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Sophia Jagiellon, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg

Kraków, 13 Jul 1522 – Schöningen, 28 May 1575

10 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 13 Jul 1522

    Born in Kraków

  2. 28 May 1575

    Dies in Schöningen, aged 52

Family

See the tree

Parents

Partner

During her lifetime

She lived through 6 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Kraków.

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

The 1520s · Sophia is born in Kraków

In the news1525

Reformation upheavals of 1525

In 1525, violent Reformation urban revolts occurred in Baltic ports, while rebel peasants quoted Luther during a full-scale uprising.

Getting around

Daily Travel Speeds in the 16th Century

In the 16th century, travelers on foot or in carts laden with goods typically covered about 25 km per day, while specialized postal routes could reach speeds of over 60 km per day.

In the news1520

Poll tax established in 1520

A poll tax was agreed upon in 1520, with nobles paying based on landholdings and tenant farmers paying 1 grosz each.

Daily life

Protective names given to young children

Before a formal naming ceremony at the first haircut, children were given protective names like Wolf or Not-Mine to mislead evil spirits.

What people wore

Clothing had a second life

Clothing items often had a second life; they were frequently unpicked and reused to repair or decorate other garments. In 1525, about 7.5% of items in a nobleman's inventory were documented as having been repurposed in this way.

Music

A cross-European dance hit

A dance title recorded in 1540, Zakłułam się cierniem (I pricked myself with a thorn), was so popular it appeared in musical tablatures across Western Europe.

At the table

Fish and salt preservation

Ordinary diets included fish such as carp and pike, which were often preserved with salt to supplement food supplies beyond the harvest.