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Charlotte of Belgium

Laeken, 7 Jun 1840 – Meise, 1927

10 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 7 Jun 1840

    Born in Laeken

  2. 1927

    Dies in Meise

Family

See the tree

Parents

During her lifetime

She lived through 9 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Laeken.

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

The 1840s · Charlotte is born in Laeken

In the news1845–1850

Flemish potato blight and subsistence crisis

In 1845, potato blight caused devastating harvest losses of up to 95% in Flanders, triggering a severe subsistence crisis that lasted until 1850.

Getting around

Tow barges for reliable canal travel

Before the railway, tow barges drawn by horses were a primary, reliable, and punctual way to travel between towns along waterways. They moved at a slow speed of 3 to 4 km per hour, but maintained a strict schedule that did not wait for latecomers.

At the table

Expensive Bread and Strict Price Controls

Bread was so central to survival that authorities strictly regulated its price; by 1854, a single one-kilogram loaf of household bread could cost a quarter of a worker's daily wage. Consumption was minimal, with local agencies aiming to provide only one kilogram of bread every two days per person.

The Revolutions of 1848. Uprisings spread from Paris to Vienna, Berlin and Milan; most were put down, but serfdom ended in Austria.In Europe · 1848

The Revolutions of 1848. Uprisings spread from Paris to Vienna, Berlin and Milan; most were put down, but serfdom ended in Austria.

Horace Vernet · public domain

What people wore

Women's festive and daily dress

Women typically wore a solid-colored bodice, a long skirt made of thick cotton, and a white cotton petticoat with lace. For feast days and Sundays, they enhanced this ensemble with a black silk apron and black or brown buttoned boots.

Music

New instruments and dances gained popularity

During the 19th century, musicians imported instruments like clarinets, cornets, and trombones, and popular dances such as the polka, quadrille, and scottische became widespread.

Daily life

Lighting homes with oil and water carafes

Homes were often illuminated by oil lamps (lamponnette) or candles placed in glass lanterns, while on dark days, workers used a spherical water carafe to concentrate candlelight.