parasol

Middle Ages

By the fall of the Roman Empire, in the 5th and 6th centuries, the umbrella and parasol were largely forgotten in Europe, for the next few centuries. Beginning in the 8th century, there are numerous contemporary depictions and descriptions of umbrellas and parasols during the remainder of the Middle Ages, predominantly used in the religious ceremonies of the church. By the 8th century, the umbrella and parasol was firmly established in the church, seen as honorific and symbolic. The earliest visual record is an "8th century image of Bishop John of Pavia, showing him followed by a servant carrying an umbrella." The earliest known written evidence of the parasol is also from the 8th century, when Pope Paul I (757-767) bestowed a jeweled parasol to Pepin the Short as part of a peace settlement.