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Princess Karoline Amalie of Hesse-Kassel

Hanau, 11 Jul 1771 – Gotha, 22 Feb 1848

8 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 11 Jul 1771

    Born in Hanau

  2. 22 Feb 1848

    Dies in Gotha, aged 76

Family

See the tree

Parents

Partner

During her lifetime

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

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

The 1770s · Princess is born in Hanau

In the news1770–1771

Migration during the 1770-71 famine

During the great famines of 1770–71, peasants from other parts of Germany migrated to Prussia where food supplies were more accessible.

Getting around

Stagecoach Travel at Walking Speed

In the mid-18th century, the stagecoach was the primary mode of travel for those who could afford it, moving at a walking pace of about 4 to 5 kilometers per hour. A trip from Nuremberg to Leipzig typically took around 70 hours, while the journey from Nuremberg to Regensburg required 20 hours.

In Europe1772–1795

Poland is partitioned

Russia, Prussia and Austria divided Poland among themselves in three steps until, in 1795, it vanished from the map for 123 years.

Daily life

Open Hearth Cooking and Pump Well Water

Cooking took place in the living room over an open fireplace or a masonry hearth with a recessed grate, using wood or brown coal for fuel. Drinking water was typically sourced from communal pump wells located in the village center.

What people wore

Practical Work Clothes for Women

Working women wore practical, loose-fitting clothing like an apron, headscarf, and cap, with shorter skirts and wide sleeves to allow free arm movement while handling water, fire, or animals.

Music

Popular instruments and dances for festivals

In the late 18th century, common people enjoyed dancing to instruments such as the violin, clarinet, horn, bass, hammered dulcimer, and bagpipe, often played by small groups at fairs, weddings, and festivals.

At the table

Beer and bread soups were common daily fare

For servants and laborers, meals often featured a weak top-fermented beer, similar to Berliner Weiße, and bread soaked in liquid, such as milk or whey.