The Baroque influence on the uniforms used by the Chivalric Orders as exemplified by the Order of Saint Lazarus in France

Abstract

The 17th century Baroque period was characterised by an elaborate rather eccentric redundancy and excessive abundance of detail, which contrasted to the clear and sober rationality of the preceding Renaissance and the subsequent Enlightenment. The movement is generally believed to have originated in Rome, at the beginning of the 17th century and spread to France and most of Europe. Generally associated with the artistic movement, the elaborate baroque style was to permeate to various aspects of life including male dress fashion especially that of the nobility and members of the chivalric Orders. The Order of Saint Lazarus saw its origins in the Kingdom of Jerusalem after the First Crusade at the end of the 11th century. Starting primarily as a Hospitaller Order caring for victims of Hansen’s disease [leprosy], the Order eventually assumed a military role participating in various military campaigns against the Islamic forces. The raison d’être of the Order changed in the subsequent centuries and, during the 16th century, the Order was transformed completely from a Crusader Hospitaller Monkish Order into a Chivalric Military Order enjoying French Royal protection. The changing role of the Order throughout the centuries was reflected by the dress adopted by its members and by the fashion imposed during the Baroque Age.