Frederick, Hereditary Prince of Denmark

What people wore

Clothing as economic currency for artisans

Artisan families in towns like Elsinore used clothing as economic currency that could be turned into cash, and inventories show that garments were personal assets of significant value.

Daily life

Lighting homes with pine splinters

In many households, people used resinous pine splinters called "stikved" for light, which could even be held in the mouth to keep both hands free while working. Ordinary people often relied solely on the glow from the open hearth after dark.

Work

Common Occupations of Ordinary People

Most people were peasants working on family farms, while townspeople included merchants and guild-regulated craftsmen. Unskilled work like day laboring was also common, especially for the landless.

Music

Popular Music and Instruments at Gatherings

Musicians, often called pipers, frequently played pipe and drum simultaneously at weddings and social gatherings, using instruments like the shawm, which was a popular domestic instrument.

At the table

Children drank beer instead of water

Because clean water was often unsafe to drink, almost everyone, including children, drank beer with their meals. It was usually weak and often quite sour.

Getting around

Perilous boat crossings of the Belt

Crossing the Great Belt could be treacherous, requiring passengers to hire rowboats and sometimes wait days for calm weather, while ice might necessitate passengers walking on frozen patches.

What it cost

Bread weight and prices

In 1579, a loaf of white bread in Helsingør weighing 15 lod cost one hvid; by 1590 in Copenhagen, the weight of bread for the same price dropped to 10 lod.