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Countess Palatine Anna Magdalena of Birkenfeld-Bischweiler

Strasbourg, 14 Feb 1640 – Babenhausen, 12 Dec 1693

8 facts2 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 14 Feb 1640

    Born in Strasbourg

  2. 1660–1665

    3 children are born

  3. 12 Dec 1693

    Dies in Babenhausen, aged 53

Family

See the tree

Parents

Partner

Children · 3

During her lifetime

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

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

The 1640s · Countess is born in Strasbourg

In the news1648

The Fronde civil uprisings begin

The Fronde, a series of violent civil uprisings against royal authority and high taxes, broke out in 1648 and lasted until 1653, forcing the royal family to flee Paris.

Getting around

Travelers on foot wore out shoes quickly

Ordinary people frequently traveled on foot, covering 20 to 30 kilometers a day, which meant they wore out a pair of shoes every two weeks.

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

Living conditions in modest urban homes

Ordinary homes in cities were often tall, narrow buildings where upper floors were darker and difficult to heat, with limited light due to overhanging structures. A single room often served multiple purposes, including cooking, sleeping, and childcare.

What people wore

Daily attire of ordinary women

Ordinary women often wore corsets over a shirt, with a skirt and an apron for daily chores, while their clothing was predominantly colored in black, grey, and red.

Music

Pipe and tabor in rural festivities

Common people danced on Sundays to the sound of the pipe and tabor, a practice defended by some clergy as a necessary relaxation after a week of labor. These instruments were also used to celebrate local events, such as the lighting of the Saint John's fire.

At the table

Stale bread soaked in soup

Ordinary families relied heavily on a bread-based diet, often consuming stale loaves by soaking them in liquid to make soup. Because bread was baked in large batches to last weeks, it was kept dense and sturdy.