Prince Rupert, an archetypical Cavalier

Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration (1642 – c. 1679). Prince Rupert, commander of much of Charles I's cavalry, is often considered an archetypical Cavalier.^[1]

Early usage[link]

Cavalier derives from the same Latin root as the French word chevalier (as well as the Spanish word caballero), the Vulgar Latin word caballarius, meaning “horseman”. Shakespeare used the word cavaleros to describe an overbearing swashbuckler or swaggering gallant in Henry IV, Part 2, in which Shallow says "I'll drink to Master Bardolph, and to all the cavaleros about London."^[2]

The Wounded Cavalier by William Shakespeare Burton.

English Civil War[link]

Sir Anthony van Dyck ca.1638, Lord John Stuart and his brother Lord Bernard. Both died fighting for the King

"Cavalier" is chiefly associated with the Royalist supporters of King Charles I in his struggle with Parliament in the English Civil War. It first appears as a term of reproach and contempt, applied to the followers of King Charles I during the summer of 1642:

1642 (June 10) Propositions of Parlt. in Clarendon v. (1702) I. 504 Several sorts of malignant Men, who were about the King; some whereof, under the name of Cavaliers, without having respect to the Laws of the Land, or any fear either of God or Man, were ready to commit all manner of Outrage and Violence. 1642 Petition Lords & Com. 17 June in Rushw. Coll. III. (1721) I. 631 That your Majesty..would please to dismiss your extraordinary Guards, and the Cavaliers and others of that Quality, who seem to have little Interest or Affection to the publick Good, their Language and Behaviour speaking nothing but Division and War.

—Oxford English Dictionary "Cavalier"^[2]

Charles, in the Answer to the Petition June 13, 1642 speaks of Cavaliers as a "word by what mistake soever it seemes much in disfavour".^[3] It was soon reappropriated (as a title of honour) by the king's party, who in return applied Roundhead to their opponents, and at the Restoration the court party preserved the name, which survived till the rise of the term Tory.^[3]

Cavalier was not understood at the time as primarily a term describing a style of dress, but a whole political and social attitude. However, in modern times the word has become more particularly associated with the court fashions of the period, which included long flowing hair in ringlets, brightly coloured with elaborate trimmings and lace collars and cuffs, and plumed hats.^[4] This contrasted with the dress of at least the most extreme Roundhead supporters of Parliament, with their preference for shorter hair and plainer dress, although neither side conformed to the stereotypical images entirely. Most Parliamentarian generals wore their hair at much the same length as their Royalist counterparts, though Cromwell was something of an exception. In fact the best patrons in the nobility of the archetypal recorder of the Cavalier image, Charles I's court painter Sir Anthony van Dyck, all took the Parliamentary side in the Civil War. Probably the most famous image identified as of a "cavalier", Frans Hals' Laughing Cavalier, in fact shows a gentleman from the strongly Calvinist Dutch town of Haarlem, and is dated 1624. These derogatory terms (for at the time they were so intended) also showed what the typical Parliamentarian thought of the Royalist side – capricious men who cared more for vanity than the nation at large.

Engraving depicting Charles I and his adherents.

The chaplain to King Charles I, Edward Simmons described a Cavalier as "a Child of Honour, a Gentleman well borne and bred, that loves his king for conscience sake, of a clearer countenance, and bolder look than other men, because of a more loyal Heart."^[5] There were many men in the Royalist armies who fit this description since most of the Royalist field officers were typically in their early thirties, married with rural estates which had to be managed. Although they did not share the same outlook on how to worship God as the English Independents of the New Model Army, God was often central to their lives. This type of Cavalier was personified by Lord Jacob Astley whose prayer at the start of the Battle of Edgehill has become famous "O Lord, Thou knowest how busy I must be this day. If I forget Thee, do not forget me."^[6] At the end of the First Civil War Astley gave his word that he would not take up arms again against Parliament and having given his word he felt duty bound to refuse to help the Royalist cause in the Second Civil War.

Cromwell's soldiers breaking into the house of a Cavalier - drawing by J. Williamson for the book "More Pictures of British History" by E.L.Hoskyn, London, 1914.

