Skip to content
VitrineVitrine
Sign in

Elizabeth of Austria

Linz, 9 Jul 1526 – Vilnius, 15 Jun 1545

10 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 9 Jul 1526

    Born in Linz

  2. 1543–1545

    Consort of Poland

  3. 15 Jun 1545

    Dies in Vilnius, aged 18

Family

See the tree

Parents

Partner

During her lifetime

She lived through 3 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Linz.

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

The 1520s · Elizabeth is born in Linz

In the news1529

Great famine caused by crop failure

In 1529, a severe famine forced many people to make bread from acorns because the harvest failed due to wet and cold weather.

Getting around

Most people traveled on foot daily

Most people traveled on foot, covering between 20 and 40 kilometers per day.

In the news1528

Grand Duke Orders Military Census 1528

In 1528, Grand Duke Sigismund the Old ordered a census of all horsemen in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania to evaluate the state's total military potential of 5,730 servicemen.

Daily life

Dark and smoky homes

Homes were dark, cold, and smoky, often featuring very small windows that provided little daylight and lacking chimneys for the open fires used for cooking.

What people wore

Daily versus festive peasant wear

Peasant women wore a fine linen blouse called a harbene Pfoad on feast days, but used a coarse linen blouse known as a rupferne Pfoad for everyday work. Many peasant dresses were notably shorter than town styles, frequently stopping at mid-calf to allow for easier movement.

Music

Rules for Dancing and Singing

In 1533, the Strasbourg city council permitted round dances but specifically prohibited the singing of shameful songs while dancing. Singing in a round was a common practice, as shown by the dance song Ich spring an disem ringe.

At the table

Common beverages of the period

Beer was the common daily drink, having completely replaced mead in many areas by 1500, while apple and pear cider (Most) was also traditional. Wine was typically reserved for the upper classes and official gatherings.