fbpx
Wikipedia

Cavalier

February 12, 2023

This article is about the Royalists during the English Civil War. For other uses, see Cavalier (disambiguation).

The term "Cavalier" (/ˌkævəˈlɪər/) was first used by Roundheads as a term of abuse for the wealthier royalist supporters of King Charles I and his son Charles II of England during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration (1642 – c. 1679). 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.[1]

Prince Rupert of the Rhine, often considered to be an archetypal Cavalier.

Etymology

Cavalier derives from the same Latin root as the Italian word cavaliere, the French word chevalier, and the Spanish word caballero, 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".[2] 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".[3][4]

English Civil War

 
An engraving depicting Charles I and his adherents.

"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 the followers of King Charles I in June 1642:

1642 (June 10) Propositions of Parlt. in Clarendon v. (1702) I. 504 Several sorts of malignant Men, who were about the King; some whereof, under the name of Cavaliers, without having respect to the Laws of the Land, or any fear either of God or Man, were ready to commit all manner of Outrage and Violence. 1642 Petition Lords & Com. 17 June in Rushw. Coll. III. (1721) I. 631 That your Majesty..would please to dismiss your extraordinary Guards, and the Cavaliers and others of that Quality, who seem to have little Interest or Affection to the publick Good, their Language and Behaviour speaking nothing but Division and War.[2]

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".[5] 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.[5]

Social perceptions

Cavalier was not understood at the time as primarily a term describing a style of dress, but a whole political and social attitude. However, in modern times the word has become more particularly associated with the court fashions of the period, which included long flowing hair in ringlets, brightly coloured clothing with elaborate trimmings and lace collars and cuffs, and plumed hats.[6] This contrasted with the dress of at least the most extreme Roundhead supporters of Parliament, with their preference for shorter hair and plainer dress, although neither side conformed to the stereotypical images entirely.[7]

Most Parliamentarian generals wore their hair at much the same length as their Royalist counterparts,[8] though Cromwell was something of an exception. The best patrons in the nobility of Charles I's court painter Sir Anthony van Dyck, the archetypal recorder of the Cavalier image, all took the Parliamentary side in the Civil War. Probably the most famous image identified as of a "cavalier", Frans Hals' Laughing Cavalier, shows a gentleman from the strongly Calvinist Dutch town of Haarlem, and is dated 1624. These derogatory terms (for at the time they were so intended) also showed what the typical Parliamentarian thought of the Royalist side – capricious men who cared more for vanity than the nation at large.[9]

The chaplain to King Charles I, Edward Simmons described a Cavalier as "a Child of Honour, a Gentleman well borne and bred, that loves his king for conscience sake, of a clearer countenance, and bolder look than other men, because of a more loyal Heart".[10] There were many men in the Royalist armies who fit this description since most of the Royalist field officers were typically in their early thirties, married with rural estates which had to be managed. Although they did not share the same outlook on how to worship God as the English Independents of the New Model Army, God was often central to their lives.[11] This type of Cavalier was personified by Jacob Astley, 1st Baron Astley of Reading, whose prayer at the start of the Battle of Edgehill has become famous "O Lord, Thou knowest how busy I must be this day. If I forget Thee, do not forget me".[12]

At the end of the First Civil War, Astley gave his word that he would not take up arms again against Parliament and having given his word he felt duty bound to refuse to help the Royalist cause in the Second Civil War; however, the word was coined by the Roundheads as a pejorative propaganda image of a licentious, hard drinking and frivolous man, who rarely, if ever, thought of God. It is this image which has survived and many Royalists, for example Henry Wilmot, 1st Earl of Rochester, fitted this description to a tee.[13] Of another Cavalier, George Goring, Lord Goring, a general in the Royalist army,[14] the principal advisor to Charles II, Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon, said:

 
Triple Unite gold coin of 1644: the Latin legend translates as "The religion of the Protestants, the laws of England and the liberty of Parliament. Let God arise and His enemies be scattered."

