First of all, we must bear in mind that high heels and high-heeled shoes are not the same thing. Heels are present today in a large part of shoes aimed at the female public. This type of shoe, so common today, does not have its origins in an aesthetic function as one might think, nor were they initially intended to be used by women. They were used for military purposes and were initially worn exclusively by men.
We have to go back to the 16th century to find the first truly high-heeled shoes. These originated in Persia, and were used by army riders to get a better grip on the horse's stirrups and therefore facilitate the use of bows and other weapons while riding.
At that time, the Shah of Persia had an English military advisor, Robert Shirley, who was in charge of advising the Shah on all kinds of military matters. At one point, the advisor was sent on a tour of the European continent that would take him to England, Spain, France and Italy in search of allies to fight the powerful Ottoman Empire. During this trip, the use of the heel by Persian horsemen became known and it was not long before it was adopted by some European armies.
Within a few years, the military men who wore them were wearing them to receptions at court, which led to their popularity among the male aristocracy, especially at the beginning of the 17th century. In fact, in just over half a century, specific laws already existed in some countries to regulate their use and ensure that they became the exclusive property of the aristocracy.
At the end of the 17th century and beginning of the 18th century, many women were already beginning to copy men's fashion and therefore began to wear high heels. At that time, new currents of thought such as the Enlightenment encouraged men to wear more comfortable clothes, including shoes, which gradually led to the use of high heels less and less among the male gender.
Finally, its exclusive use by women would be imposed in the mid-nineteenth century.
In the following years, high heels would be refined and adapted to women's tastes and fashion until they reached their current shape and style.
