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Princess Marie of the Netherlands

Wassenaar, 5 Jul 1841 – Neuwied, 22 Jun 1910

9 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 5 Jul 1841

    Born in Wassenaar

  2. 1872–1883

    6 children are born

  3. 22 Jun 1910

    Dies in Neuwied, aged 68

Family

See the tree

Parents

Partner

Children · 6

During her lifetime

She lived through 8 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Wassenaar.

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

The 1840s · Princess is born in Wassenaar

In the news1848

Netherlands becomes a parliamentary democracy

Following revolutions across Europe, King Willem II agreed to the Constitution of 1848, which transformed the Netherlands into a parliamentary democracy.

What people wore

The multi-purpose apron

An apron, known as a 'schölk', was a versatile daily tool used not only to protect clothes but also to carry eggs, fruit, or harvest, wipe tables, and even dry children's tears. Women would roll up the bottom edge to create a convenient pouch for these everyday tasks.

Daily life

Water access and costly light

Water had to be fetched manually from pumps, wells, or rain barrels, and in some areas, the available water was of poor quality, often contaminated by waste. Because lighting, such as candles and lamp oil, was costly, daily activities were strictly dictated by daylight.

In the news1844

Weaver uprising in 1844

Handloom weavers in Upper Silesia led a famous protest against their publishers due to harsh competition from mechanized factories.

Music

The noisy brummtopf folk instrument

The brummtopf was a peculiar noise-making instrument used by groups of young people during winter festivities; it was made of a small wooden barrel covered with calfskin and played by rubbing horsehair strands inserted into the skin with wet hands.

In Europe1845–1852

The Great Famine in Ireland

Potato blight ruined harvests: a million Irish people died and a million more emigrated, many to America.

Getting around

Costs and innovations in water transport

A skilled craftsman, earning about one guilder per day, could travel at most 20 kilometers by barge for his daily wage. Some faster barges, known as 'flying boats' or 'iron barges', were introduced in the 1820s and 1840s to compete with road transport.