Hi,

i have seen some images dating from the late XIV or early XVth century related to the life of Bertrand du Guesclin
showing him and other men wearing very short cropped hair in late reinassance style. i have found it very courious for an age where longer hair style was common. i'm not able to post the images i have found because i'm without scanner at the moment.

Do you think it was a common practice or simply an error from the painter? do you have some other XIV century images to post showing the same?

thanks

Gabriele

In general, I believe that longer hairstyles were seen as fashionable, and so to the devoutly religious, excessive. Hence you see the Rule of Benedict and the Rule of the Templars that strictly perscribe short haircuts.

from the rule of the templars (1129):

"the Draper should ensure that the brothers are so well tonsured that they may be examined from the front and from behind; and we command you to firmly adhere to this same conduct with respect to beards and moustaches, so that no excess may be noted on their bodies."

the rule goes on to ban other fashionable or flamboyant articles such as gold-plated spurs, embroidered reigns, pointed shoes/shoe-laces, etc.

Trends may have changed by the 14th and 15th centuries, but I think that short, cropped haircuts may have been an outward expression of piety or modesty -- worn based on personal preference of a secular knight...I have also seen sources where cropped hair is a type of penance. (possibly fairly common)

Hope this helps a little.

Most pictures seem to show hair just past the ear or a little lower but almost always for men several inches above the shoudlers. There are less common pictures of men with much shorter hair but I'd not have the foggiest why. Personal choice perhaps? R.'s idea sounds possible.

So it is possible to have short hair in the 14th yes.

RPM

Templars were not allowed long hairs (they didn't had classic tonsure), but they also weren't allowed to shave beards.