In the news1709–1710
The Great Winter of 1709
The Great Winter of 1709 brought extreme cold and severe famine to France, marking one of the century's worst economic crises.
Versailles, 4 Mar 1700 – Fontainebleau, 1755
10 facts2 sources
4 Mar 1700
Born in Versailles
1755
Dies in Fontainebleau
He lived through 6 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Versailles.
General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.
In the news1709–1710
The Great Winter of 1709 brought extreme cold and severe famine to France, marking one of the century's worst economic crises.
Getting around
Common modes of personal travel
While the wealthy used carriages, ordinary people frequently traveled on foot or relied on pack animals like mules for longer journeys between towns.
At the table
Daily bread rations for a family
A weaver's family in Rouen consumed a daily bread ration of 1,222 grams for the husband, 983 grams for the wife, and 659 grams per child.
In Europe · 1700–1721The Great Northern War. Russia, Denmark and Saxony fought Sweden for the Baltic; Peter the Great won and built St Petersburg on the conquered coast.
What people wore
Origin of the term Grisette
The term grisette described poor working-class women, named after the simple gray woolen cloth used to make their dresses.
Music
The Pocket-Sized Teacher's Violin
To make professional dance lessons convenient at home, masters used the pochette, a small, boat-shaped violin that could be easily carried in a pocket or sachet.
Daily life
Intense use of single-room dwellings
Ordinary homes often consisted of a single room used for all daily activities, including cooking, sleeping, and childcare, with furniture rearranged throughout the day. In rural areas, houses were typically made of wattle and daub with thatched roofs, often lacking glass windows and floorboards.