Marie of Orléans, Viscountess of Narbonne

What people wore

Safe storage for peasant coins

For security, men often wrapped their coins in the long, split tails of their linen chemises.

Daily life

Cooking over an open fire

Families cooked pottage or porridge all day in iron or brass kettles over a central fire on a stone hearth. To keep the smoke from filling the room, some homes used a conical hood or funnel to vent the fire toward the roof.

Work

Female roles at the Nancy Mint

At the Nancy Mint, female workers known as tailleresses were specifically employed to trim excess metal from coin blanks to ensure they reached the correct weight. This task was frequently performed by the wives or daughters of the male minters.

Music

Popular carnival dance at court

The Morisca was the most popular dance at the court of Lorraine, frequently performed by both men and women during the carnival season in costume.

At the table

Daily Bread, Porridge, and Soup

Ordinary Lorrainers typically ate one to two pounds of bread daily, often supplementing it with soup, porridge made from grain cooked in lard, and cheese. Vegetables like legumes were dietary staples, while meat was primarily consumed as boiled soup meat.

Getting around

Public access to royal postal horses

By the early sixteenth century, King Francis I allowed the public to travel by the royal postal service, which used horses at a gallop between relay stations, though this service was very expensive.

What it cost

Cost of shoes

The cost of shoemaking, specifically a pair of shoes, ranged from 0.6 to 1.34 sols tournois during the 16th century.