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John Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg

Halle (Saale), 8 Nov 1572 – Berlin, 23 Dec 1619

10 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 8 Nov 1572

    Born in Halle (Saale)

  2. 1595–1603

    5 children are born

  3. 1618–1619

    Duke of Prussia

  4. 23 Dec 1619

    Dies in Berlin, aged 47

Family

See the tree

Parents

Partner

Children · 5

During his lifetime

He lived through 5 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Halle (Saale).

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

The 1570s · John is born in Halle (Saale)

In the news1575

Smallpox and measles epidemic (1575)

A widespread outbreak of smallpox and measles occurred in Holstein in 1575, severely impacting the lives of local families.

Getting around

Walking as the primary mode of transport

Most ordinary people traveled on foot, often covering 20 to 30 kilometers in a day.

In the news1572

Banking house collapse ruins economy (1572)

The collapse of the major merchant and banking house Loitz in Stettin in 1572 caused widespread economic turmoil throughout the region of Pomerania.

Daily life

Kitchen stoves and built-in water cisterns

Many modest kitchens lacked open hearths, instead using a large, soot-covered stove in a separate room that served for both cooking and heating. Some of these stoves featured built-in water cisterns that provided hot water and a place to boil food like dumplings.

What people wore

Sumptuary Laws Restricting Social Dress

Strict sumptuary laws restricted what citizens could wear based on their social status; for instance, common citizens and artisans were forbidden from using expensive materials like gold, silver, pearls, velvet, or silk. Wives of common citizens were allowed to wear a gold ring valued at no more than five or six guilders and a veil with a golden border no more than two fingers wide.

Music

Moralizing Italian dance songs for students

Teachers and pastors replaced erotic texts of popular Italian dance-songs with moral or devotional words to create acceptable music for schoolboys to sing.

At the table

Daily beer consumption in northern regions

In northern regions like Münster, beer was the standard everyday beverage, with people consuming between 2 and 3 litres daily. Wine was reserved only for the four most important religious feast days.