## Highlights ### Elizabethan sumptuary laws had a variety of purposes > In Elizabethan England, these laws attempted to restrict the sumptuousness of dress in order to curb extravagance, protect fortunes, and make clear the necessary and appropriate distinctions between levels of society. - ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01ffr2kjf4wx9patv4wma6fmsb)) - Used for [[Historical tips for worldbuilding realistic symbolism]] ### Elizabethan England prioritized visible class distinctions > The other concern was that letting anyone wear just anything must lead inexorably to moral decline. If you couldn't tell a milkmaid from a countess at a glance, the very fabric of society might unravel. - ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01ffr2ky4brzwj97b3tjbj20jk)) - #pkm/synthesize with [[The Golden Thread by Kassia St Clair]] ### Elizabethan England legislated sword length by rank > According to some sources, young gallants entering London could be stopped to have their [swords measured](http://elizabethan.org/sumptuary/ruffs-hose-swords.html) and, if too long, broken.