Skip to content
VitrineVitrine
Sign in

Maria Amalia of Courland

Jelgava, 12 Jun 1653 – Weilmünster, 16 Jun 1711

11 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 12 Jun 1653

    Born in Jelgava

  2. 1676–1688

    3 children are born

  3. 16 Jun 1711

    Dies in Weilmünster, aged 58

Family

See the tree

Parents

Partner

Children · 3

During her lifetime

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

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

The 1650s · Maria is born in Jelgava

In the news1657

Plague epidemic in Mitau

In 1657, a devastating plague outbreak killed at least 901 people in the city of Mitau alone within 22 weeks.

Getting around

Walking as primary transport

Ordinary people, including pilgrims and merchants, typically traveled on foot, averaging about 10 kilometres per day.

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

Cooking and Living Spaces

Traditional peasant dwelling houses featured a nams, a ceiling-less room for cooking with a hearth where smoke escaped through the roof, and an istaba, a living room with a ceiling and stove.

What people wore

Peasant self-sufficiency in clothing production

Ordinary peasants typically wore handmade garments, and women were expected to know how to weave their own clothing to avoid criticism from others. Peasants also avoided purchasing clothing, preferring to create everything themselves.

Music

Popular 17th-century village bagpipes

The bagpipe was a common instrument in 17th-century villages, often played with great skill in two voices.

At the table

Peas and beans as daily food

Field beans and grey peas were essential everyday foods, and people believed that eating all the peas served at a New Year's feast would prevent them from crying in the coming year.