Wearing academic robes is a tradition that dates back to at least the 12th century, around
the time when the first universities were being founded in Europe.
During this time, most scholars were also clerics or aspiring clerics, and excess in
apparel was not encouraged.
As such, in the beginning it is thought that there was little difference between what the
academics were wearing and the laity, excepting that the academics and clergy tended to wear
very plainly colored garb.
Beyond that, the clothing was simply practical.
When the universities were originally formed, they had no official buildings of their own
to hold lectures in, so classes typically gathered in nearby churches.
Their simple robes and outer covering served the purpose of keeping them warm in the drafty
medieval church buildings, and the hoods kept the weather off when they ventured out of
doors.
The earliest standardization of academic garb occurred as a byproduct of a 1222 edict by
Stephen Langton at the Council of Oxford, where it was declared that all clerks should
wear a form of the cappa clausa, a long cape typically worn over a robe.
In short order, this became thought of as a mark of an academic as the newly minted
universities adopted it for the aforementioned reasons, while at the same time the clergy
in general (outside of academic contexts) over time wore it less and less.
By 1321, this ultimately lead to the University of Coimbra mandating that plain gowns be worn
by Licentiates, Bachelors, and Doctors.
By Tudor times, more or less this same basic standard had been set for academic dress at
Oxford and Cambridge.
Gradually more comfortable versions were adopted keeping a version of the robe, but without
the thick outer layer.
As for coloring, things remained very plain, generally black.
Certain colors weren’t designated to represent specific areas of study until a few centuries
later in the late 1800s, with the standards varying from country to country and in many
cases university to university.
So that's the gowns, what about the goofy looking caps, or mortarboards?
The mortarboard is called such due to it resembling the flat board used by bricklayers to hold
mortar (called a 'hawk').
The cap is simply a square, flat board fastened to a skullcap with a jaunty tassel fastened
to its center.
Some historians suggest the mortarboard is the descendant of the biretta, which was headgear
often sported by Roman Catholic clerics, scholars and professors.
This, in turn, probably derives from common pileus (brimless hat) worn by the laity.
The wearing of this hat was first ordered in 1311 by the Church at the Synod of Bergamo,
spreading from there as standard headgear by clerics.
By the 15th century, the mortarboard cap was incorporated into the standard garb for many
scholars, among others.
It was initially not generally undecorated as today (other than the tassel), but early
versions could feature elaborate embroidery and adornments.
Further, in the early days at some universities, the mortarboard was reserved for those who
had earned the title of "master" or “doctor.”
As explained by French historian Jacques Le Goff:
“Once he had passed the examination, the candidate became licensed, however he could
only possess the title of “doctor” and teach as a Master following the public examination
… In this way, he assumed for the first time the role of the Master in a university
setting.
After this, the archdeacon ceremoniously conferred upon him the authorization to teach, along
with the symbolic regalia appropriate to his function: a professorial chair, an open book,
a golden ring, and the mortar board or cap.”
Today the bar is not set quite as high, and all grads are typically entitled to mortarboards
in regions where they are worn.
The tradition of the graduating class throwing their caps in the air at the end of the ceremony
has a relatively recent genesis.
The first known instance of this was in 1912 at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.
There are slightly conflicting accounts as to the reason they did this, but the general
story is that it is because the Academy decided to give them their officers' hats at the graduation
itself.
Thus, the graduates chucked their midshipmen's caps in the air upon graduation, and ceremoniously
placed their officers' hats on.
Unfortunately, how accurate that story is and how that ended up catching on with other
universities has been lost to history.
It may simply be it happened independently in many places as after the ceremony is over,
no need for the stupid hats anymore, and it’s kind of fun to throw things in excitement.
Whatever the case, from medieval abbeys where the style of dress was more or less just a
version of what most people wore in parts of Europe at the time, to modern high school
gyms where the garb is decidedly out of place outside of certain ceremonies, caps and gowns
have continued to denote academic accomplishment, with no sign of the tradition letting up any
time soon.
Bonus Fact: As for why judges typically wear robes, this
more or less seems to be for similar reasons as gowns for academics.
For example, this became the standard uniform for judges in England during the reign of
Edward II, who ruled from 1327 until 1377.
At this point, as mentioned, they had already been the standard garb for academics for over
a century, as well as worn in other settings.
For instance, this type of garb would also have been appropriate for wear for a visit
to the royal court, so a judge wearing his robes outside of the courtroom would not have
been out of place.
The standard robe color for judges in England at this time was not black, however, but rather
came in three colors: violet for the summer, green for the winter, and scarlet for special
occasions.
Judges often received the material for these robes as part of a grant from the King.
However, new guidelines dictating which robes could be worn at certain times appeared in
1635, including suggesting judges wear black robes with a fur trim during the winter and
violet or scarlet robes that feature pink taffeta for the summer.
By the middle of the 18th century, English judges typically wore a scarlet robe with
a black scarf and a scarlet hood when presiding over criminal cases, but for civil cases,
they often wore black silk robes.
Judges in the U.S. ultimately borrowed this tradition from the British.
This topic actually produced debate between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams after the
revolution.
Jefferson argued that American judges should distance themselves from the traditions set
down by the English and wear only a suit in court.
Adams, a lawyer, disagreed and wanted judges to continue wearing the robes and wigs of
English judges.
A compromise ensued, with it being decided that the new American judges should wear the
robe and not the wig.
That said, in the United States the wearing of robes by judges is now only tradition.
Even in the Supreme Court of the United States there is no requirement that its justices
wear a robe in court.
Despite this, the vast majority of judges do so anyway, with some exceptions.