Cavalier

, often considered to be an archetypal Cavalier The term Cavalier ( ) was first used to describe cavalrymen, and later by Roundheads as a term of abuse for the wealthier royalist supporters of Charles I of England and his son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration (1642 – ). It was later adopted by the Royalists themselves. Although it referred originally to political and social attitudes and behaviour, of which clothing was a very small part, it has subsequently become strongly identified with the fashionable clothing of the court at the time. Prince Rupert, commander of much of Charles I's cavalry, is often considered to be an archetypal Cavalier.

, often considered to be an archetypal Cavalier The term Cavalier ( ) was first used to describe cavalrymen, and later by Roundheads as a term of abuse for the wealthier royalist supporters of Charles I of England and his son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration (1642 – ). It was later adopted by the Royalists themselves. Although it referred originally to political and social attitudes and behaviour, of which clothing was a very small part, it has subsequently become strongly identified with the fashionable clothing of the court at the time. Prince Rupert, commander of much of Charles I's cavalry, is often considered to be an archetypal Cavalier.

Etymology

Cavalier derives from the same Latin root as the Italian word , the French word , and the Spanish word , the Vulgar Latin word caballarius, meaning 'horseman'. Shakespeare used the word cavaleros to describe an overbearing swashbuckler or swaggering gallant in Henry IV, Part 2 (c. 1596–1599), in which Robert Shallow says, "I'll drink to Master Bardolph, and to all the cavaleros about London". Shallow returns in The Merry Wives of Windsor (c. 1597), where he is called "Cavaleiro Justice" (knightly judge) and "bully rook", a term meaning "blustering cheat".

English Civil War

"Cavalier" is chiefly associated with the Royalist supporters of King Charles I in his struggle with Parliament in the English Civil War. It first appears as a term of reproach and contempt, applied to Charles' followers in June 1642: Charles, in the Answer to the Petition 13 June 1642, speaks of Cavaliers as a "word by what mistake soever it seemes much in disfavour". It was soon reappropriated as a title of honour by the king's party, who in return applied Roundhead to their opponents. At the Restoration, the court party preserved the name, which survived until the rise of the term Tory.

In popular culture

Richard Dawkins reports that at his secondary school, Oundle, and another, boys who were circumcised were referred to as "Roundheads" and those who were not as "Cavaliers". Various other sources report the usage, including Prince Harry's memoir Spare.

In arts

, the triple portrait of Charles I by Anthony van Dyck An example of the Cavalier style can be seen in the painting Charles I, King of England, from Three Angles by Anthony van Dyck.

See also

Virginia Cavaliers (historical)

Notes

Attribution

Bibliography

Further reading

Military instructions for the cavallrie by John Cruso; editions: 1632: (Cited in: "Military science in western Europe in the sixteenth century", p. 45) 1644:

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