Skip to content
VitrineVitrine
Sign in

Henriette Catherine of Nassau

The Hague, 1637 – Oranienbaum Palace, 1708

11 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 1637

    Born in The Hague

  2. 1666–1682

    2 children are born

  3. 1708

    Dies in Oranienbaum Palace

Family

See the tree

Parents

Partner

Children · 2

During her lifetime

She lived through 8 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around The Hague.

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

The 1630s · Henriette is born in The Hague

In the news1637

The official Dutch Bible translation completed

The official Dutch state Bible translation was completed, standardizing the language and influencing religious life for ordinary citizens.

Getting around

The reliable horse-drawn towboat system

The trekschuit, a horse-drawn passenger boat, was a reliable and popular way to travel between towns on a vast network of tow-canals. Passengers could choose between sitting in the hold or the more comfortable cabin for a higher fee.

In the news1618–1648

Destruction of the Thirty Years' War

The Thirty Years' War, lasting from 1618 to 1648, caused a demographic catastrophe where roughly one-third of urban residents and two-fifths of the rural population perished. Soldiers and camp followers frequently destroyed crops and seized food, leading to widespread famine and forcing villagers to abandon their land.

Daily life

Drinking Beer Instead of Water

Because water could be contaminated, children and adults alike drank weak beer with meals, as the brewing process killed dangerous bacteria through extreme heat.

What people wore

Layering wool for winter warmth

During winter, Dutch people of all classes wore extra layers of wool under their indoor clothes to keep warm while skating.

Music

Church music and folk dance customs

Organists played for up to an hour after Sunday and Wednesday church services, sometimes using the organ to help the congregation practice the melody and tone for the psalms. During festive seasons, commoners participated in the traditional egg dance, which required dancers to maneuver around eggs on the ground without breaking them.

At the table

Bread as the staple food

The daily diet was centered on bread, often supplemented with porridges or stews like hutspot, which were cooked in a single pot over an open fire. Poor families relied on dark, nutritious rye or coarse-grain bread, sometimes consuming up to five pounds daily for a family of four.