Leopold V, Archduke of Austria

What people wore

Jewish population faced discriminatory dress regulations

Discriminatory laws compelled Jewish men to wear specific identifying markers on their clothes, such as beards or stigmatizing symbols.

Daily life

Heated living spaces with limited light

The Stube was the only heated room in many homes, featuring small windows that limited light and a stove often fueled from outside to prevent smoke.

Work

Moonlighting militia in the cities

City militia members, whose military pay was meagre, often supplemented their income by working as bakers, cobblers, or innkeepers.

Music

Instruments used in 16th-century Austrian music

In the late 16th century, musicians in Austrian regions played instruments such as recorders, trombones, cornetti, lutes, harps, and viols, as seen in period iconography and monastery artifacts.

At the table

Beverages and Fasting Rules

Commoners frequently drank beer, which was often brewed locally by inns or breweries and was typically darker and lower in alcohol than modern beer. During fast days, which could number up to 150 annually, consumption of meat was restricted, leading to a reliance on fish, vegetables like cabbage and turnips, and legumes.

Getting around

Couriers covered up to 150 kilometers daily

Professional couriers could cover up to 150 kilometers a day using a relay system of horses and riders established by the Taxis Post.

What it cost

Daily worker wages in Vienna

Between 1575 and 1599, a daily wage for a worker in Vienna typically ranged from 7 to 10 kreuzer.