Viking / Early Medieval Turn Boots

About our Viking Turn Boot

"AD. 793. This year came dreadful fore-warnings over the land of the Northumbrians, terrifying the people most woefully: these were immense sheets of light rushing through the air, and whirlwinds, and fiery dragons flying across the firmament. These tremendous tokens were soon followed by a great famine: and not long after, on the sixth day before the ides of January in the same year, the harrowing inroads of heathen men made lamentable havoc in the church of God in Holy-island (Lindisfarne), by rapine and slaughter." - The Anglo Saxon Chronicle

In the late 8th century, Scandinavian sea-pirates sacked the island monastery of Lindisfarne, heralding in the so-called Viking Age, a term applied to the eighth through eleventh centuries, in which Norsemen traders and raiders, explored Europe, and settled in Normandy, Iceland, Greenland, Newfoundland, and Vinland. To the east, they set themselves up as the rulers of Russian Kiev, pressed into Anatolia and took service as the famed Varangian Guard of the Byzantine Emperors.

Our new Viking Age product line will be continuously growing with representations of the fashions of the Norse, Anglo-Saxons and Normans civilizations of this period. Regardless of which of these cultures one portrays, there are a number of common truths for Northern European fashion in this period. Linen was the most fabric for clothing, followed by a variety of different weight wools used for overtunics, cloaks and overdresses. Silk, as an extremely rare, luxury fabric, was only used for small trim or accents.

The period leading to the Viking Age was a conservative one, with localized cultures and limited trade. Consequently, many similarities of cut and fit exist between late Roman era Germanic dress and Viking era, Scandinavian clothes, until very late in the period.
Our Viking boot is based on a surviving 9th- 10th century original found at the excavation of Hungate in Jorvik (modern York). Jorvik was the center of the Danelaw, the Norse controlled area of England, and Anglo-Danish finds reflect both Anglo-Saxon and Norse fashions. Two of the distinguishing features of Northern European boots from this period is the broad, rounder toe and the ankle lacings seen here. Although the surviving examples dates from around the year 900, the same design was in use several centuries earlier and survived into the 11th century.

We please to present a fully functional, completely period constructed turn-boot. The thick sole has allowed us to produce a pair of boots that are hand stitched with proper period stitches and techniques, requiring no concessions to modernity for durability or comfort! It is also ideal for mounting a high-traction sole vibram for customers engaging in SCA or reenactment combat. As with our High Medieval ankle boot we chose a supple leather with a pebbled leather finish for a period look. Pebbling ranges from a generally smooth surface to a heavily pebbled one - a natural result of the tanning process - but is generally consistent within a pair of shoes.

Meant to coordinate with our popular leather belts, our ankle boots come in a deep black, and a rich golden brown and are now available in sizes 6-14 based on men's sizes (women should order 2 sizes smaller). As many modern feet are not used to the softness of period shoes we recommend choosing a size larger than you normally would so as to have plenty of room to add a modern insole. Also, for those needing more support we strongly recommend adding the vibram sole option to your boots. Please note that boots with vibram soles added take an additional 7-10 days to ship and cannot be shipped via expedited methods (Fed Ex).