Isabella of Austria

What people wore

Flemish women's wool dresses

In the early 16th century, Flemish women frequently wore dresses of black light-weight wool (serge) that were so fitted they revealed their body shape. When going out, women would lift the edges of their outer dresses and secure them at the waist with iron hooks.

Daily life

Cooking and heating with peat

Instead of coal, residents heated their homes and cooked with peat, a type of earth found in abundance that burns well.

Work

Work bells structured the daily rhythm

Workers often relied on city bells, or work bells, to regulate the start, breaks, and end of their long days. Industrial tasks like textile production were tightly supervised, with bells dictating when labourers had to be at their workshops.

Music

Loud instruments at village festivals

At village festivals in Flanders, loud instruments such as trumpets, oboes, flutes, fifes, bagpipes, and drums were commonly used to entertain the crowds.

At the table

Ordinary household diet and cooking fat

While the wealthy enjoyed complex pies and ragouts, ordinary people often used leftover scraps to make soups and kept pigs, sheep, or chickens for meat, eggs, and cheese. Cooking was primarily done using pig fat rather than butter.

Getting around

Staple rights could delay travelers significantly

Staple rights in cities like Grave or Venlo could force merchants to offer their goods for sale for several days, significantly delaying journeys.

What it cost

Price of simple leather shoes

Simple leather shoes cost between 3 and 8 guilders, depending on the quality of the leather and the craftsmanship.