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Duchess Anna of Prussia

Königsberg, 3 Jul 1576 – Berlin, 30 Aug 1625

9 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 3 Jul 1576

    Born in Königsberg

  2. 1595–1603

    5 children are born

  3. 30 Aug 1625

    Dies in Berlin, aged 49

Family

See the tree

Parents

Partner

Children · 5

During her lifetime

She lived through 6 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Königsberg.

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

The 1570s · Duchess is born in Königsberg

In the news1570–1599

Deadly epidemic after 1569

A severe epidemic struck several Prussian cities, with mortality so high in Toruń that corpses were moved by the dozen in carts.

Getting around

Duration of long-distance journeys

Long-distance journeys were slow and highly variable; for instance, a trip between Reval and Lübeck typically took four weeks, but could extend to four months in winter.

In the news1572

Banking house collapse ruins economy (1572)

The collapse of the major merchant and banking house Loitz in Stettin in 1572 caused widespread economic turmoil throughout the region of Pomerania.

Daily life

Annual family school tax

Each family was typically required to pay 8 schellings per year to support the teacher. In cases of need, this salary was supplemented by tithes.

What people wore

Carrying Cash in Needle Cases

Peasant men and women working in the fields often carried small amounts of cash in purses attached to their belts, specifically in needle cases, possibly for safety. In one 1540 incident, ten men and ten women working in a meadow were robbed of items including ten belts with needle cases that contained a total of 1.5 kopa grossi.

Music

Loud peasant bagpipes at fairs

Peasants at parish fairs in the 16th century used loud bagpipes to celebrate, which could be heard from over a mile away.

At the table

Meager diet of the rural peasantry

Ordinary peasants often relied on a meager diet consisting of black bread and porridge, frequently eaten without any added fat, while drinking plain water.