Take a Deep Breath...

“Mobility: Voluntary or Enforced? Vagrants in Württemberg in the Sixteenth Century” by Robert W. Scribner. from Migration in der Feudalgesllschaft, Gerhard Jaritz, Alber Müller (H.G). Page 65, published 1988, Campus Verlag, Frankfurt/New York. ISBN: 3-593-33883-1

Page 69:

“Of all the identifiable types of vagrants, wandering soldiers seeking employment as mercenaries, the ‘Landsknecht’ or ‘Gartknecht’, made up by far the largest single group. Throughout the sixteenth century, they were held to be one of the greatest threats to law and order, even where they travelled singly, usually with their ‘Kebs’, or concubine. Like Veit Brunner, they often carried firearms and could be obstreperous, even without provocation. Most frequently they travelled in groups, such as the band of 15 persons who halted at an inn in Denkendorf in the district of Stuttgart in 1531: seven men and eight women, four of them married couples, and from places as scattered as Munich, Nuremberg, Augsburg, Ulm, Pforzheim and four other places which are no longer traceable, possibly villages outside Württemberg. This group claimed that they were travelling to seek service under the Emperor, but they fell into a brawl with some carriers in the inn. Local farmers tried to intervene to keep the peace, and became involved in the fighting. One of the farmers was felled, another was wounded; and one of the ‘Landsknecht’ threatened to harm the village in revenge. This was common behavior as it appears in the criminal records – they quarreled, brawled, disputed the bill, threatened farmers and innkeepers, and were not averse to a bit of extortion, even forming into robber bands engaged in ‘Plackerei’ or highway robbery.”

OK. So ‘Kebs’ is a new term for me. As someone who attempts to avoid the term Kampfrau, I am always collecting other phrases to describe the women of the baggage train. The news that Landsknecht “often” carried firearms is sort of off-putting. I have always been under the impression that guns were still pretty pricey in the early period (where the Veit Brunner example comes from), so were these men just walking away with the contents of the local armory after a campaign? It seems unlikely. Maybe the guns were plunder? Hum…

It is also interesting to note that the group of 15 people mentioned in this passage came from such a diverse number of places. I have been under the impression that most ‘groups’ of Landsknecht would have been from a similar geographical location; both for social reasons, and because I had heard that travelling singly was dangerous enough that even soldiers didn’t do it willingly. Add to that the idea that most peasants didn’t like soldiers and it seems like you are looking for death long the roadside if you take off on your own to find a Fahnlein to join. Would it be possible that this group were picked up along a muster route?

Mama, don’t let your babies grow up to be Landsknecht… No, really – there’s a song for that. 

Further along…

“From the end of the fifteenth century Swabia became the most common recruiting ground for mercenaries, and from that time on there were repeated attempts to regulate the trade.”

And further still…

“The usual period of absence on military service seems to have been no more than a year, for those charged were usually apprehended after returning home at the end of the campaigning season.”

And then…

“The most common employer was the King of France, followed by the Emperor. Occasionally employment was taken under German princes recruiting for local campaigns, such as the Landgrave of Hesse or Margrave Albrecht of Brandenburg. Thus Italy, the Low Countries and Central Germany were the main theatres of activity.”

The article goes on to state that most of the folks arrested for this offence were not thereafter arrested again for the same issue. Perhaps evidence that not many people partook of multiple campaigns?

Enjoy. Digest. Tell me if it sparks any more thoughts on this subject:

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I agree, a netted caul doesn't seem like the ideal way to keep your hair neat.  

Have a look at one of the images he [EDIT: Meaning the original inquirer about these items ~hsifeng] referenced-



Now to me, that looks exactly like sprang, not netting.  I don’t see any knots, and the openings are eye-shaped, not square.

I’d reckon this one is netted, because the openings are square.  Much different than the guy above.



Sprang is, by its very nature very elastic, and has been used for hair nets and bonnets since the Bronze age.  If I’m going to buy the hairnet under helmet theory, I’d be much more inclined to believe they are made with sprang.

http://www.denblauwenswaen.nl/public/sites/english/techniques/sprang/sprang.htm

The other clue that leads me to thing this particular hairnet is sprang is the cord which is wrapped around the base, holding it to the head. The cord is necessary in sprang because it holds the edge and keeps the piece from unraveling.  Check this out-


http://www.denblauwenswaen.nl/public/sites/english/techniques/sprangprojecten/hairnet.htm

You see this cord in almost all of the images-


Due to the elastic nature of the weave, it would also give you that form fitted look you see on so many of the images:



Once you know the technique, sprang is butt-easy to do, and works up quickly.  Of course over time lacy and extremely complex designs were developed, and they probably take some time, but sprang is infinitely faster than netting.

Then poking around on the web, look what I stumbled across-



Description of the hair style and hair net worn by the occupant of a Bronze Age (c. 1300 BC) grave in Skrydstrup, Southern Jutland aka GERMANY.  Coincidence?  I don’t think so.

Anyway, based on this miniscule amount of information, I’m of the opinion that a sprang hairnet could have been used to contain the hair under a helmet, and that more complex and delicate nets were used in the cauls.  I’m also leaning toward the idea that hairnets evolved into cauls for civilian wear, and eventually into the caul-shaped hats, like this-



Gwen

EDIT: 6/3/11 (from Gwen who wanted to give more info on the history of sprang for perspectives sake)

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Addendum-

From Wikipedia-

Although examples of sprang have been unearthed from as early as the bronze age, sprang was almost entirely undocumented in written records until the late nineteenth century when archaeological finds generated interest in Europe. Museum examples of sprang had been misidentified as knitting or lace until discoveries of ancient examples prompted reexamination of newer pieces. Subsequently, sprang has been identified in a variety of cultures and traditions across several continents. Its practice as a folk art waned during the twentieth century and sprang traditions have disappeared in most locales. Knitting has largely supplanted sprang.

