Let Freedom Ring: a History of the Phrygian Cap

[@saraross8396]

Armorer: "What style of headgear would you like?" Warrior: "I'll take the smurf helmet."

[@jhonbus]

Good choice, fighty smurf!

[@blurryves]

The Olympic and Paralympic mascot is literally this hat and learning about it's hisory made me appreciate the mascots even more

[@Daniel-tm9fg]

So much history and symbolism behind such simple headwear.

[@seanandersonusaf]

great video. I only knew this from the Smurfs and am amazed at the depth of history behind it

[@tjtweedy3189]

Same here.

[@willardjohnson3832]

@@tjtweedy3189 Same-I grew up watching the Smurfs.

[@davidelabarile1634]

finally the smurf hat i was awaiting this episode since i discover this channel

[@markrossow6303]

next up, Mainzelmänchen caps

[@svenbruder9977]

They are the same

[@matthewsheek8306]

The liberty cap is prominent on the flag for the U. S. Army

[@jayffemt]

Multiple times, since the seal has the flag in it.

[@peterlyall2848]

You sould get rid of it to me it represents serfdom not liberty. A true hat of liberty is the Stetson or more commonly known as the ten gallon hat. Now the Stetson is the hat of freedom.

[@svenbruder9977]

Not according to the natives..😮

[@coldlakealta4043]

As usual brilliantly presented and endlessly fascinating

[@kkupsky6321]

I always wear my red cashmere cap as a Phrygian cap. I tried to explain. Thanks for covering this. Tre bien mercy

[@brucesearle]

Just discovered your channel, you are delight and a source of fascinating information.

[@philipsmith7913]

I am in awe of your research in producing such an informative history of this headwear.

[@Yid666]

One of the best, most informative episodes - thanks! Remarkable story; great to learn it.

[@MHDebidour]

The short lived Spanish Republic, display a woman with a phrygian cap as a republican allegory too.

[@davidelabarile1634]

ay carmela...ay carmela! una noche el rio paso ay carmela ay carmela!

[@svenbruder9977]

Ok explain..

[@gerosa490]

I know something of the history of the Phrygian Cap and you presented a complex history very well. Gives me confidence that your other histories, which I know nothing about, are on point.

[@TheGrenadier97]

"What's a revolution?" "It's a circular path that always ends where it begans."

[@picaou100]

That's false.

[@TheGrenadier97]

Yes. All the violence of the revolutionary years was actually theatre. Robespierre lived to be 100.

[@vorynrosethorn903]

Not necessarily, it usually makes things much worse. France has yet to recover, let alone Russia.

[@thomasbeach905]

From king to emperor, not much of an overall change.

[@TomFynn]

Side note: The placard at 4:44 reads "Freedom and Equality" in German.

[@retirementbootcampoff-grid237]

A KZbin channel about hats. Amazing!

[@LewisSkeeter]

Brilliantly researched.

[@snifey7694]

your content is in relations with the Rake 'gentlemen's London' content, so, if that channel thrive later on, alot more people will naturally finds you which is how i discover your channel right now!

[@WoodsLesnik]

Similar hats were worn in Catalonia up until a few decades ago called the barretina.

[@lensperspective9753]

Love from The Basque, Catalonia

[@mercoid]

Wow! That hat really got around.

[@ppoletto]

another great video. The personification of the Brazilian republic that you've mentioned is currently present on the Brazilian bank notes wearing a phrygian cap and laurel wreath

[@henriquesalvatti544]

It also appears in the flag of the former Rio Grande do Sul republic flag, now the state of Rio Grande do Sul.

[@cf6282]

I was really waiting for the Smurfs…realising where their cap came from. Love the comics!

[@BobAbc0815]

6:54 this Cap not just protects the Head, but also the Neck.

[@todolson5040]

By strange coincidence, I recently finished Christopher Beckwith’s “The Scythian Empire: Central Eurasia, and the birth of the classical age from Persia to China”. The hat came to Persia as part of Scythian physical culture, and was known as the “bashlyq”. In depictions of the Scythians, it seems to always have the ear flaps. One function was to prevent one’s hair from billowing around and getting tangled when on horse, including preventing the hair from getting tangled in one’s bow. Fascinating that it has a straight through line as a practical cap all the way to the French Revolution and further.

[@Noblebird02]

Thankyou for recommendation

[@chalkwizard1292]

It was also used in the Lower Canada Rebellion aka The Unrest by the patriotes

[@kkupsky6321]

Don’t forget the awesome musical scale the Phrygian’s gave us too.

[@patrickshannon4854]

Another entertaining and well researched video.

[@gregorycasey5486]

Love this channel!

[@CoreyBrass]

I do enjoy your videos. I didn't know I cared about this stuff until I found your content.

