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Princess Wilhelmine Ernestine of Denmark

Copenhagen, 20 Jun 1650 – Castle Lichtenburg, 22 Apr 1706

10 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 20 Jun 1650

    Born in Copenhagen

  2. 22 Apr 1706

    Dies in Castle Lichtenburg, aged 55

Family

See the tree

Parents

Partner

During her lifetime

She lived through 6 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Copenhagen.

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

The 1650s · Princess is born in Copenhagen

In the news1659

Plague epidemic strikes Denmark in 1659

A plague epidemic broke out in 1659, causing the death of 25% to 30% of the population.

Getting around

Cost of travel and accommodation

For official travel, the cost of an overnight stay with meals was 17 skilling, equivalent to what a good worker earned in two weeks of labor on Copenhagen's fortifications.

In the news1654

Legally binding serfdom in Mecklenburg

The Servants Law of 1654 legally anchored serfdom in Mecklenburg, divesting serfs of personal freedoms and allowing them to be sold with property.

Daily life

Water and Beer Consumption

Drinking water was often contaminated due to proximity to waste and latrines, leading many to avoid plain water in favor of beer, which was a standard beverage for all social classes.

What people wore

Everyday footwear and trousers

Peasant men often wore knickers made from tanned buckskin, and both men and women typically wore clogs for everyday and festive activities.

Music

Minuet arrives in Denmark

The minuet began to establish itself as a fashionable dance in Denmark around 1667, appearing in wedding poetry.

At the table

Common breakfast of beer porridge

A common breakfast for many, including school children, consisted of warm beer and bread porridge, sometimes served with butter.