Fabric impressions from potsherds of northern Germany suggest that sprang originated in Europe during the neolithic period. It may have spread southward toward the Mediterranean during the iron age or possibly the late bronze age.  The earliest surviving example of sprang is a hair net, c. 1400 B.C., that was recovered from a bog in Denmark.  Most archaeological finds of sprang fabric come from the later classical era and early Dark Ages: locations include Norway (third to fifth centuries A.D.), Switzerland, Egypt (possibly twenty-second dynasty, also early Coptic), and various Roman sites. Use of sprang has also been conjectured from archaeological recoveries of ancient looms and from depictions in period artwork.

Sprang is also an indigenous needlework technique among the peoples of South America, with the earliest known examples dating from before 900 A.D. among the Paracas culture and Nazca culture in present-day Peru. Sprang has also been noted in the Middle East, Central Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, and North America. Indigenous North American sprang includes woolen scarves by the Ho-Chunk of Wisconsin, and Hopi wedding sashes. The natural elasticity of sprang makes it suitable for stockings, hair nets, sleeves, bags, scarves, and other purposes where pliant material is required. Most sprang needlework is utilitarian and hence was overlooked by scholars until late in its history, according to needlework historian Catherine Amoroso Leslie. In fact, it was not until the nineteenth century and the discovery of sprang at archaeological sites that it was recognized as a separate and distinct form of needlework. Many museum objects that were wrongly classified as knitting or lace have now been correctly identified as sprang.
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In Homer's Odyssey, Odysseus is forced to leave his wife Penelope to go fight in the Trojan war.

When the war was over and there was no sign of Odysseus, many suitors came to seek Penelope's hand in marriage.

As time went on and the chance that Odysseus would return became smaller, the suitors got more and more badly behaved.

In order to avoid choosing a husband, Penelope came up with a plan. She announced that she was weaving a shroud for Laertes, her father-in-law. She said that, once she had finished, she would choose from among the many suitors.

Penelope wove during the day, and unloosened the weaving at night, therefore buying time. An interesting theory is that Penelope was weaving sprang, which is very easy to undo.

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I agree there is a huge gap between 1300BC and 1550AD.  In general, there are loads of extant textile remains for Bronze Age thru Dark Ages, then a significant tapering off during the Medieval period, then an increasing number of finds and whole garments after 1500.  Textiles of -any- kind are poorly represented in the medieval period, so it's no surprise that few examples remain. 

Gwen

jillwheezul (my personal garb goddess as many of you are aware), dug up this original text information in regards to soldierly sumptuary law information from Max. In addition, she also dug up the original 'their lives are crappy, let them have fun quote'. DHF’s Christopher Triechel provided translation services, so what you are getting below is a copy from the GRC list with a combo of both jillwheezul and Chris' work.

Thanks folks!

Now mind you, sumptuary laws were often hard to enforce even in the cities! However, this sorta makes it more apparent that this wasn't a permitted practice, just an example of soliders stretching their limits as they could, when they could. That doesn't seem so strange at all....

>> Original Text from jillwheezul with Chris' translations inserted in line <<

Hi again,

I've checked out Erika Thiel's Geschichte des Kostüms, a nice general costume history. Being that it is German, it does have some good particular German costume reference.

Erika actually quotes the bandied about sumptuary law (which was quoted elsewhere as 1503), but doesn't cite a reference - only that it was said: "Laßt sie doh gehen, bei ihrem unseligen und Kümmerliche Leben muß man ihnen ein Spaß gönnen". (Let them go at their unholy and pitiful life. One has to allow them some fun - C.T.). That pretty much jives with the translation in the Osprey book.

Another rather exciting piece is the what appears to be a full quotation of the Emperor's 1536 Sumptuary ordinance. I'm going to quote the part here on the Kriegsleuten. Anyone who'd like, please feel free to jump in and translate because I am deep in study of the 1548 wedding costume of the Duke of Saxony. It's in the period language. [So far I believe I see that Captains, fendrich and musterherr can dress like an honorable burger.]

Von Krigsleuten.
About the Soldiers

Item die kriegssleut so eyner eyn Ritter oder Edelman were sollen vnd moegen sich als oben von Rittern vn Edelleuten vermelt tragen.

In that the soldiers, one being a knight the other a nobleman and if they want shall clothe themselves as knights or nobility.

Were er aber von geringerm standt dann vom Adel herkommen vn eyn hauptmanschaft fenderich musterherr er dergleichen hohe ampt get woellen wir jm zulassen sich zutrage wi eyn ehrlicher Burger von geschlecten in stetten wie oben gesetzt ist.

But is he of common origin and then by a noble given a captaincy or fahndrich or muster master or of the same high office As such we wish to give him the right to wear that which a Burger of like standing as above mentioned may wear.

Were er aber eyn gemeyner knecht so er sich in seins herrn gebieten vnd oberkeyten diser ordnung vnd seinem standt gemess halten.

But he who is a common servant and who offers himself up to his master and his superiors must remain in his order and same standing

Aber eyn kriegesman so eyn dienst hett oder hauptman vnd im Zugk were vnd des eyn passbort oder urkund würd anzeygen der mag sich nach gestalt der leuff vnd wie jm gelegen kleyden vnd tragen.

But a soldier who has such duty or is captain in the trains and has to show a passport or document, he may as befits him and how he wishes carry and clothe himself.

jillwheezul

mmcnealy