Editing Black (section)

====14th and 15th centuries====
In the early Middle Ages, princes, nobles and the wealthy usually wore bright colors, particularly [[scarlet (cloth)|scarlet]] cloaks from Italy. Black was rarely part of the wardrobe of a noble family. The one exception was the fur of the [[sable]]. This glossy black fur, from an animal of the [[marten]] family, was the finest and most expensive fur in Europe.  It was imported from Russia and Poland and used to trim the robes and gowns of royalty.

In the 14th century, the status of black began to change. First, high-quality black dyes began to arrive on the market, allowing garments of a deep, rich black. Magistrates and government officials began to wear black robes, as a sign of the importance and seriousness of their positions. A third reason was the passage of [[sumptuary laws]] in some parts of Europe which prohibited the wearing of costly clothes and certain colors by anyone except members of the nobility. The famous bright scarlet cloaks from [[Venice]] and the peacock blue fabrics from [[Florence]] were restricted to the nobility. The wealthy bankers and merchants of northern Italy responded by changing to black robes and gowns, made with the most expensive fabrics.<ref>Michel Pastoureau,  ''Noir – Histoire d'une couleur'', pp.&nbsp;93–130.</ref>

The change to the more austere but elegant black was quickly picked up by the kings and nobility. It began in northern Italy, where the Duke of Milan and the Count of Savoy and the rulers of Mantua, Ferrara, Rimini and Urbino began to dress in black. It then spread to France, led by [[Louis I, Duke of Orleans]], younger brother of King [[Charles VI of France]]. It moved to England at the end of the reign of King [[Richard II]] (1377–1399), where all the court began to wear black. In 1419–20, black became the color of the powerful Duke of Burgundy, [[Philip the Good]]. It moved to Spain, where it became the color of the Spanish Habsburgs, of [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]] and of his son, [[Philip II of Spain]] (1527–1598). European rulers saw it as the color of power, dignity, humility and temperance. By the end of the 16th century, it was the color worn by almost all the monarchs of Europe and their courts.<ref>Michel Pastoureau, ''Noir – Histoire d'une couleur'', pp.&nbsp;121–25.</ref>

<gallery widths="160" heights="180" class="center">
File:Philip the good.jpg|''[[Portrait of Philip the Good (van der Weyden)|Portrait of Philip the Good]]'', [[Rogier van der Weyden]], c. 1450
File:Petrus Christus - Portrait of a Young Woman - Google Art Project.jpg|''[[Portrait of a Young Girl (Christus)|Portrait of a Young Girl]]'', [[Petrus Christus]], between 1465 and 1470
File:Titian - Portrait of Charles V Seated - WGA22964.jpg|[[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor]], [[Titian]], c.1500–1558
File:Portrait of Philip II of Spain by Sofonisba Anguissola - 002b.jpg|Portrait of [[Philip II of Spain]] (1527–1598)
</gallery>