Louis Charles, Count of Beaujolais

Getting around

Dangerous conditions on poorly maintained roads

Travelers in carriages sometimes had to pay local peasants to walk alongside and support the carriage to prevent it from tipping over on flooded or muddy roads. In severe weather, travelers were occasionally forced to wait for days in miserable inns until conditions improved.

Daily life

Elementary education for children

Elementary schooling for children typically focused on basic literacy, including reading, writing, and the catechism. In many rural parishes, schools were nonexistent, and when classes were held, they were often taught by the local priest or his vicar.

What people wore

Common clothing colors

Common women’s clothing colors were mostly dark, with black, gray, and brown making up 45 percent of garments, while red accounted for 21 percent.

Music

Popular dances included minuet and contredanse

The minuet and the contredanse were the two most popular dances, with the latter being a favorite figure dance involving four couples. People frequently organized and enjoyed balls in the provinces during this period.

At the table

Variations in Bread Quality

While the wealthy enjoyed wheat bread, the poorest families often relied on indigestible chestnut bread or porridge made from rye, oats, or maize.