[@janerkenbrack3373]

During my brief pursuit of coin collecting I became aware of the Phrygian Cap. Thanks for the full coverage of the history. I often tried to shape my knit hat to look like one, when I wore it during the cold months. I thought about finding a proper model, but at the time all I saw were costume hats not meant for actual warmth.

[@hathistorianjc]

The one I wear here is of pretty good quality. I link where I got it in the video description.

[@janerkenbrack3373]

@@hathistorianjc Thanks!

[@ElmoUnk1953]

Excellent presentation!

[@thatdemmedpimpernel]

I hadnt seen the phryges yet. Truly alarming.

[@sarahbiegelsen]

Also known as the ‘Smurf’

[@mercurywoodrose]

When I saw the one with flaps, it immediately reminded me of an image from my copy of the Wizard of Oz, the original edition. It was called the golden cap, and it gave anyone who possessed the magical ability to command the winged monkeys to do anything you asked them but only three times, like a magic lamp, clearly a Phrygian cap

[@amywas1]

Reminds me of the fool's coxcomb in King Lear shortly after he divides up his realm and abdicates his powers. The fools first words to Lear: Sir, you were best take my coxcomb... . Act 1 scene 4.

[@tlewis860]

re: Phrygian cap on coinage, it's also on the seated Liberty silver coinage of the US in the 1800s

[@ernestcline2868]

It's also found on US cents and half cents of the 1790s, with it being carried atop a pole shouldered by Liberty.

[@Dr.K.Wette_BE]

Very interesting as usual ! (as Belgian I thought of Papa Smurf directly ! 😁)

[@michaelrredford]

Wow!!! Impressive, something I have wondered about. I knew pieces of the history but did not know the connections. A veritable tour de force!!!

[@omaronn4093]

Phyrgian hat looks fascinating. It looks quite like the Malay tengkolok for men, but of course the tengkolok would have an opening on top.

[@yigarok]

I find it interesting that I had no time in school have I ever learned about the symbolism of the cap no it’s used in the revolution

[@JoaoSilva-lv9bh]

Great Video as always. Also Don't forget Portugal, one of the first republics in Europe after France, it was even kept in The ditactorship era, the era of the repressed "second republic".

[@carmenm.4091]

Great research again! I learned about the history of this cap long ago in fashion history class when I studied at a fashion academy in the 1990’s. But didn’t go so deep in to the subject. Well done 👍🏼

[@jfjoubertquebec]

Bravo! J'ai hâte d'entendre vos idées sur la tuque... c'est plutôt difficile comme sujet.

[@bnthern]

as always interesting and well presented

[@pierremaggi8661]

I really like the Phryges, mascot of the Paris Olympics. Seeing them in various sports is much cuter than the horrible sport pictogrammes that will be used

[@markrossow6303]

check out Hodori the tiger from 1988 Seoul Olympics

[@29JoeBoo]

quite interesting

[@loganpaschedag8829]

The Phrygian cap was also used by militia men during the American war of independence as a hat while wearing their hunting uniform (Davy Crockett-style uniforms)

[@richiehoyt8487]

The Cheech Wizard, probably the most popular character of celebrated underground comic artist, the late Vaughan Bodé, wore a trademark yellow, star~emblazoned Phrygian Cap that came right down to his crotch. Like that other comic character, Judge Dredd, the Cheech Wizard never removed his headgear so that for readers and fellow characters alike, his features would forever remain in the realm of the mysterious×; indeed, in the case of the Wizard, enquiring too deeply on the subject could have painful ramifications! Vaughan Bodé was beloved by graffiti artists, especially the first wave from the '70's & '80's who would often paint his characters on New York City's subway trains (most notably). Even today, he enjoys almost patron saint status among graffiti artists and his characters are still widely referenced and recognized in grafitti art. As is often the way with these things, plagiarizing especially wilful plagiarism can be difficult to prove. However, comparing Cheech Wizard to the Olympic mascots, Les Phrygés, it is hard to avoid the suspicion that there hasn't been at least an element of plagiarism by the graphic design team responsible for the latter's creation! ×With one sole exception (according to Wikipedia) in Cheech Wizard's case.

[@iainmulholland2025]

Another very good video, well done!

[@theclassicalrepublican9226]

Thank you for this video.

[@Chiller11]

Very interesting episode.

[@user-rn5ks8sf5x]

Very interesting, as always.

[@isaisotarriva8162]

I finally understand what the radioactive top down flipped heart symbol in our old coins was supposed to mean. It was not a heart it was supposed to be a Frigian hat, that explains a lot.

