Pointy shoes began as a fashion for rich men. In 14th and 15th century Europe, wealthy men wore poulaines (or 'cracows', after Kraków), leather shoes with toes up to 12 inches long stuffed with moss or wool. Their impracticality was the point: they showed that the wearer did not do physical work. In 1463 England's Edward IV limited toe length to two inches for anyone below the rank of lord, which protected class distinctions and English textile trade, and the church objected that long toes made kneeling hard. The shoes hurt feet and encouraged bunions. Many cultures have worn painful pointed or tight shoes, from Indian juttis to Chinese lotus shoes, mostly as status markers.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.