The author was talking about a time before that where people didn't wear shoes. He focuses on Germany. The shoes you wore is from a later time and different place.
I'm familiar with the era, and Germany in that era, and no, I wasn't wearing shoes from a later time and a different place.
In fact I don't own any "structured shoes" like the article mentions as leading to heel-walking, although I do wear wood patten overshoes when it's muddy.
And that's despite the fact that I do two styles of dance that toe-walk (15th and 16th century Italian) during those 2 weeks.