Elisabeth, Freiin Joel von Franking, Heiress von Riedau

What people wore

Strict dress codes governed social class

In the 16th century, strict dress codes enforced social hierarchy, often forbidding peasants from wearing elite symbols like feathers on their hats or the color red.

Daily life

Strict rules for school discipline

Teachers were strictly forbidden from hitting students with their fists, pulling hair, or striking heads, though the rod remained an approved disciplinary tool.

Work

Moonlighting militia in the cities

City militia members, whose military pay was meagre, often supplemented their income by working as bakers, cobblers, or innkeepers.

Music

Instruments used in 16th-century Austrian music

In the late 16th century, musicians in Austrian regions played instruments such as recorders, trombones, cornetti, lutes, harps, and viols, as seen in period iconography and monastery artifacts.

At the table

Beverages and Fasting Rules

Commoners frequently drank beer, which was often brewed locally by inns or breweries and was typically darker and lower in alcohol than modern beer. During fast days, which could number up to 150 annually, consumption of meat was restricted, leading to a reliance on fish, vegetables like cabbage and turnips, and legumes.

Getting around

Couriers covered up to 150 kilometers daily

Professional couriers could cover up to 150 kilometers a day using a relay system of horses and riders established by the Taxis Post.

What it cost

Cost of beef and bread

In 1575, the price of beef in Vienna was approximately 3.14 kreuzer per kilogram, increasing to 5.14 kreuzer by 1599. During the same period, bread prices rose from about 0.86 to 1.47 kreuzer per kilogram.