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Margaret of Austria

Innsbruck, 16 Feb 1536 – Hall in Tirol, 12 Mar 1567

7 facts1 source

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 16 Feb 1536

    Born in Innsbruck

  2. 12 Mar 1567

    Dies in Hall in Tirol, aged 31

Family

See the tree

Parents

During her lifetime

She lived through 4 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Innsbruck.

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

The 1530s · Margaret is born in Innsbruck

In the news1535

Currency reform introduces the gulden

A currency reform in 1535 introduced the gulden, which was worth 60 kreuzers or 240 pfennigs.

Getting around

Travel by horse or donkey

While wealthy individuals traveled on horseback, those wishing to show humility often chose to ride a donkey.

In the news1539

Record of food prices in Linz

By 1539, the price of food was recorded in Linz as 5 pfennigs for a pound of beef and 4 pfennigs for a pound of mutton.

Daily life

Dark and smoky homes

Homes were dark, cold, and smoky, often featuring very small windows that provided little daylight and lacking chimneys for the open fires used for cooking.

What people wore

Cloth functioned as valuable currency

In the 16th century, cloth was so valuable that it was often used as a form of currency to pay workers. Because clothing was expensive, it was rarely discarded and instead circulated through society via pawning, second-hand markets, and inheritance.

Music

Rules for Dancing and Singing

In 1533, the Strasbourg city council permitted round dances but specifically prohibited the singing of shameful songs while dancing. Singing in a round was a common practice, as shown by the dance song Ich spring an disem ringe.

At the table

Common beverages of the period

Beer was the common daily drink, having completely replaced mead in many areas by 1500, while apple and pear cider (Most) was also traditional. Wine was typically reserved for the upper classes and official gatherings.