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Sophia von Kurzbach

1570 – 1605

7 facts1 source

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 1570

    Born

  2. 16 Jul 1595

    A son is born

  3. 1605

    Dies

Family

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Parents

Partner

Children · 1

During her lifetime

She lived through 4 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like.

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

The 1570s · Sophia is born

In the news1569–1574

Famine and price crisis of 1569-1574

Between 1569 and 1574, a severe famine and price crisis struck the region, causing mass death among the poorest residents, while wealthy nobles remained largely unaffected. During 1573 and 1574, a 2.2-kilogram loaf of rye bread cost an unskilled worker in Krakow between 32% and 40% of their daily wage.

At the table

Beer as a daily staple

Beer was the most common everyday drink, often served as soup with breadcrumbs or given to children and pregnant women for strength.

What people wore

Women's Wardrobe Value

Women's clothing was often twice as expensive as men's, with a set including a shirt, skirt, and corset reaching a value of 52 gold coins.

Getting around

Security for goods in transit

A merchant in 1586 paid four guilders to hire two Tartars to transport his goods, reflecting common practice to ensure security during travel.

What it cost

Wages and shoe prices in Kraków

In the first half of the 16th century, an unskilled daily worker in Kraków earned approximately 2 grossi per day, while a pair of shoes cost about 7 to 8 grossi.

Music

Social rules in the stryjanka dance

In the dance known as stryjanka, the violinist led the household members in the first part, while respectable people refrained from dancing the second, more lively part to observe others instead.

Daily life

Education and literacy expectations

Schooling was highly valued by the nobility to prepare children for public service, and by the second half of the 16th century, commoners' children made up over half of the students at the Krakow Academy. For those who could not read or write, the label of idiot or simpleton was commonly used, regardless of status.