Skip to content
VitrineVitrine
Sign in

Dorothea Gräfin von Rantzau

29 Jan 1619 – Flensburg, 30 Mar 1662

5 facts1 source

Facts and their sources

  • Born29 Jan 1619not verified1 source
  • Died30 Mar 1662, Flensburgnot verified1 source

A life in time

  1. 29 Jan 1619

    Born

  2. 18 Mar 1642

    A daughter is born

  3. 30 Mar 1662

    Dies in Flensburg, aged 43

Family

See the tree

Partner

Children · 1

During her lifetime

She lived through 6 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like.

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

The 1610s · Dorothea is born

In the news1619–1620

Plague kills 7,000 in Copenhagen

An outbreak of plague in Copenhagen between 1619 and 1620 resulted in 7,000 deaths.

Getting around

Standard day's journey of four miles

A Danish mile, used as a measure for travel, was approximately 7.5 kilometers, and four miles were considered a standard day's journey.

In the news1618–1648

Destruction of the Thirty Years' War

The Thirty Years' War, lasting from 1618 to 1648, caused a demographic catastrophe where roughly one-third of urban residents and two-fifths of the rural population perished. Soldiers and camp followers frequently destroyed crops and seized food, leading to widespread famine and forcing villagers to abandon their land.

Daily life

Managing Household Waste

When a toilet in a Copenhagen study house was cleaned in 1621, 131 loads of waste were removed, costing 34 dalers and 11 skilling. Households often relied on deep wells or barrels in the ground for waste, which had to be emptied when full.

What people wore

Standardized Outfits for the Poor

Charity donations in Nuremberg provided the poor with a standardized annual outfit, including a black woollen coat, waistcoat, stockings, hat, white linen shirt, and shoes, which remained unchanged for centuries.

Music

Singing folk ballads was common entertainment

In the early 17th century, the vast majority of common people relied on singing old folk ballads (folkeviser) as their primary form of music at home and at gatherings. A letter from 1609 notes that people used these ancient verses and songs to enhance the joy of all feasts and social meetings.

At the table

Salted herring was a daily staple food

Ordinary people frequently ate salted herring for every meal, as it was a durable and accessible protein source.