[@oxxnarrdflame8865]

Very interesting, as always. 😊

[@davegreenlaw5654]

While the concept of Marianne might indeed go all the way back to the French Revolution of the 1790's, the depiction of Marianne as seen in the painting that you showed a portion of (with a bit of clever editing to appease the algorithms) was actually painted in response to the uprisings of 1848. Don't worry, even I thought that painting was from the French Revolution.

[@RolfXD501]

Awesome video! Any thoughts on doing a video on (German) student caps?

[@edwardwalsh4454]

Let's dash in the special sauce in this mix for beginners. A cockade is a knot of ribbons, or other circular- or oval-shaped symbol of distinctive colours which is usually worn on a hat or cap. The word cockade derives from the French cocarde, from Old French coquarde, feminine of coquard, from coc, of imitative origin. The earliest documented use was in 1709. Think what you will but I like the etymology of such bold words. Wordcock is a good handle, hmmmm.

[@nuadsilverhand]

Thanks I have always wanted to know this.

[@djm5699]

Saw this cap depicted in the Paris olympics.

[@yurakuzmenko8595]

Спасибо, познавательная история 👍 Thank you, educational story

[@jamesconnolly5164]

Thank you, sir, for your wonderfully informative videos on such a niche, but surprisingly fascinating topic. Might I ask what that song you were singing at the beginning is called so I can look it up and learn it?

[@hathistorianjc]

Merci! And it's "A la volonté du peuple", the original version of "Do you hear the people sing?" from Les Mis.

[@jamesconnolly5164]

@@hathistorianjc Thanks.

[@patricaristide7678]

Interestingly the German student cap known as "Stürmer" is also in part derived from the Phrygian cap. While the "Kepi" ancestry is pretty obvious the Stürmer has a profile more reminiscent of the Phrygian hat. Due to its higher cost, especially when made of white silk, they were traditionally worn by some of the more prestigious fraternities. Instead of being associated with revolutionary groups like in other parts of the world, they instead became a symbol of conservatism. Which is why the German Kaiser Wilhelm II can be seen wearing one.

[@striker7469]

Smurfs hat?! 🤣🤣

[@tonyharpur8383]

🤣😅

[@pstrap1311]

I had no idea Smurfs were Belgian tbh but it makes sense now

[@BryanLikesCandy]

Viva la Smurf révolution!

[@tonyharpur8383]

@@BryanLikesCandy yes! 👍🤣😅

[@rubypotato87]

Great video as usual! 😊 Somebody else also mentioned this, but i was wondering about the similarities with the Barretina in Catalan culture. Its a red floppy hat but typically has a black headband. Surely it must come from the Phrygian cap?

[@originalmroldschool]

I was about to comment about you missing the Smurfs, but you managed to squeeze a mention in at the end. I think most modern US people will see the hat and call it a Smurf hat. And if you are familiar with the Smurfs, they are freed slaves from Gargamel...

[@jonwinston7199]

How about a video on the magician’s hat 🎩. Chapeau Magie.

[@shisangongshe]

Wonderful video, where did you get this hat?😃

[@hathistorianjc]

I put a link in the description

[@shisangongshe]

@@hathistorianjc thanks 😉

[@jannarkiewicz633]

I saw another hat guy on youtube. Waiting for the hatmeister showdown.

[@tboudewijns113]

Do you know of any link to sailors or sea farers? I know Of multiple 16th and 17th century Dutch images of seafarers with these hats, for instance the images of the wintering on Nova-Zembla.

[@hathistorianjc]

I think theirs were more like regular knit caps that, when loosely worn, can sort of resemble these.

[@baudetnicolas3686]

Il commence par la version anglophone pour ce couvre chef, Révolte !🗽

[@hathistorianjc]

"C'est une révolte?" "Non, Sire, une révolution."

[@Valkanna.Nublet]

Ce n'est une révolution que si vous gagnez.

[@tonyharpur8383]

​@@Valkanna.Nublet😂

[@tonyharpur8383]

​@@hathistorianjc😅

[@MichaelJohnson-vi6eh]

Loved it. We move into symbolic Headwear.

[@tedblackburn8679]

They used to sell little rubber Smurfs when I was a kid. Wonderful little mushroom men from the forest.

[@aramisortsbottcher8201]

Interestingly a hat on a pole is mentioned in "William Tell", yet here it is used to opress the people (the hat symbolizes its wearer - the ruler, everybody has to greaat the hat as if it was the ruler himself).

[@PhilMasters]

Similarly, the Ottoman sultans used to send their fancy turbans out on poles to represent them to the crowds. Hats are often symbols of whoever wears them, whether it’s the goddess of liberty or a human tyrant, to the point that they can be held aloft independent of the wearer.

[@barryirlandi4217]

Kabalak next, please. It is such a unique head covering and I would love to know how it was chosen and why it was dropped!! Ottoman ww1 hat!!

