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Princess Marie Elisabeth of Saxe-Meiningen

Potsdam, 23 Sep 1853 – Obersendling, 22 Feb 1923

8 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 23 Sep 1853

    Born in Potsdam

  2. 22 Feb 1923

    Dies in Obersendling, aged 69

Family

See the tree

Parents

During her lifetime

She lived through 8 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Potsdam.

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

The 1850s · Princess is born in Potsdam

What people wore

Children's Footwear in Rural Areas

While better-off families could afford varied clothes, children of the impoverished often went barefoot over stone and stubble during the summer months.

Getting around

Limitations of mail-coach travel

Before railways became dominant, mail-coaches reached speeds of 8 to 12.7 km/h, but their daily range was limited to around 100 kilometers due to frequent stops, meals, and border controls.

At the table

Alcohol as a Daily Staple

Schnapps, distilled cheaply from potatoes, became a daily staple for the poor alongside sugar-sweetened coffee. Beer was also consumed, and by the later part of the period, the invention of bottled beer with swing stoppers made it more accessible.

The Crimean War. Britain, France and the Ottomans fought Russia in Crimea; Florence Nightingale’s nurses changed how the wounded were cared for.In Europe · 1853–1856

The Crimean War. Britain, France and the Ottomans fought Russia in Crimea; Florence Nightingale’s nurses changed how the wounded were cared for.

William Simpson, artist (1823-1899) E[dmond]. Morin, lithographer (1824 - 1882), · public domain

Music

Music and dance at public festivals

Popular festivities like shooting festivals and local fairs were central to social life, while the educated classes attended balls, concerts, and theater performances.

Daily life

Compulsory schooling and kindergarten costs

Children were required to attend school from ages six to fourteen, often carrying books in long tin satchels. In model kindergartens, families could pay fees between sixpence and three shillings a month for care and meals.

What it cost

Survival budget for a rural family

In the early 1850s, a rural worker's family of five needed approximately 76 Thalers annually for basic survival. A typical male day laborer could earn about 8 Mariengroschen per day during peak harvest months.