Frederick Henry of Orange-Nassau

At the table

Common one-pot meals and bread

The daily diet for many households relied on a one-pot meal cooked over a fire, often consisting of beans, grains, root vegetables, and sometimes salted meat or fish. This simple, filling dish was frequently supplemented by bread, which was a central staple of the Dutch diet.

What people wore

Catholic Women's Simple Dress

During the Dutch Republic, Catholic women known as "kloppen" (spiritual virgins) intentionally wore plain, worn-out clothing, including a simple skirt and an unstarched headcloth, to signal their rejection of material luxury. This sober style served as a form of counter-cultural expression against Reformed social pressures.

Getting around

Land travel by cart and walking

Travel by land meant walking on simple dirt paths or riding in carts, which were often muddy, rough, and uncomfortable. Traveling from Haarlem to Leiden in 1607, a passenger described sharing a cart with eleven other people while crossing poldered farmland.

What it cost

Mason wages in 1583 Deventer

In 1583, a skilled mason in Deventer earned 7 to 8 stuivers per day in winter and summer, respectively, while a master mason earned 8 to 9 stuivers.

Music

Skill required for the egg dance

During the egg dance, a popular Easter tradition, dancers had to skillfully move an egg out of and back into a chalk circle using only their feet while keeping the egg intact. Participants were required to dance on one foot with their hands on their sides.

Daily life

Weak beer as a daily drink for children

Because industrial pollution often tainted local water sources, children frequently drank weak beer as a daily substitute for water. Painting evidence indicates that orphanage children, who were often provided with this drink, were recognizable by their distinct red-and-black sleeved uniforms.