Charles IX of Sweden

What people wore

Daily workwear for peasant women

Ordinary women often worked in long linen chemises and would tie a knot in their skirt to move more easily. Married women covered their heads with a wimple, while young girls left their hair uncovered.

Daily life

Living in a one-room cottage with livestock

Ordinary homes were typically one-room cottages with dirt floors, where the entire family lived and slept alongside livestock like pigs, cows, and hens during the winter. These cottages were drafty, often lit by only a single small window covered with parchment or glass, and kept warm by a baking oven that families lit before dawn.

Work

Diverse labor for ordinary people

Most ordinary people, including cottagers, performed diverse seasonal tasks like farming, timber construction, and spinning, often working as wage laborers for neighbors during peak seasons. Many supplemented this with activities like tar production, charcoal burning, or fishing in common areas.

Music

Ring dances and communal singing at festivals

People enjoyed singing and dancing in rings or long rows, often in open fields or village squares, during festivities and family celebrations.

At the table

Beaver was considered a fasting fish

People considered beavers to be fish because they swim with their tails, allowing them to eat beaver meat during religious fasting periods when meat was otherwise prohibited.

Getting around

Ice Roads Faster Than Summer Paths

Travelers relied on natural features for routes, with winter ice roads offering shorter and flatter paths than the hilly, winding forest trails used during the summer months. For example, a journey that took seven hours by a summer road could be completed in just two hours when crossing frozen waters in winter.

What it cost

Price of bread and meat in Ångermanland

In Ångermanland, a single loaf of bread was valued at 2 öre, while 1 liter of meat cost 24 öre.