Anna van Egmont

What it cost

Everyday prices for food and shoes

Ordinary daily food prices included 1 to 2 stuivers for a kilogram of rye bread, 1 stuiver for a liter of beer, and 4 to 10 stuivers for a pound of pork. Simple leather shoes cost between 3 and 8 guilders.

What people wore

Changing silhouettes of the era

During the first half of the 16th century, men's fashion evolved to a square silhouette with broad shoulders, while women's clothing featured a wide, conical shape with emphasis on the hips.

Getting around

The slow pace of mule transport

Traveling by pack mule was significantly slower than walking due to terrain difficulties and the need to pay tolls. A journey that took a walker three days could take nine days if carrying goods with a pack mule.

Work

Family labor in peat production

After 1530, the peat extraction technique shifted to slagturven, a highly labor-intensive process that allowed entire families to work together. Men dredged the peat, while women and children were often responsible for treading the mud and drying the peat blocks.

Music

Popular peasant dances and instruments

Peasant dances like the ronde and branle were traditionally performed at feasts using loud instruments such as bagpipes and fiddles. These dances later became popular in bourgeois urban circles, where they were adapted for ensembles of recorders or viols.

At the table

Cooking with pork fat instead of butter

People used animal fat, such as pork fat, for frying and cooking rather than butter.