Joan Jaume de Rappolstein

Getting around

Common travel methods in late 16th century

Travelers typically walked, rode horses or mules, or used rare public carriages operated by universities. Roads were often unmaintained and lacked suspension, making travel in heavy carts uncomfortable and slow.

Daily life

Modest homes lacked modern interior conveniences

Ordinary homes often featured wooden facades and roofs with attic windows called lucarnes, while interiors had large, drafty rooms and oversized fireplaces. Significantly, even in wealthy residences, private bathrooms or nightstands did not exist.

What people wore

Standard peasant wear in Saumur region

A 16th-century peasant from the Saumur region wore a felt hat with a turned-down brim, a sayon tunic to the mid-thigh, a blue jerkin, and a country-style coat called a balandras.

Music

Sounds of daily life and festivals

While church music was restricted, bells rhythmically marked daily life, and loud instruments like oboes and bagpipes were used for village festivals and celebrations.

At the table

Meat was rare for the poor

Meat was rare in the diets of the poor, who consumed very little due to high costs and limited preservation methods caused by salt shortages.