Pedro, Prince of Brazil

Music

Instruments in royal and public life

Musicians used wind and percussion instruments, such as trumpets, shawms (charamelas), and timbales, to provide harmonic accompaniment for court ceremonies and public processions. These ensembles played at royal river excursions on the Tagus and during festive street celebrations.

At the table

Daily diet of a fieldworker

A 17th-century fieldworker could consume up to 1 kilogram of bread daily, along with broth, vegetables, small amounts of meat or fish, and significant quantities of wine.

Work

Day labor in agriculture was most common

Most ordinary people worked as day laborers in agriculture, performing tasks like olive harvesting, weeding, and carrying heavy loads from dawn until dusk.

What people wore

Simple and borrowed festive wear for fishermen

Fishermen wore simple, uniform clothing including linen drawers, a woolen hat, and a sleeveless vest, adding a jacket only in cold weather. On feast days, they upgraded to a suit with silver shoe buckles and striped cotton stockings, often borrowed from relatives if they did not own one.

Getting around

Main modes of transport were primitive

During this period, most people traveled on foot, on horseback, on mules, or by boat, as there were no railways or regular stagecoach lines.

What it cost

Property taxes for Arraiolos farmers

In 1715, "seareiros" (tenant farmers) in Arraiolos were assigned a property tax of 1,500 réis for their land, with an additional 200 réis for one individual's production equipment.