Alexander Charles Vasa

At the table

Staple foods in peasant diets

A peasant diet during this period was primarily based on rye bread, with adults consuming 0.6 to 0.9 kilograms daily, alongside porridge, peas, and cabbage.

What people wore

Valuable Noblewoman's Clothing

Seventeenth-century noblewomen's wills show that items like fur-lined coats, velvet dresses, and specific headgear such as caps and wimples were vital assets, sometimes valued higher than silver or jewelry.

Getting around

Splendor and challenges of noble travel

Magnates displayed their status through massive caravans, sometimes using hundreds of horses and even exotic animals like camels to carry their extensive possessions. For security, travelers often had to hire armed guards or use oaths to ensure the reliability of hired transport helpers.

What it cost

The tripling cost of shoes

In 1600, a pair of shoes cost around 50 grosz, but the price tripled to 150 grosz by 1633 due to economic instability and currency depreciation.

Music

Carnival sleigh rides and masked balls

Noble carnival celebrations included sleigh rides from mansion to mansion with musicians playing dance music, culminating in masked balls where noblemen dressed as peasants or Gypsies.

Daily life

Modest wooden peasant homes

Peasant homes were modest wooden farmhouses, with some in Samogitia using a numas with an open central fireplace for cooking and heating. Others used stoves, sometimes without chimneys, which released smoke directly into the living space.