History and origin

Did you know that Croatia is the mother country of the necktie? In his book, La Grande Histoire de la Cravate (Flamarion, Paris, 1994), François Chaille tells us about the appearance of this article of clothing and how it became fashionable.

"... Around the year 1635, some six thousand soldiers and knights came to Paris to give their support to King Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu. Among them were a great number of Croatian mercenaries led by a ban, or Croatian viceroy. The traditional outfit of these Croats aroused interest on account of the unusual and picturesque scarves distinctively tied about their necks.

The scarves were made of various cloths, ranging from coarse material for common soldiers, to fine cotton and silk for officers. This elegant "Croatian style" immediately enamoured the French, who were delighted by the new article of clothing, which had been previously unknown in Europe. For the gallant French officers in the thirty-year war, the advantage of the Croatian neck scarf was its enviable practicality.

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History of cravats, page 1