How the Thirty Years’ War Gave Us a Staple of Men’s Fashion

July 11, 2022

A woman pulling a man's tie in anger in a scene from the German film 'Die Fahrt Ins Abenteuer' in this colorized photo from 1925. (Journey into Adventure). (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

When you stop and think about it, men’s neckties are pretty weird. How did we come to think that a thin strip of cloth tied in a noose-like fashion around a man’s neck was stylish and fashionable? Who invented the necktie in the first place? And why?

The answers to these questions will take us back to 1618, the start of the Thirty Years’ War. King Louis XIV of France, the Industrial Revolution, and the Roaring Twenties all played a hand in today’s neckwear fashions, as we will see in these colorized photos.

The Thirty Years’ War

The aptly named Thirty Years' War lasted from 1618 to 1648 and was one of the deadliest wars in European history. It has been estimated that between 4.5 and 8 million people, both soldiers and civilians, were killed in the conflict. It all began when Ferdinand II was ousted as the King of Bohemia and replaced by Frederick V of Palatinate. The Palatinate, now southern Germany, was a strategic location so the rulers of other nations got involved to ensure that their interests in the region were upheld, turning an internal conflict into a war that involved most of Europe. The Thirty Years' War disrupted the balance of power in Europe. 

Fashionable Soldiers of Fortune

Croatian mercenaries in the Thirty Years' War wore the same neckties as their modern-day comrades. (realcroatia.com)

Toward the end of the Thirty Years’ War, the French military hired Croatian mercenaries to turn the tide of war. When the Croatian soldiers were presented to the king for his inspection, they wore their traditional uniforms which included a neckerchief knotted around their necks. The neckerchief served a practical function. It held the upper part of their coats closed and protected them from the winds. It was more comfortable and practical than the stiff, starched high collars that were fashionable at that time.

King Louis XIV took note of the neckerchiefs worn by the Croatian soldiers of fortune. He liked what he saw. The king was young at the time – not yet ten years old – yet he fancied himself a fashion trendsetter. He ordered his royal tailor to make him a similar neckerchief and he began to wear it everywhere he went. He called the neckerchief “la Cravate”, after the Croatian soldiers. Since the king was wearing a cravate, other members of the nobility also adopted this fashion trend. In fact, King Louis XIV made the accessory mandatory, ensuring that all men were wearing them at royal events and gatherings. Soon, men across France were wearing them and the fashion trend was spreading to other European nations.