[He] would, without hesitation, have broken any trust, or done any act of treachery to have satisfied an ordinary passion or appetite; and in truth wanted nothing but industry (for he had wit, and courage, and understanding and ambition, uncontrolled by any fear of God or man) to have been as eminent and successful in the highest attempt of wickedness as any man in the age he lived in or before. Of all his qualifications dissimulation was his masterpiece; in which he so much excelled, that men were not ordinarily ashamed, or out of countenance, with being deceived but twice by him.[15][16]

This sense has developed into the modern English use of "cavalier" to describe a recklessly nonchalant attitude, although still with a suggestion of stylishness. Cavalier remained in use as a description for members of the party that supported the monarchy up until the Exclusion Crisis of 1678–1681 when the term was superseded by "Tory" which was another term initially with pejorative connotations. Likewise, during the Exclusion Bill crisis, the term Roundhead was replaced with "Whig", a term introduced by the opponents of the Whigs and also was initially a pejorative term.[17]

In arts

See also: 1600–50 in Western European fashion and Cavalier poet
 
Charles I in Three Positions, 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.

References

Notes

  1. ^ Manganiello 2004, p. 476.
  2. ^ a b OED 1989, "Cavalier".
  3. ^ Brewer, E. Cobham (1898). "Bully-rook". Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Philadelphia, PA: Henry Altemus – via www.bartleby.com.
  4. ^ Busse, Ulrich (22 September 2002). Linguistic Variation in the Shakespeare Corpus: Morpho-syntactic Variability of Second Person Pronouns. John Benjamins Publishing. ISBN 1588112802 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ a b Chisholm 1911, p. 562.
  6. ^ OED 1989, "Cavalier", Meaning 4. attrib., First quotation "1666 EVELYN Dairy 13 Sept., The Queene was now in her cavalier riding habite, hat and feather, and horseman's coate".
  7. ^ Ashelford, Jane, The Art of Dress: Clothes and Society 1500–1914, pp. 73–75, 2009, ISBN 9781905400799, google books
  8. ^ Ashelford, 73
  9. ^ Stoyle 2003.
  10. ^ Carlton 2002, p. 52.
  11. ^ Woolrych 2002, p. 249.
  12. ^ Hume 1841, p. 216 See footnote r. cites Warwick 229.
  13. ^ Barratt 2005, p. 177.
  14. ^ Memegalos 2007, inside front cover.
  15. ^ Clarendon 1839, p. 3.
  16. ^ Chisholm 1911a, p. 259.
  17. ^ Worden 2009, p. 4.

Sources

  •   This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Cavalier". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 5 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 562–563.

Bibliography

  • Barratt, John (2005). Cavalier Generals: King Charles I and His Commanders in the English Civil War, 1642–46. Pen & Sword Military.
  • Carlton, Charles (2002). Going to the Wars: The Experience of the British Civil Wars 1638–1651. Taylor & Francis. p. 52. ISBN 978-0-203-42558-9.
  • Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911a). "Goring, George Goring, Lord" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 12 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 258–259.
  • Clarendon, Edward Hyde, 1st earl of (1839). The history of the rebellion and civil wars in England. Vol. 5 (seven volumes ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 3.
  • Hume, David (1841). The History of England from the Invasion of Julius Caesar to the Revolution 1688. Vol. V. .T. Cadell.
  • Manganiello, Stephen C. (2004). The Concise Encyclopedia of the Revolutions and Wars of England, Scotland, and Ireland, 1639–1660. Scarecrow Press. p. 476. ISBN 978-0-8108-5100-9.
  • Memegalos, Florene S. (2007). George Goring (1608–1657): Caroline Courtier and Royalist General. Ashgate Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7546-5299-1.
  • OED (1989). "Cavalier". Oxford English Dictionary (Second ed.).
  • Stoyle, Mark (2003). . BBC. Archived from the original on 29 November 2004.
  • Woolrych, Austin (2002). Britain in Revolution: 1625–1660. Oxford University Press. p. 249. ISBN 9780191542008.
  • Worden, Blair (2009). The English Civil Wars 1640–1660. London: Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-14-100694-9.