However, the word was coined by the Roundheads as a pejorative propaganda image of a licentious, hard drinking and frivolous man, who rarely, if ever, thought of God. It is this image which has survived and many Royalists, for example Henry Wilmot, 1st Earl of Rochester, fitted this description to a tee.^[7] Of another Cavalier, Lord Goring a general in the Royalist army,^[8] the principal advisor to Charles II, Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon, said that he "would, without hesitation, have broken any trust, or done any act of treachery to have satisfied an ordinary passion or appetite; and in truth wanted nothing but industry (for he had wit, and courage, and understanding and ambition, uncontrolled by any fear of God or man) to have been as eminent and successful in the highest attempt of wickedness as any man in the age he lived in or before. Of all his qualifications dissimulation was his masterpiece; in which he so much excelled, that men were not ordinarily ashamed, or out of countenance, with being deceived but twice by him."^[9] This sense has developed into the modern English use of "cavalier" to describe a recklessly nonchalant attitude, although still with a suggestion of stylishness.

Cavalier remained in use as a description for members of the party that supported the monarchy up until the Exclusion Bill crisis of 1678–1681 when the term was superseded by "Tory" which was another term initially with pejorative connotations. Likewise during Exclusion Bill crisis the term Roundhead was replaced with "Whig", a term introduced by the opponents of the Whigs and also was initially a pejorative term.^[10]

Cavaliers in the arts[link]

Charles I, King of England, from Three Angles. The famous triple portrait of Charles I by Anthony van Dyck.

See also 1600–1650 in fashion and Cavalier poets

An example of the Cavalier style can be seen in the painting "Charles I, King of England, from Three Angles" by Anthony van Dyck.

Notes[link]

References[link]

John Everett Millais, The Proscribed Royalist, 1651.

• Barratt, John. Cavalier Generals: King Charles I and His Commanders in the English Civil War, 1642-46, Pen & Sword Military, 2005
• Carlton, Charles. Going to the Wars: The Experience of the British Civil Wars, 1638–1651, Routledge, 1994 ISBN 0-415-10391-6.
• Hume David. The History of England from the Invasion of Julius Caesar to the Revolution 1688 (Volume V).T. Cadell, 1841
• Manganiello Stephen C. The Concise Encyclopedia of the Revolutions and Wars of England, Scotland, and Ireland, 1639–1660, Scarecrow Press, 2004, ISBN 0-8108-5100-8
• Memegalos, Florene S. George Goring (1608–1657): Caroline Courtier and Royalist General, Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2007 ISBN 0-7546-5299-8
• Oxford English Dictionary Second Edition 1989 (OED).
• Worden, Blair (2009). The English Civil Wars 1640–1660. London: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-100694-3. 

Attribution

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Anonymous (1911). "Cavalier". In Chisholm, Hugh. Encyclopædia Britannica. 5 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

Further reading[link]

Look up cavalier in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Barratt, John; Cavaliers The Royalist Army at War 1642–1646, Pub Sutton, 2000, ISBN 0-7509-3525-1
• Stoyle, Mark; Choosing Sides in the English Civil War BBC, Retrieved 2008-09-16
• John Cruso Military Instructions for the Cavallrie: or Rules and directions for the service of horse first published 1632 (Military science in western Europe in the sixteenth century page 45)

Against Me!
Left to right: Seward, Weinberg, Gabel, and Bowman in 2011
Background information
Origin	Naples, Florida, United States
Genres	Punk rock
Years active	1997–present
Labels	Misanthrope, Crasshole, Plan-It-X, No Idea, Sabot, Fat Wreck Chords, Sire, Total Treble
Associated acts	Hot Water Music, The Draft, Forgetters
Website	againstme.net
Members
Tom Gabel Andrew Seward James Bowman Jay Weinberg
Past members
Kevin Mahon Dustin Fridkin Warren Oakes George Rebelo