[@hathistorianjc]

I need to find a good replica. If you have any suggestions on where to find one let me know.

[@jasperpeters3263]

I read that the shape of the hat comes from the ballsack of a bull/steer. When a bull was turned into an ox, gelding, the ballsack was tanned and turned into a hat by the phrygians.

[@creepinglimongrass3276]

can i ask what is the name of your cool shirt

[@nancyburgess428]

Did you make your own Phrygian cap? Do you have a pattern that could help me make my own?

[@hathistorianjc]

I didn't, there's a link to where I got it in the description.

[@NewEnglandPuritain]

These evolved into the French-Canadian touque

[@mattiasandersson2315]

Why not make an episode of the Voyageur torque knitted hat?

[@oavaldezi]

Where can I buy one like yours?

[@hathistorianjc]

There's a link in the description

[@richewilson6394]

I'm yeah interesting now in these caps that they're coming out with all the time I'm wondering if the mushroom cap has any historical significance or is just a evolution of the baseball cap.

[@Cats-TM]

1:37 Fun fact: "barbarian" just means "non-Greek people". Which I find a bit comedic.

[@hathistorianjc]

I think "Bar bar" to the Greeks was like "Blah blah", so they were the people who spoke gibberish :p

[@malahamavet]

for years I've been confused when I saw this hat anywhere outside the ancient era context. I might be the only one who knows it as a thracian hat, or a common hat in antiquity. Being a Romanian I still see this hat when people do reinactment as dacian warriors, and i knew it was used in other places but when I saw it on latin American flags I was like "why are they using our hat if they dont wear it" so now I learn that is a republican symbol. Makes me wonder why doesn't the Romanian eagle wear one, instead of that crown they added to it in 2016. I like it as it was before, whith nothing on its head, but if it has to, a phrygian cap would be better, representing republican values (don't even know why it has a crown now if we have no king) and a golden eagle representing Rome wearing a phrygian hat, worn by the Dacians is a cool allegory to Romania, since we are the result of the Roman conquest of Dacia and both people are part of our identity. Very weird that it's western countries the ones who identify harder whith it, despite being a mistake. They didnt even bother to correct it, it's a permanent thing now it seems. what a weird story about people mistaking a hat

[@giantred]

Yay! My favorite daily wear cap ^_^

[@kevinkelleher8708]

I believe "The Seven Dwarves" predated the Smurfs!

[@ERJones-fd6oh]

Woooooo!!! Freedom cap!!!!!

[@mercurywoodrose]

This is the hat I wish to wear, but I don’t want to look like a Smurf

[@TomasFunes-rt8rd]

"The French Revulsion well and truly turned the Phrygian Cap into a potent symbol of oppression and murderous intolerance" There, fixed it for you !!

[@jfu5222]

These are so unlike the red caps currently worn in the United States that represent fear, hatred, and cruelty.

[@JediHobbit89]

The decadent, out of touch, delusional nobility probably said something to this effect about the Sans Cullotes from their gilded chambers in Versailles.

[@butterfunger342]

Etes vous du missouri?

[@cooperszone]

Pile à temps pour les JO!

[@1789Henrique]

Very interesting history! Who would've imagined that the symbolism of the Phrygian cap comes from a cap being mistaken for another cap? Brazil, my country, has really interesting hats. One that I really find curious is the 'cangaceiro' hat, a leather hat with a wide brim folded in half, and often adorned with stars, fleur-de-lys, crosses and other protection symbols.

[@thelj3279]

💚!

[@sandradermark8463]

The Phryges the mascots of the Paris Olympics are phrygian caps

[@Zeppflyer]

As a son of Washington County, PA, I have mixed feelings on this. Liberty Poles and Phyrigian caps were a big thing during the Whiskey Rebellion. On the one hand, the people wearing it were insane terrorists. On the other, they had legitimate complaints as their livelihoods were being destroyed by the Tyrant Hamilton.

[@grobanlover292]

I dont know if anyones said this, but you sound like the narrator who announced Silly Songs with Larry

[@CAP198462]

So what you’re saying is red caps have always been a political statement? Or at least since the 19th century.

[@hathistorianjc]

I guess it could be argued since the 17th century, yeah... the more things change... :p

[@randelbrooks]

Cool shirt my friend

[@hathistorianjc]

Merci! From the Rendez-Vous at Fort de Chartres, Illinois, !

[@travis9443]

Will we get to see a history of the balmoral?

[@hathistorianjc]

I need to acquire one first

[@travis9443]

@@hathistorianjc I’d be happy to donate one with a hackle and a glengarry, as soon as I could get them in.

[@chrisk5651]

Liberty cap!