To find the history of masquerade balls, we need to look to 16th century Italy. During this Renaissance period, balls attended with masquerade masks soon influenced the public festivities of Carnival. Masquerade balls, once events reserved for the upper classes, were now a trend spreading across the land, especially in Venice.
As the popularity of these events grew, the tradition spread to much of the rest of Europe as well. During the 17th and 18th century European masquerade balls became famous for events like the assassination of King Gustav III, a Swedish king who championed parliamentary reform. His detractors, a group of noblemen, claimed to have killed him as an act of tyrannicide.
A count by the name of John James Heidegger has often been given credit for the introduction of the Venetian masquerade ball to eighteenth century London. The unique dances also made their way to the ballroom of Colonial America.
The mysterious allure of Masquerade balls keeps the night exciting, as guests play at guessing the identities of other masked ball-goers. The partial disguises encouraged guests to step outside of their usual behaviors, adding an element of daring to the events. During a time when balls were formal affairs, the Italian tradition was a welcome twist to the party, but all did not welcome it.
An anti-masquerade movement cautioned against these events, which by their nature cut through class lines, social boundaries, and racial or ethnic stereotyping. The masquerade ball was vilified as a foreign plague that had invaded England, and provoked and encouraged immoral behavior. The movement was led by the church, which went so far as to accuse the masquerade of being a plot to corrupt the morals of Englishmen by the French.
Even today, handmade masquerade masks can still be purchased from shops in Venice.
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