Against Me! is an American punk rock band formed in Naples, Florida in 1997 by singer and guitarist Tom Gabel. Since 2002 the band's lineup has also included guitarist James Bowman and bassist Andrew Seward; current drummer Jay Weinberg joined in 2010. After releasing three studio albums through independent record labels, Against Me! moved to Sire Records for 2007's New Wave, which reached no. 57 on the Billboard 200. Their fifth and most recent album, 2010's White Crosses, was their most successful, reaching no. 34. In 2011 the band launched their own record label, Total Treble Music, through which they plan to release future albums. In 2012 Gabel publicly came out as transgender, with plans to begin a medical process to live as a woman and eventually take the name Laura Jane Grace while continuing to front Against Me!. The first album expected to feature Laura Jane Grace as frontwoman is Transgender Dysphoria Blues.^[1]

Biography[link]

[edit] 1997–2002: Formation and Reinventing Axl Rose

Against Me! was formed in 1997 by singer/guitarist Tom Gabel as a solo act, occasionally performing with backing musicians. The first Against Me! release was an eponymously-titled 1997 cassette demo. With the addition of drummer Kevin Mahon, a second demo, Vivida Vis! (1998), was released in limited numbers by Misanthrope Records. The band's first EP, Against Me!, was released in 2000 through Crasshole Records. Their first widely-distributed release was the EP Crime as Forgiven by Against Me! (2001), released by Plan-It-X Records and Gabel's own Sabot Productions. A third EP, an eponymously-titled acoustic recording by Gabel and bassist Dustin Fridkin, was released later that year.

Mahon left the band and was replaced by Warren Oakes, and second guitarist James Bowman was added for the band's first album, 2002's Against Me! Is Reinventing Axl Rose, released by No Idea Records. Fridkin left and was replaced by Andrew Seward, and this lineup released the single "The Disco Before the Breakdown" (2002).

[edit] 2003–05: As the Eternal Cowboy and Searching for a Former Clarity

Against Me! signed to Fat Wreck Chords and released their second album, 2003's Against Me! as the Eternal Cowboy. It reached no. 36 on Billboard's Top Independent Albums chart and was supported by singles for "Cavalier Eternal" and "Sink, Florida, Sink".^[2] The DVD We're Never Going Home followed, documenting their Spring 2004 tour. 2005's Searching for a Former Clarity was their first album to chart on the Billboard 200, reaching no. 114.^[3] It spawned singles for "Don't Lose Touch" and "From Her Lips to God's Ears (The Energizer)", which also became the band's first music videos. The live album Americans Abroad!!! Against Me!!! Live in London!!! followed in 2006.

[edit] 2005–10: New Wave and White Crosses

Against Me! on tour in support of New Wave

Against Me! moved to Sire Records for 2007's New Wave, produced by Butch Vig. It debuted at no. 57 on the Billboard 200 and featured their first charting single, "Thrash Unreal", which reached no. 11 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart.^[3][4] "White People for Peace", "Stop!", and "New Wave" were also released as singles, and New Wave was named as Spin's album of the year.^[5] The DVD Live at the Key Club followed later that year. In 2008 Against Me! supported Foo Fighters on a North American tour, and Sire released the digital EP New Wave B-Sides.^[6][7]

Oakes left the band in June 2009, in part to focus on running his Mexican food restaurant.^[8][9] "I didn't want to play music with Warren anymore", said Gabel, "it's been a long time coming. Warren's heart hasn't been in this for a while now."^[8] Oakes was replaced by Hot Water Music drummer George Rebelo.^[9] The following month Fat Wreck Chords released The Original Cowboy, an album of demo recordings from the Against Me! as the Eternal Cowboy sessions.^[10]

On August 17, 2009, Against Me! headed into the studio with New Wave producer Butch Vig.^[11] Their fifth studio album, White Crosses, was released on June 8, 2010.^[12] Against Me! joined Billy Talent on tour in Canada in March 2010, and also supported the Silversun Pickups during a US tour starting June 2010 .^[13] The band for this tour includes former keyboardist for The Hold Steady and World/Inferno Friendship Society, Franz Nicolay.

