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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

Sleeping arrangements for children

People often slept together in one room, and children sometimes slept in roll-out beds tucked under the large, curtained beds of their parents.

What people wore

Strict dress codes regulated social classes

Common citizens and artisans were legally prohibited from wearing luxury items like velvet, silk, pearls, or gold; their wives were limited to a gold ring worth no more than five or six guilders. Jewish people were forced to wear a yellow ring on their jackets or caps to ensure they were publicly recognizable.

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

Staple diet of ordinary people

Ordinary families relied on staples like soup, porridge (made from oats, barley, or legumes), cabbage, turnips, and bread. Meat was a luxury for commoners, reserved primarily for festive occasions like the slaughtering of pigs or geese.