Anne of Bohemia and Hungary

What people wore

Everyday peasant clothing items

Peasant men typically wore shirts, pants, tunics, coats, hoods, and hats, while women wore basic dresses with aprons, often adding capelets for warmth. Shoes were varied, with knee-high boots with turned-down tops being very popular for men in the 1520s.

Daily life

Drinking beer instead of raw water

Because raw water was often unsafe, residents relied on low-alcohol beer for everyday hydration, while urban water was sometimes supplied through conduits to public collection basins.

Work

Peasant labor and serfdom obligations

Most peasants were serfs who worked on their lord's land, typically performing three days of labor a week, with obligations increasing during planting and harvest seasons.

Music

Scheduled city music performances

In the spring and summer, city trombonists performed from Sunday to Thursday and on feast days, playing twice daily at half-past seven and half-past three.

At the table

Personal Dining Utensils

Each diner provided their own personal knife and spoon for meals, while a large fork for serving was shared by the table.

Getting around

Uncomfortable Carriages and Defensive Road Design

Carriages were often unsprung, making them uncomfortable and shaky, and travelers had to watch out for ruts that turned into quagmires during rain. To protect passengers, roads were sometimes built with a specific width measured at pistol range for better defense.

What it cost

Wages and prices for workers, 1500–1524

At the start of the 16th century, a day laborer could earn sixteen groschen per week without food provided. During this time, a pair of good working shoes cost three groschen, while a whole sheep was priced at four groschen.