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Princess Sophie of Sweden

Stockholm, 21 May 1801 – Karlsruhe, 6 Jul 1865

9 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 21 May 1801

    Born in Stockholm

  2. 1820–1839

    8 children are born

  3. 6 Jul 1865

    Dies in Karlsruhe, aged 64

Family

See the tree

Parents

Partner

Children · 8

During her lifetime

She lived through 7 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Stockholm.

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

The 1800s · Princess is born in Stockholm

In the news1804

Smallpox vaccination edict issued

The Edict of Inoculation was proclaimed in 1804, helping to reduce smallpox epidemics significantly.

Getting around

Stagecoach travel duration and luggage limits

A stagecoach journey between Stockholm and Gothenburg covered 50 Swedish miles and took 4 days. Passengers were allowed to carry baggage weighing up to 60 pounds.

At the table

Home-distilled brandy was consumed daily

Brandy was widely consumed, with a still often found on every farm until the practice was banned in 1855.

The Napoleonic Wars. Napoleon’s armies redrew the map of Europe from Spain to Moscow; his invasion of Portugal sent its court to Rio de Janeiro.In Europe · 1803–1815

The Napoleonic Wars. Napoleon’s armies redrew the map of Europe from Spain to Moscow; his invasion of Portugal sent its court to Rio de Janeiro.

Ruedi33a · CC BY-SA 4.0

What people wore

Layered skirts indicated status

Women often wore several skirts layered on top of each other to mark their social status and provide extra warmth, with thicker underskirts sometimes reaching the thickness of a blanket.

Music

The dominance of the polska dance

By the mid-19th century, the polska had evolved as the primary dance and tune style for the fiddle in Sweden's provinces.

Daily life

Diet and coffee restrictions

Coffee was a rare luxury that children and servants often did not taste; one boy was even paid two riksdaler banko annually by his father to abstain from it and sugar. Meals were commonly prepared and eaten by the hearth using simple tools, often consisting of potatoes, herring, and bread.