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Prince Alexander of the Netherlands

Soestdijk Palace, 2 Aug 1818 – Funchal, 20 Feb 1848

8 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 2 Aug 1818

    Born in Soestdijk Palace

  2. 20 Feb 1848

    Dies in Funchal, aged 29

Family

See the tree

Parents

During his lifetime

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

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

The 1810s · Prince is born in Soestdijk Palace

Who governed

In the news1818

Society of Benevolence founded for poor

The Society of Benevolence was established in Drenthe in 1818 to combat widespread poverty by relocating poor families from cities to agricultural colonies.

Music

Visser’s violin book (1817–1821)

Between 1817 and 1821, Frisian amateur musician Wieger Michiels Visser compiled a violin book featuring over 100 traditional dance melodies and 20 songs, specifically collecting minuets, madlots, and schotsen dances.

The Napoleonic Wars. Napoleon’s armies redrew the map of Europe from Spain to Moscow; his invasion of Portugal sent its court to Rio de Janeiro.In Europe · 1803–1815

The Napoleonic Wars. Napoleon’s armies redrew the map of Europe from Spain to Moscow; his invasion of Portugal sent its court to Rio de Janeiro.

Ruedi33a · CC BY-SA 4.0

Daily life

Schooling was irregular and fee-based

Elementary education was voluntary and irregular; children often stayed home to work on farms or in factories during busy seasons like harvesting. Families paid school fees, such as 4 to 10 stuivers per quarter, for their children to learn basic reading, writing, and arithmetic.

In the news1816

Year without a summer causes famine

The 1815 Tambora volcano eruption caused global climate shifts, leading to 1816 being the year without a summer, resulting in widespread crop failures and hunger in the Netherlands.

What people wore

Cost of dressing well vs. income

Being well-dressed was expensive; a gentleman's annual clothing costs averaged 180 guilders, while 40 percent of households lived on less than 300 guilders annually. Consequently, wealthy clothing was out of reach for many.

Getting around

Travel by trekschuit and diligence

In the early 19th century, Dutch people traveled between towns primarily by trekschuit (tow-barge), a horse-drawn boat that was affordable and operated on a reliable schedule. For faster, more expensive travel, they used the diligence, a horse-drawn carriage that ran on roads.