Princess Charlotte Sophie of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld

At the table

Typical Diet of Ordinary Families

Ordinary families ate a regular daily diet consisting primarily of milk soups, bread with butter or fat, and simple vegetable or fish stews. Meat was a rare luxury usually reserved for Sundays or special occasions.

What people wore

Prussian Silk Ban for Commoners

In 1731, the Prussian government issued an edict forbidding female commoners and maidservants from wearing silk dresses, camisoles, or pinafores to support domestic wool production and restrict luxury.

Getting around

Difficulties of traveling on Prussian roads

In the 18th century, travel in Prussia was notoriously difficult due to poor roads, with some passengers joking that they could have walked faster than the carriage. A coachman could even abandon a passenger on the road if the passenger struck them or complained too aggressively.

Work

Mandatory spinning for workers

A 1723 royal edict mandated that street vendors and unemployed servants spin one pound of wool weekly, and even craftswomen or merchants' daughters were forbidden from sitting idle while at market stalls. They were required to spend their time spinning wool or flax, knitting, or sewing instead.

Music

Music restricted during Frederick William I's reign

During the reign of King Frederick William I, who considered music a harmful art, musical performances were restricted to churches, and home celebrations or carnival processions were not held.

Daily life

Simple peasant and town housing

Common peasant homes were simple one or two-room timber-framed structures, often dominated by a central hearth used for both warmth and cooking meals like bread and potatoes. In some planned towns, houses were built without cellars and partitioned into two equal living spaces to accommodate two families each.