Princess Dorothea of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck

At the table

Excessive beer consumption across all classes

Beer was consumed in excess across all social classes, as tea, coffee, and chocolate were not yet common beverages.

What people wore

Everyday clothing colors and materials

Peasant men wore non-dyed, greyish homespun clothes for everyday work, while women typically wore black or dark blue daily garments. Both genders commonly wore clogs for both everyday and festive activities.

Getting around

Travel by farm wagons

Ordinary people mostly traveled between towns using small horse-drawn farm wagons, as there were no railways or steamships for public transport in this period. Passengers could hire a farmer and his wagon if they did not own a vehicle themselves.

What it cost

Rye bread price in the 1600s

In the 1600s, a pound of rye bread typically cost 1 to 2 skilling, though prices could rise significantly during grain shortages.

Music

Civic musicians and their fees

In the late 17th century, civic musicians in towns held royal privileges to provide music for weddings and gatherings, charging 6 daler for violin music or up to 16 daler to include instruments like the trumpet and dulcian.

Daily life

The transition to chimneys in peasant homes

Many peasant homes transitioned from having only an open fire on the floor to using a chimney, which helped clear the thick smoke that previously filled the living space.