Cavalier boots are a style ofboot that were popular in Europe between approximately 1500 and 1700. They are soft knee-highleather boots typically made of browncalfskin.[1]
Thigh highriding boots were first worn withbuff coats by gentlemen and soldiers[2] during the mid-Tudor period. By the reign ofElizabeth I these had low heels to facilitate riding and were made of soft brown leather.
By the reign ofJames I boots had replaced shoes as the most popular footwear among the upper classes, who often wore them indoors, even with spurs.[3] By the 1620s they resembled the boots worn by theThree Musketeers, with a flared bucket-shaped top and high wooden heels similar to those oncowboy boots.
Boots of this type are stereotypically associated with the dashingCavalier of theEnglish Civil War but in reality manyRoundheads, including theEarl of Essex, dressed identically to the Royalists.[4] Cavalier boots remained in use among cavalry until the late 18th century when they were replaced with theHessian boots popularised byPrussian kingFrederick the Great.
Cavalier boots are often associated withpirates andhighwaymen likeDick Turpin orCaptain Blood.[5] These tall boots were prized by helmsmen and naval officers as they provided excellent protection from rain and spray. Boots of this design, worn with aSou'wester andoilskins, remained in use among fishermen well into the 20th century when they were replaced with rubberWellington boots andwaders.[citation needed]
Cavalier boots underwent a revival during theAmerican Civil War when flamboyant cavalry officers likeGeorge Armstrong Custer andJeb Stuart purchased thigh-high riding boots.[6] Following the successfulPirates of the Caribbean films boots of this type have also become popular among young British women.
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