The country of Croatia may just have given birth to the necktie. Sometime during the 1630s or 1640s, Croatian mercenaries involved in the Thirty Years' War visited King Louis XIV of France. The king was very impressed by the soldiers' traditional uniforms, which featured soft scarves tied around their necks. By 1650, Louis and his court were wearing Croatian neck scarves instead of the full lace ruffs that had previously been fashionable.
Many believe the word "cravat" (meaning a soft necktie) comes from the French interpretation of "Croate," short for "Croatian." But a few sources note that the word "cravat" was in use before the Thirty Years' War and referred to a strip of parchment or cloth.
Several sites suggest the Croatians weren't the first to wear neckties. One of the oldest examples of a necktie is found on the life-size terracotta soldiers buried with Chinese emperor Shih Huang Ti in 210 B.C. Each solider wears a carefully wrapped silk cloth around its neck. Other early neckties are depicted on a marble column erected by Roman emperor Trajan in 113 A.D. The column shows legionnaires wearing three versions of neckwear. However, these images are unique, and there is no evidence that either Chinese or Roman men commonly wore neckties.
It seems clear that King Louis XIV popularized the necktie. Exiled King Charles II of England brought the French cravat with him when he returned to his throne. Englishmen soon began sporting stylish neck scarves and tied them in as many as 100 different knots. In the early 1800s, English dandy George Bryan "Beau" Brummell epitomized high fashion and reportedly changed his crisp, white linen cravat three times a day.
Styles of cravats changed and evolved over the years. The bow tie developed in the 1840s, and from the 1860s to the 1880s, cravats became narrower like the necktie we know today. In the 1890s, the four-in-hand knot (named for its resemblance to the knot used by a coach driver to control the horses' reins) was introduced. This continues to be one of the most popular knots.
As for why men wear ties, this can only be explained as a whim of fashion. In King Louis XIV's day, men wore elaborate outfits of brocade and lace. As the centuries wore on, the necktie has become the only remnant of those times. Today's ties aren't quite so fancy, but they can still add a splash of color and style to men's dress.
