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Eugen Maximilianovich, Duke of Leuchtenberg

Saint Petersburg, 8 Feb 1847 – Saint Petersburg, 31 Aug 1901

9 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 8 Feb 1847

    Born in Saint Petersburg

  2. 31 Aug 1901

    Dies in Saint Petersburg, aged 54

Family

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Parents

Partners

During his lifetime

He lived through 7 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Saint Petersburg.

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

The 1840s · Eugen is born in Saint Petersburg

In the news1848

Cholera and Crop Failures in 1848

In 1848, a major cholera epidemic, coupled with a bad harvest and dry weather that caused widespread town fires, severely disrupted the lives of the agrarian population.

Getting around

Vast network of postal relay stations

The postal system maintained approximately 3,950 relay stations across the empire, utilizing over 50,000 horses to provide fresh teams for travelers and mail couriers.

In Europe1845–1852

The Great Famine in Ireland

Potato blight ruined harvests: a million Irish people died and a million more emigrated, many to America.

Daily life

Low rates of peasant literacy and education

Literacy among serfs was extremely low, with estimates not exceeding 1%. Education was largely confined to home training by local sextons or clerks, often limited to reading, writing, and basic arithmetic.

What people wore

Peasant women's daily and festive attire

Peasant women wore a woolen skirt called a ponyova over a linen shirt, and they protected their hair with headdresses like the soroka, as showing hair was shameful for married women.

Music

The origins of the Russian garmon

In 1839, a Tula gunsmith purchased an imported harmonica for 40 roubles and used it to create the garmon, an instrument that became central to Russian village celebrations.

At the table

Meal Customs in Peasant Households

Peasant families frequently ate from common dishes without individual cutlery, often eating in a set order led by the head of the household. Hygiene was minimal; dishes were typically rinsed in cold water after use rather than thoroughly washed.