Jacob Kettler

What people wore

Linen shirts were basic everyday wear

Both men and women wore long, collarless linen shirts, with women's shirts being longer and men's shorter, often held in place by leather thongs or bronze bracelets instead of cuffs.

Daily life

Modest Wooden Homes and Farmstead Layouts

Peasant homes were modest wooden farmhouses equipped with a stove, though some in the Samogitia region still used a numas, a building featuring an open fireplace. Farmsteads were typically organized to include a dwelling house, a granary, and a cattle shed, often positioned to harmonize with natural conditions like wind protection and water access.

News and letters

Variable speed of courier mail

Letters sent by courier between Stockholm and Reval averaged over six weeks in transit, though they could arrive in as little as six days under perfect conditions.

Music

Popular instruments of the 17th century

In the 17th century, the bagpipe was a common and beloved instrument in Latvian villages, often played in groups and sometimes in two voices. The fiddle and the horizontal harp were also played at festivals during this era.

At the table

Honey as the only sweetener

Honey was the only accessible sweetener for ordinary people because sugar was extremely expensive and largely unaffordable for the general population.

Getting around

Daily travel distances and speed

Land travel was slow and physically demanding, with walkers covering 20–25 km per day and carriages typically traveling 25–30 km per day. Journeys were often restricted to daylight to avoid getting lost or going off the road, and travelers rarely traveled at night.

Work

Work by moonlight

To cope with a shortage of materials like splints for light, people often performed handiwork such as spinning and weaving by the light of the moon.