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Prince Nicholas Maximilianovich, 4th Duke of Leuchtenberg

Peterhof Palaces and complex, 4 Aug 1843 – Paris, 6 Jan 1891

9 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 4 Aug 1843

    Born in Peterhof Palaces and complex

  2. 6 Jan 1891

    Dies in Paris, aged 47

During his lifetime

He lived through 6 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Peterhof Palaces and complex.

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

The 1840s · Prince is born in Peterhof Palaces and complex

In the news1848

Cholera and Crop Failures in 1848

In 1848, a major cholera epidemic, coupled with a bad harvest and dry weather that caused widespread town fires, severely disrupted the lives of the agrarian population.

Getting around

Four-day coach journeys between capitals

Traveling between St. Petersburg and Moscow by stagecoach took four days of constant travel before the railway was completed.

In Europe1845–1852

The Great Famine in Ireland

Potato blight ruined harvests: a million Irish people died and a million more emigrated, many to America.

Daily life

Lighting and window materials in peasant homes

Peasant huts were typically illuminated by a torch inserted into the crack of the stove or by simple wicks dipped in oil. Glass was expensive and often replaced by bull bladders in peasant homes, while wealthier villagers began using mica.

What people wore

Peasant women's daily and festive attire

Peasant women wore a woolen skirt called a ponyova over a linen shirt, and they protected their hair with headdresses like the soroka, as showing hair was shameful for married women.

Music

Improvisational pliaska dances and percussion

Fast-paced pliaska dances were characterized by individual improvisations, sometimes accompanied by improvised percussion like wooden spoons or metal pots when standard instruments were unavailable.

At the table

Meal Customs in Peasant Households

Peasant families frequently ate from common dishes without individual cutlery, often eating in a set order led by the head of the household. Hygiene was minimal; dishes were typically rinsed in cold water after use rather than thoroughly washed.