Caroline d'Autriche

What people wore

Practical straw hats for workers

Straw hats of various shapes, such as wide-brimmed or bowl-shaped, were a practical headwear choice for market women and those working outdoors.

Daily life

Splendid stone-facaded homes in Bruges

Bruges was noted for its many stone-facaded houses, which were often considered more splendid and costly than those in other cities.

Work

The length of a working day

Workdays were long, typically starting between 5 am and 6 am and lasting until 8 pm, structured by work bells. Harvesters often laboured from sunrise to sunset.

Music

Peasant music with bagpipes and fiddles

At peasant feasts, ordinary people enjoyed loud, lively music featuring instruments like bagpipes, fiddles, and hurdy-gurdies.

At the table

Table Manners for Ordinary People

People were expected to wash their hands before and during meals and were taught not to make slurping or smacking noises while eating.

Getting around

Organized local transport market in Brabant

Local transport of commodities in Brabant was highly organized despite lacking corporations, relying on both professional carters and occasional transporters hired through tenders or temporary contracts. There was no price advantage for farmers offering transport services, as all contractors were paid at competitive market rates.

What it cost

Rising wages for unskilled workers

In the late 16th century, unskilled workers in the Bruges area saw their daily wages rise from approximately 5-6 groten in the early 1560s to 20-24 groten by the period 1595-1602.