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Polyxena of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg

Bad Schwalbach, 21 Sep 1706 – Turin, 13 Jan 1735

9 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 21 Sep 1706

    Born in Bad Schwalbach

  2. 1726–1733

    6 children are born

  3. 13 Jan 1735

    Dies in Turin, aged 28

Family

See the tree

Parents

Partner

Children · 6

During her lifetime

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

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

The 1700s · Polyxena is born in Bad Schwalbach

In the news1709

Great famine after the 1709 winter

A severe winter caused the Bodensee to freeze completely, leading to widespread crop failures and famine across Europe.

What people wore

Sumptuary Laws Against Opulent Clothing

Authorities issued sumptuary laws to maintain social hierarchy, often banning lower classes from wearing gold, silver, pearls, silk, or costly furs, with violators risking fines or imprisonment.

Getting around

River Travel by Ordinari Boats

Water transport was often more cost-effective; for example, the Ordinari boat from Regensburg to Vienna took at least a week to cover about 450 kilometers. Passengers often spent their nights on land during these boat journeys.

War of the Spanish Succession. Europe’s powers fought for thirteen years over who would inherit the Spanish throne; a Bourbon kept it, and Britain gained Gibraltar.In Europe · 1701–1714

War of the Spanish Succession. Europe’s powers fought for thirteen years over who would inherit the Spanish throne; a Bourbon kept it, and Britain gained Gibraltar.

DavidDijkgraaf · CC0

In the news1702

French forces occupied Modena in 1702

French troops occupied Modena in August 1702, forcing Duke Rinaldo and his court to flee to Bologna during the War of the Spanish Succession.

Music

The cornett was a popular civic instrument

Town musicians used the versatile cornett, a wooden instrument with finger holes, for both church services and celebratory civic events.

Daily life

Limited Schooling for Children

Children often attended only winter schools because their labor was required for farming and tending livestock the rest of the year. Teachers were frequently untrained, such as former soldiers or craftsmen, and religious instruction was the main priority.