Barbara Jagiellon

What people wore

Footwear and status of clothing

Peasant footwear ranged from simple leather forms to boots, and clothing was considered portable wealth that was often stored, inherited, or used as a pledge. Married women were expected to cover their hair with bonnets or scarves, often adding a secondary headcloth called a podwika to cover the neck and décolletage.

Daily life

No formal schooling for rural children

Rural children did not attend formal schools; instead, their childhood was short and primarily focused on learning farm work through games and assisting their parents. Many children played with self-made wooden or clay toys, or simply used natural objects like sand, stones, and water.

Work

The Role of Landless Labourers

Landless workers known as zagrodnicy held small plots and served the manor by providing manual labour on foot. In some areas, a single day of their labour service was valued at approximately half a mark, or 24 groszy.

Music

Common musical instruments

Bagpipes, flutes, and fiddles were popular instruments, with bagpipers commonly providing music for weddings and parties at both city and country inns.

At the table

Daily meat consumption

An average laborer on a Polish manor consumed approximately 300g of fatty meat every day.

Getting around

Travel speed for the wealthy on horseback

Wealthier individuals traveled on horseback, which allowed for a faster pace of 30–40 kilometers per day compared to pedestrian or wagon travel.

What it cost

Purchasing power of weekly wages

For one week's wages, a laborer could purchase approximately 100 liters of beer or a pair of shoes, which cost 7 to 8 grossi.