Further reading

External links

  •   The dictionary definition of cavalier at Wiktionary

February 12, 2023
cavalier, this, article, about, royalists, during, english, civil, other, uses, disambiguation, term, ɪər, first, used, roundheads, term, abuse, wealthier, royalist, supporters, king, charles, charles, england, during, english, civil, interregnum, restoration,. This article is about the Royalists during the English Civil War For other uses see Cavalier disambiguation The term Cavalier ˌ k ae v e ˈ l ɪer was first used by Roundheads as a term of abuse for the wealthier royalist supporters of King Charles I and his son Charles II of England during the English Civil War the Interregnum and the Restoration 1642 c 1679 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 1 Prince Rupert of the Rhine often considered to be an archetypal Cavalier Contents 1 Etymology 1 1 English Civil War 2 Social perceptions 3 In arts 4 References 5 External linksEtymology EditCavalier derives from the same Latin root as the Italian word cavaliere the French word chevalier and the Spanish word caballero 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 2 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 3 4 English Civil War Edit An engraving depicting Charles I and his adherents 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 the followers of King Charles I in June 1642 1642 June 10 Propositions of Parlt in Clarendon v 1702 I 504 Several sorts of malignant Men who were about the King some whereof under the name of Cavaliers without having respect to the Laws of the Land or any fear either of God or Man were ready to commit all manner of Outrage and Violence 1642 Petition Lords amp Com 17 June in Rushw Coll III 1721 I 631 That your Majesty would please to dismiss your extraordinary Guards and the Cavaliers and others of that Quality who seem to have little Interest or Affection to the publick Good their Language and Behaviour speaking nothing but Division and War 2 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 5 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 5 Social perceptions Edit Lord John Stuart and his Brother Lord Bernard Stuart c 1638 by Sir Anthony van Dyck Both Lord John Stewart and Lord Bernard Stewart died in the English Civil War fighting on the Royalist side Cavalier was not understood at the time as primarily a term describing a style of dress but a whole political and social attitude However in modern times the word has become more particularly associated with the court fashions of the period which included long flowing hair in ringlets brightly coloured clothing with elaborate trimmings and lace collars and cuffs and plumed hats 6 This contrasted with the dress of at least the most extreme Roundhead supporters of Parliament with their preference for shorter hair and plainer dress although neither side conformed to the stereotypical images entirely 7 Most Parliamentarian generals wore their hair at much the same length as their Royalist counterparts 8 though Cromwell was something of an exception The best patrons in the nobility of Charles I s court painter Sir Anthony van Dyck the archetypal recorder of the Cavalier image all took the Parliamentary side in the Civil War Probably the most famous image identified as of a cavalier Frans Hals Laughing Cavalier shows a gentleman from the strongly Calvinist Dutch town of Haarlem and is dated 1624 These derogatory terms for at the time they were so intended also showed what the typical Parliamentarian thought of the Royalist side capricious men who cared more for vanity than the nation at large 9 The chaplain to King Charles I Edward Simmons described a Cavalier as a Child of Honour a Gentleman well borne and bred that loves his king for conscience sake of a clearer countenance and bolder look than other men because of a more loyal Heart 10 There were many men in the Royalist armies who fit this description since most of the Royalist field officers were typically in their early thirties married with rural estates which had to be managed Although they did not share the same outlook on how to worship God as the English Independents of the New Model Army God was often central to their lives 11 This type of Cavalier was personified by Jacob Astley 1st Baron Astley of Reading whose prayer at the start of the Battle of Edgehill has become famous O Lord Thou knowest how busy I must be this day If I forget Thee do not forget me 12 At the end of the First Civil War Astley gave his word that he would not take up arms again against Parliament and having given his word he felt duty bound to refuse to help the Royalist cause in the Second Civil War however the word was coined by the Roundheads