Anna van Egmont

What it cost

Everyday prices for food and shoes

Ordinary daily food prices included 1 to 2 stuivers for a kilogram of rye bread, 1 stuiver for a liter of beer, and 4 to 10 stuivers for a pound of pork. Simple leather shoes cost between 3 and 8 guilders.

What people wore

Changing silhouettes of the era

During the first half of the 16th century, men's fashion evolved to a square silhouette with broad shoulders, while women's clothing featured a wide, conical shape with emphasis on the hips.

Getting around

How people traveled between towns

Ordinary people typically traveled between towns on foot, while the wealthy used horses or carts. Roads were often unpaved, muddy, and difficult to navigate, making travel slow and physically demanding.

Work

Ban on rural industry

In 1531, major cities successfully petitioned for a prohibition against brewing, weaving, leather-working, and masonry outside of walled towns to suppress rural competition.

Music

Popular peasant dances and instruments

Peasant dances like the ronde and branle were traditionally performed at feasts using loud instruments such as bagpipes and fiddles. These dances later became popular in bourgeois urban circles, where they were adapted for ensembles of recorders or viols.

At the table

Breakfast consisted of beer and bread

Ordinary people and the elite typically started their day with a meal of bread and beer because water was often unsafe to drink.