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Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor

Vienna, 6 Mar 1557 – Vienna, 20 Mar 1619

15 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

  • Born6 Mar 1557, Viennaor 24 Feb 1557Records disagree1 source
  • MarriedAnna of Tyrolnot verified1 source
  • TitlePrince-Electoror Apostolic King of Hungary, 1608–1619 · King of Bohemia, 1611–1619 · Holy Roman Emperor, 1612–1619not verified1 source
  • TitleApostolic King of Hungary, 1608–1619or King of Bohemia, 1611–1619 · Holy Roman Emperor, 1612–1619 · Prince-Electornot verified1 source
  • TitleKing of Bohemia, 1611–1619or Apostolic King of Hungary, 1608–1619 · Holy Roman Emperor, 1612–1619 · Prince-Electornot verified1 source
  • TitleHoly Roman Emperor, 1612–1619or Apostolic King of Hungary, 1608–1619 · King of Bohemia, 1611–1619 · Prince-Electornot verified1 source
  • EventCoronation, 1608not verified1 source
  • Died20 Mar 1619, Viennanot verified1 source
  • MotherMaria of Austria, Holy Roman Empressnot verified1 source
  • FatherMaximilian II, Holy Roman Emperornot verified1 source

A life in time

  1. 6 Mar 1557

    Born in Vienna

  2. 1608

    Coronation

  3. 1608–1619

    Apostolic King of Hungary

  4. 1611–1619

    King of Bohemia

  5. 1612–1619

    Holy Roman Emperor

  6. 20 Mar 1619

    Dies in Vienna, aged 62

Family

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Parents

Partner

During his lifetime

He lived through 7 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Vienna.

General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.

The 1550s · Matthias, is born in Vienna

What people wore

Around 1525–1549

Daily versus festive peasant wear

Peasant women wore a fine linen blouse called a harbene Pfoad on feast days, but used a coarse linen blouse known as a rupferne Pfoad for everyday work. Many peasant dresses were notably shorter than town styles, frequently stopping at mid-calf to allow for easier movement.

Daily life

Around 1525–1549

Sleeping arrangements for children

People often slept together in one room, and children sometimes slept in roll-out beds tucked under the large, curtained beds of their parents.

Work

Around 1525–1549

Rural Servants and Their Year-Long Contracts

Most rural households employed farm-hands and maids who worked for wages, board, and lodging; leaving before their one-year contract ended often meant forfeiting all wages.

Music

Around 1525–1549

Paying Musicians for Weddings

City wedding regulations in 1489 set specific fees for musicians, such as two guilders for brass and wind players or half a guilder for bagpipers, fiddlers, and drummers. Status often dictated which musicians could be hired for celebrations.

At the table

Around 1525–1549

Common beverages of the period

Beer was the common daily drink, having completely replaced mead in many areas by 1500, while apple and pear cider (Most) was also traditional. Wine was typically reserved for the upper classes and official gatherings.

Getting around

Around 1525–1549

Travel by horse or donkey

While wealthy individuals traveled on horseback, those wishing to show humility often chose to ride a donkey.

What it cost

Around 1549

Vienna wages and food prices in 1549

By 1549, the daily wage for a worker in Vienna was 6 Kreuzer, with bread costing 0.67 Kreuzer per kilogram and beef costing 2.68 Kreuzer per kilogram.