as a pejorative propaganda image of a licentious hard drinking and frivolous man who rarely if ever thought of God It is this image which has survived and many Royalists for example Henry Wilmot 1st Earl of Rochester fitted this description to a tee 13 Of another Cavalier George Goring Lord Goring a general in the Royalist army 14 the principal advisor to Charles II Edward Hyde 1st Earl of Clarendon said Triple Unite gold coin of 1644 the Latin legend translates as The religion of the Protestants the laws of England and the liberty of Parliament Let God arise and His enemies be scattered He would without hesitation have broken any trust or done any act of treachery to have satisfied an ordinary passion or appetite and in truth wanted nothing but industry for he had wit and courage and understanding and ambition uncontrolled by any fear of God or man to have been as eminent and successful in the highest attempt of wickedness as any man in the age he lived in or before Of all his qualifications dissimulation was his masterpiece in which he so much excelled that men were not ordinarily ashamed or out of countenance with being deceived but twice by him 15 16 This sense has developed into the modern English use of cavalier to describe a recklessly nonchalant attitude although still with a suggestion of stylishness Cavalier remained in use as a description for members of the party that supported the monarchy up until the Exclusion Crisis of 1678 1681 when the term was superseded by Tory which was another term initially with pejorative connotations Likewise during the Exclusion Bill crisis the term Roundhead was replaced with Whig a term introduced by the opponents of the Whigs and also was initially a pejorative term 17 In arts EditSee also 1600 50 in Western European fashion and Cavalier poet Charles I in Three Positions 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 References EditNotes Manganiello 2004 p 476 a b OED 1989 Cavalier Brewer E Cobham 1898 Bully rook Dictionary of Phrase and Fable Philadelphia PA Henry Altemus via www bartleby com Busse Ulrich 22 September 2002 Linguistic Variation in the Shakespeare Corpus Morpho syntactic Variability of Second Person Pronouns John Benjamins Publishing ISBN 1588112802 via Google Books a b Chisholm 1911 p 562 OED 1989 Cavalier Meaning 4 attrib First quotation 1666 EVELYN Dairy 13 Sept The Queene was now in her cavalier riding habite hat and feather and horseman s coate Ashelford Jane The Art of Dress Clothes and Society 1500 1914 pp 73 75 2009 ISBN 9781905400799 google books Ashelford 73 Stoyle 2003 Carlton 2002 p 52 Woolrych 2002 p 249 Hume 1841 p 216 See footnote r cites Warwick 229 Barratt 2005 p 177 Memegalos 2007 inside front cover Clarendon 1839 p 3 Chisholm 1911a p 259 Worden 2009 p 4 Sources This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain Chisholm Hugh ed 1911 Cavalier Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol 5 11th ed Cambridge University Press pp 562 563 Bibliography Barratt John 2005 Cavalier Generals King Charles I and His Commanders in the English Civil War 1642 46 Pen amp Sword Military Carlton Charles 2002 Going to the Wars The Experience of the British Civil Wars 1638 1651 Taylor amp Francis p 52 ISBN 978 0 203 42558 9 Chisholm Hugh ed 1911a Goring George Goring Lord Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol 12 11th ed Cambridge University Press pp 258 259 Clarendon Edward Hyde 1st earl of 1839 The history of the rebellion and civil wars in England Vol 5 seven volumes ed Oxford University Press p 3 Hume David 1841 The History of England from the Invasion of Julius Caesar to the Revolution 1688 Vol V T Cadell Manganiello Stephen C 2004 The Concise Encyclopedia of the Revolutions and Wars of England Scotland and Ireland 1639 1660 Scarecrow Press p 476 ISBN 978 0 8108 5100 9 Memegalos Florene S 2007 George Goring 1608 1657 Caroline Courtier and Royalist General Ashgate Publishing ISBN 978 0 7546 5299 1 OED 1989 Cavalier Oxford English Dictionary Second ed Stoyle Mark 2003 Choosing Sides in the English Civil War BBC Archived from the original on 29 November 2004 Woolrych Austin 2002 Britain in Revolution 1625 1660 Oxford University Press p 249 ISBN 9780191542008 Worden Blair 2009 The English Civil Wars 1640 1660 London Penguin Books ISBN 978 0 14 100694 9 Further reading Cruso John Military Instructions for the Cavallrie or Rules and directions for the service of horse permanent dead link Military science in western Europe in the sixteenth century page 45 External links Edit The dictionary definition of cavalier at Wiktionary Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Cavalier amp oldid 1130334065, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.