Against Me! released their second album with Sire, White Crosses, on June 4, 2010.^[14] The band announced the release of an EP for the song "I Was A Teenage Anarchist" to be released on April 20, 2010.^[15] However, on April 7 the EP was released on iTunes for users in the US and Canada, with the previously stated April 20 release date for those in other countries.^[16]

On September 29, 2010, just over a day before the start of their Australia/ New Zealand tour, Against Me! cancelled all of their upcoming shows, due to a "culmination of circumstances" and having "to take some time off from touring to go home and sort things out."^[17][18] November 28 saw the arrival of a new post on Gabel's blog, saying that Against Me! have cut ties with Sire.^[19]

[edit] 2010–present: Transgender Dysphoria Blues and recent activity

November 2010 saw Against Me!'s departure from Sire Records, their first (and only) major label. Following a two-month hiatus from touring, the band spoke for the first time since their tour cancellation, talking of their upcoming December 2010 shows, which saw Jay Weinberg cover for George Rebelo on drums, as he toured with Hot Water Music.^[20]

Throughout December 2010, Gabel spoke of George Rebelo's intentions to record an album with his primary band Hot Water Music.^[21] In January 2011, Weinberg was officially confirmed as Against Me!'s new drummer.^[22] Total Clarity, an album of demos and unreleased songs from the Searching for a Former Clarity sessions, was released on May 24, 2011 through Fat Wreck Chords.^[23]

Gabel has expressed his desire to release at least one album per year for the next decade^[24] and that he hopes to record Against Me!'s sixth studio album in Winter 2011.^[25] As well as this, he spoke of releasing a 7" on Sabot Productions before Summer 2011, featuring two original songs. This was announced as being Russian Spies / Occult Enemies, which was released on June 14, 2011. In the same studio session, the band recorded a cover of the theme song for a season 8 episode of One Tree Hill, which aired May 3.^[26]

On June 3, 2011 the band announced that they started their own record label, Total Treble Music.^[27] In September 2011, Gabel built a recording studio in Elkton, Florida, for future Against Me! projects.^[28] The studio has since been named Total Treble Studio.^[29] The first band to record an album in the studio are Cheap Girls from Lansing, Michigan, with their album Giant Orange.^[30][31]

Against Me! started recording their sixth studio album, entitled Transgender Dysphoria Blues^[32] in February 2012, at Total Treble Studio;^[33] the album is a concept record about a transgender prostitute.^[34]That May, Gabel publicly came out as transgender, having dealt with gender dysphoria since childhood.^[35][36] Gabel plans to transition to living as a woman by taking hormones, undergoing electrolysis treatments, and eventually taking the name Laura Jane Grace.^[35] "I felt like I drop-kicked them in the face," Gabel said of informing the other members of Against Me! "We had the most awkward hug ever, and then they left. And the second I shut the door, I was like, 'What the fuck did I just do?'"^[36] Gabel will continue fronting the band, saying "However fierce our band was in the past, imagine me, six-foot-two, in heels, fucking screaming into someone's face."^[36]

Band members[link]

Current members

• Tom Gabel – guitar, lead vocals (1997–present)
• James Bowman – guitar, vocals (2001–present)
• Andrew Seward – bass, vocals (2002–present)
• Jay Weinberg – drums, percussion (2010–present)

Former members

• Kevin Mahon – drums, percussion, vocals (1998–2001)
• Dustin Fridkin – bass, vocals (1998, 2001–2002)
• Warren Oakes – drums, percussion (2001–2009)
• George Rebelo – drums, percussion (2009–2010)

Touring members

• Franz Nicolay - piano, keyboards, accordion, vocals (2010)
• Tyson Yerex - piano, keyboards, guitar (2009–2010)
• Adam Trachsel - bass (2010)

Tom Gabel performing with Against Me! in 2009

Discography[link]

Studio albums

• Against Me! Is Reinventing Axl Rose (2002)
• Against Me! as the Eternal Cowboy (2003)
• Searching for a Former Clarity (2005)
• New Wave (2007)
• White Crosses (2010)
• Transgender Dysphoria Blues (2012)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Against Me!

• Official website