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Karl, 3rd Prince of Hanau

Kassel, 29 Nov 1840 – Kassel, 27 Jan 1905

7 facts1 source

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 29 Nov 1840

    Born in Kassel

  2. 27 Jan 1905

    Dies in Kassel, aged 64

During his lifetime

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

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

The 1840s · Karl, is born in Kassel

In the news1846–1847

Hunger crisis of 1846-1847

A severe potato blight caused a major hunger crisis across Europe, leading to unrest in Prussian markets and bakeries.

What people wore

Saving fabric with the Magsachte patch

Women saved money on expensive fabric by sewing a hidden patch of coarser linen, called a Magsachte, onto their dresses where it would be covered by an apron.

Daily life

Child labor and rudimentary schooling conditions

Children in rural areas were often tasked with labor, such as preparing and binding daily bundles of fuel for the household fire, a chore that frequently left their hands bleeding. Schooling was frequently held in the teacher's house, where the teacher was often a poorly paid local craftsman.

In the news1844

Weaver uprising in 1844

Handloom weavers in Upper Silesia led a famous protest against their publishers due to harsh competition from mechanized factories.

Music

Daily castle tower music in Königsberg

City tower musicians performed chorales daily from Königsberg's castle tower, such as 'Ich weiß mein Gott, daß all mein Tun' at 11 am and 'Nun ruhen alle Wälder' at 9 pm.

In Europe1845–1852

The Great Famine in Ireland

Potato blight ruined harvests: a million Irish people died and a million more emigrated, many to America.

Getting around

Faster express coaches were costly

The introduction of the "Diligence" or express post coach in 1821 allowed for faster travel at speeds of around 10 km/h, making trips of 100 km possible in a single day. However, travel remained expensive, with a short trip from Berlin to Magdeburg costing four talers, nearly a schoolteacher's monthly salary.