliveries in service to my liege, His Royal Highness the King of Delivery Gigs. Interesting, well-researched, well-reasoned, and entertaining video, Metatron. 👍
Amazing video, I loved how you addressed this topic,
Btw, we both have our hair at the same length!
Very very much a video of my taste, metatronman! ❤️
I’m glad to hear
I read somewhere that monk hairstyle is that they can easily be identified places where they as a member of the clergy are not supposed to go.
Always interesting, noble one!
8:23 what insane maniac used that tomb for their writing learning
1:13 Why is my father childhood town here, lol. Garachico, Tenerife, Canary Island (Spain), founded by Genoese bankers in 1496 mostly for the exportation of sack (malmsey canary). Partially destroyed by a volcano in 1706.
What a thing to make a video about!! Absolute maniac!! 😂😂. You must be a genius!!!
A great video and I have to feel for you as I’m sure you only noticed the lack of focus after the video 😂 Don’t worry, it’s amazing as usual anyway 😎
Hi Metatron. I would really appreciate (and I think it would add so much to your channel) if you added the sources & bibliography you consult in the description, so we can also read about the topics you talk about
I love your unique topics , I always wandered about this , can you please do a similar video about facial hair, thanks
It almost seems like having attention to personal grooming as well as access to the tools and personel at your call to provide it would be a service that denotes affluence, but more likely I’m looking through my own lived, modern reasoning. Makes more sense in the old world mindset of royalty, which is its “more of something” which is yours.
11:13 "The sharing of a long haired boy without the parents' consent."
I hope that you meant SHEARING or misspoke and meant SHAVING cause if not I am gonna be putting some medieval MAPS on walls.
Well I was going to ask about the hair in armor but as always you are on the ball and thorough 😂
Huh so I did guess what the next video would be! This was a fun one for sure.
Cheers 💚
I remember watching your videos when you cut your hair and now its waist length, your growth speed is fucking insane, I say this as someone with equally long hair.
Hahaha! At 10:25... "There be no man worth a leek, be he brave or be he meek, but that he bear a basilard." -14th century rhyme poking fun at the excessive length of some basilard daggers.😁
There is this writing from William of Apulia about the Battle of Civitate, where the Normans fought against a Germanic-papal army. William writes about the Swabians (Germans) specifically that they have long hair.
This would probably have been a huge contrast to what the opposing side, the Normans, were used to, which is why this detail was probably written down.
Knights probably wore their hair as custom and fashion of their time and place dictated. They could easily find ways to make it fit under their helmets, either by braiding it, tying it back. or forming it into a bun, so they would wear it as customary when in civilian dress. Thus, you should examine, not only pictures of nights in armor, but also pictures of courtiers.
This question just came to my mind, what if a king or a nobleman was balding?
10:20 The painting is of the Biblical story of Absolom who tried to overthrow his father, king David. At the end of the deciding battle he tried riding away and his hair was so long it got caught up in the tree branch while his horse ran off without him.
Just throwing it out there because that picture looks weird out of context. Lol
Damn I was really close with my guess about the next video :)
Never in my life have I associated knights with long hair, so this came as a surprise to me.
Fascinating
"If there is one specific title in medieval society that's often connected with long hair, it's that of"
Princess?