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Caroline of Orange-Nassau

Leeuwarden, 28 Feb 1743 – Kirchheimbolanden, 6 May 1787

9 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 28 Feb 1743

    Born in Leeuwarden

  2. 1768–1780

    3 children are born

  3. 6 May 1787

    Dies in Kirchheimbolanden, aged 44

Family

See the tree

Parents

Partner

Children · 3

During her lifetime

She lived through 5 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Leeuwarden.

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

The 1740s · Caroline is born in Leeuwarden

In the news1747

William IV appointed stadtholder in 1747

In 1747, William IV was appointed the first stadtholder of all provinces, a response to widespread unrest and economic crisis.

Getting around

Reliable Travel by Horse-Drawn Canal Barge

The primary mode of intercity travel was the horse-drawn canal barge, or trekschuit, which ran on a precise schedule and was praised for its comfort, reliability, and affordability. Passengers could travel between cities like Delft and Rotterdam in about one hour and 45 minutes, while the journey from Rotterdam to Amsterdam took 13 hours.

At the table

Daily rations of simple fare

For everyday meals, domestic staff and farm workers were served a daily ration of bread soaked in milk, whey, or thin beer. They also consumed porridge and seasonal vegetables like beans or peas, with meat served only on Sundays or special holidays.

War of the Austrian Succession. When Maria Theresa inherited the Habsburg lands, Prussia seized Silesia and much of Europe joined the fight.In Europe · 1740–1748

War of the Austrian Succession. When Maria Theresa inherited the Habsburg lands, Prussia seized Silesia and much of Europe joined the fight.

DavidDijkgraaf · CC0

What people wore

Hidden pockets for everyday essentials

Ordinary women wore a linen or cotton pocket, 15 by 30 cm, tied around the waist under their skirts, to hold essentials like money or a handkerchief. To access it, they used slits in their multiple petticoats.

Music

Popular Songbooks for Urban Youth

During the mid-eighteenth century, songbooks such as Apollo's Kermesse-gift (1740) and Apollo's St. Nicholas-gift (1741) were popular among urban youth to celebrate annual feasts.

Daily life

Child labor and schooling at twelve

Children left school at age twelve to work twelve-hour days in factories or workshops, often starting their mornings with rye bread and thin coffee. They typically earned a trifling wage, such as sixpence, which was handed over to their mothers on Saturday evenings.