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Princess Louise of Belgium

Laeken, 18 Feb 1858 – Wiesbaden, 1 Mar 1924

9 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 18 Feb 1858

    Born in Laeken

  2. 1 Mar 1924

    Dies in Wiesbaden, aged 66

Family

See the tree

Parents

During her lifetime

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

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

The 1850s · Princess is born in Laeken

In the news1845–1850

Flemish potato blight and subsistence crisis

In 1845, potato blight caused devastating harvest losses of up to 95% in Flanders, triggering a severe subsistence crisis that lasted until 1850.

What people wore

Black became the standard rural color

During the second half of the 19th century, black became the dominant color for everyday clothing in the Flemish countryside, replacing the colorful styles of previous eras. Typical daily attire for rural men included trousers, vests, smocks, and hats, while women wore skirts, aprons, blouses, and shawls.

Getting around

Punctual Canal Boat Travel

Canal barges were slow, typically moving at 3 to 4 km per hour, but they were remarkably punctual, as skippers followed a strict schedule and did not wait for latecomers.

Italy is unified. Garibaldi, Cavour and Victor Emmanuel joined the Italian states into one kingdom, with Rome its capital from 1871.In Europe · 1859–1871

Italy is unified. Garibaldi, Cavour and Victor Emmanuel joined the Italian states into one kingdom, with Rome its capital from 1871.

Baldassare Verazzi (1819-1886) · public domain

In the news1851

First Belgian banknotes introduced

The National Bank of Belgium issued its first banknotes in 1851, changing how people handled money.

Music

Explosion of brass bands in Belgium

Between 1830 and 1860, brass bands (harmonies and fanfares) spread rapidly in villages, and a true explosion in their numbers occurred between 1860 and 1880, with 1,203 wind bands recorded by 1880.

Daily life

Life on floating barge homes

Children often played at home on the hatches of colorful, long barges where their entire families lived, worked, and died. These floating homes were commonly decorated with pretty curtains in the deck-cabin windows.