Cavalier (/ËkævÉËlɪÉr/) was a name first used by Parliamentarians as a term of abuse for the wealthier male Royalist supporters of King Charles I and his son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration (1642 â c. 1679). It was later adopted by the Royalists themselves. Although it originally related to political and social attitudes and behaviour, of which clothing was a very small part, it has subsequently become strongly identified with the fashionable clothing of the court at the time. Prince Rupert, commander of much of Charles I’s cavalry, is often considered to be an archetypal Cavalier.
