Medieval Jackboots

The Traveller’s Friend: The Medieval Jackboots

When it comes to LARPing or Cosplaying, decent footwear really shouldn’t be overlooked. Often, you’re spending all day on your feet and potentially a lot of time outside. You want something that will go with your outfit, but you also want something comfortable and that will last.

These jackboots fit the bill nicely. They are calf-high, with a stylish folded cuff at the top that really works with so many historical and fantasy characters. The boots are made from a synthetic leather, which is weather-resistant and should protect your feet nicely. You can slide these boots right onto your feet and get going, without having to worry about finicky buckles or laces.

You can choose between two colours, black and brown. This means that you can pick something that suits your needs the most. These handmade boots are unisex and can add a great twist to all kinds of outfits. They would suit your typical wandering adventurer nicely, along with a rakish pirate, or even a military type of character. As always, it’s nice to use your imagination.

Pirates Through History: Unscrupulous Criminals and Mercenaries

This style of jackboot with the folded cuff is often associated with the piratical type. A famous example would be the fantasy pirate Captain Jack Sparrow, who solidified our image of the duplicitous, roguish, yet likeable pirate.

When we look away from fantasy and towards history, the earliest pirates in Medieval Europe were probably the Vikings. While we don’t always group pirates and Vikings together, these Scandinavian marauders ruled the seas and terrorised the coasts. You know, like pirates.

Obviously, pirates in some form had existed for thousands of years prior to the Vikings, but they spread all over Europe. This was undoubtedly helped by the lack of any centralised powers in Europe after the fall of the Roman empire.

Even after the Viking Age, pirates continued to plague the seas. Most governments took a dim view of piracy. The first person to have been hanged, drawn and quartered was a convicted pirate, showing the severity of this crime. Mostly, pirates were hung, and their remains displayed in a gibbet to dissuade others from following in their footsteps.

However, some pirates engaged in somewhat legal practices. Pirates acting as mercenaries was a tradition that dated at least as far back as the Vikings, where governments would pay pirates to fight their wars for them.

As time went on, these mercenaries became known as privateers, and were given free reign to raid ships and coastlines. Well, the ships and coastlines of the enemy, at least. While traditional pirates still existed, it was often safer to ally oneself with a nation and lessen the chance of a grisly execution.

Tech Specs

The technical specifications for the medieval jackboots are as follows:

•         Materials: Synthetic, weather-resistant leather
•         Colours: Available in black or brown
•         Sizes: Ranges from Euro 39-47, US Women’s 8.5-12, or US Men’s 6.5-14