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Barbara Radziwiłł

Vilnius, 16 Dec 1523 – Kraków, 8 May 1551

12 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 16 Dec 1523

    Born in Vilnius

  2. 1550–1551

    Queen Consort of Poland

  3. 8 May 1551

    Dies in Kraków, aged 27

Family

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Parents

Partners

During her lifetime

She lived through 4 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Vilnius.

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

The 1520s · Barbara is born in Vilnius

In the news1528

Grand Duke Orders Military Census 1528

In 1528, Grand Duke Sigismund the Old ordered a census of all horsemen in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania to evaluate the state's total military potential of 5,730 servicemen.

Getting around

Slow travel pace for pedestrians and carts

Traveling by foot or with a cart full of goods was slow, typically covering only about 25 km per day.

In the news1525

Reformation upheavals of 1525

In 1525, violent Reformation urban revolts occurred in Baltic ports, while rebel peasants quoted Luther during a full-scale uprising.

Daily life

Modest wooden peasant homes

Peasant homesteads were modest, typically consisting of a wooden dwelling house, a granary, and a cattle-shed. Some peasants in Samogitia lived in a numas, a structure with a central fireplace rather than a stove.

What people wore

Carrying Essentials Without Pockets

Because ordinary clothing lacked pockets, both men and women carried small, pouch-shaped leather purses attached to their belts to keep needles, threads, and other small essentials.

Music

Church music education and training

By the 16th century, cathedral schools in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania taught choral singing and music, establishing the cantorship position at Vilnius Cathedral in 1522.

At the table

Grain was the main staple food

Ordinary families relied on grain-based foods like rye bread and porridges as their primary staples, while meat and dairy products were considered luxuries consumed less frequently.