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Prince Alexander, Prince of Orange

The Hague, 25 Aug 1851 – The Hague, 21 Jun 1884

8 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 25 Aug 1851

    Born in The Hague

  2. 21 Jun 1884

    Dies in The Hague, aged 32

Family

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Parents

During his lifetime

He lived through 4 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around The Hague.

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

The 1850s · Prince is born in The Hague

In the news1856

Abolition of Milling Restrictions

In 1856, the government abolished restrictive milling legislation, allowing the construction of steam-driven milling factories that produced cheaper bread for the public.

What people wore

Stuffed rolls for fashionable hips

To achieve the fashionable wide-hip silhouette, women of the working class and rural areas wore a stuffed roll called a beuling or wijvenspek tied around their waist. Wealthier women sometimes used reed or horsehair structures called paniers instead to achieve the same effect.

Daily life

Living in one room

Working-class families often lived with six to ten people in a single room, which served as kitchen, bedroom, and living space. Generation after generation slept together in a wooden bedstead.

The Crimean War. Britain, France and the Ottomans fought Russia in Crimea; Florence Nightingale’s nurses changed how the wounded were cared for.In Europe · 1853–1856

The Crimean War. Britain, France and the Ottomans fought Russia in Crimea; Florence Nightingale’s nurses changed how the wounded were cared for.

William Simpson, artist (1823-1899) E[dmond]. Morin, lithographer (1824 - 1882), · public domain

In the news1855

Opening of Amsterdam-Utrecht Railway

In 1855, the Amsterdam-Utrecht railway line began operating, marking a significant step in the nationwide expansion of rail transport that boosted mobility and industrialization.

Getting around

Railway competition and travel affordability

When steam railways appeared, they could crush competition by setting third-class tickets to match the price of the much slower trekschuit. For example, a worker earning one guilder a day could travel about 40 kilometers in the lowest class of a canal boat or significantly further using the new, faster rail connections.

At the table

Bread prices dropped after 1856 tax repeal

After the government abolished the tax on milling in 1856, the price of a loaf of fine wheat bread in Haarlem dropped from 47 cents in December 1855 to 34 cents in February 1856.