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Henriette Catherine of Nassau

The Hague, 1637 – Oranienbaum Palace, 1708

11 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 1637

    Born in The Hague

  2. 1666–1682

    2 children are born

  3. 1708

    Dies in Oranienbaum Palace

Family

See the tree

Parents

Partner

Children · 2

During her lifetime

She lived through 8 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 1630s · Henriette is born in The Hague

In the news1637

The official Dutch Bible translation completed

The official Dutch state Bible translation was completed, standardizing the language and influencing religious life for ordinary citizens.

Getting around

Travel times and costs between towns

A journey from Delft to Rotterdam took one hour and forty-five minutes and cost five stuivers in the hold or ten stuivers in the cabin. Children under two traveled for free, while those up to twelve paid half price.

In the news1618–1648

Destruction of the Thirty Years' War

The Thirty Years' War, lasting from 1618 to 1648, caused a demographic catastrophe where roughly one-third of urban residents and two-fifths of the rural population perished. Soldiers and camp followers frequently destroyed crops and seized food, leading to widespread famine and forcing villagers to abandon their land.

Daily life

Strict Classroom Discipline

Basic school rules strictly prohibited students from throwing fleas, lice, or snot at classmates, with punishments including being whipped with a stick or hit with a paddle.

What people wore

Individual clothing costs in 1626

In 1626, a woman named Maria van Nesse recorded paying 15 stuivers for a bodice and 10 stuivers for a pair of sleeves, demonstrating how individual clothing components were purchased and assembled.

Music

Church music and folk dance customs

Organists played for up to an hour after Sunday and Wednesday church services, sometimes using the organ to help the congregation practice the melody and tone for the psalms. During festive seasons, commoners participated in the traditional egg dance, which required dancers to maneuver around eggs on the ground without breaking them.

At the table

Herring as a protein staple

Herring was a dietary cornerstone for the lower classes, frequently consumed salted or pickled because it was plentiful and affordable. The Dutch fishing industry was so efficient at processing and packing herring at sea that these fish were a reliable protein source for many.