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Dorothea Maria of Anhalt

Dessau, 12 Jul 1574 – Weimar, 18 Jul 1617

10 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 12 Jul 1574

    Born in Dessau

  2. 1598–1601

    2 children are born

  3. 18 Jul 1617

    Dies in Weimar, aged 43

Family

See the tree

Parents

Partner

Children · 2

During her lifetime

She lived through 5 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Dessau.

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

The 1570s · Dorothea is born in Dessau

In the news1575

Smallpox and measles epidemic (1575)

A widespread outbreak of smallpox and measles occurred in Holstein in 1575, severely impacting the lives of local families.

Getting around

Walking as the primary mode of transport

Most ordinary people traveled on foot, often covering 20 to 30 kilometers in a day.

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

Regulation of waste and public conduct

Public authorities in the 16th century strictly regulated domestic waste disposal, punishing the act of pouring urine or dirty dishwater onto the streets. Naked swimming was also heavily sanctioned, with eight men in Frankfurt being sentenced to four weeks of prison on bread and water for swimming in the Main river in 1541.

What people wore

Sumptuary Laws Restricting Social Dress

Strict sumptuary laws restricted what citizens could wear based on their social status; for instance, common citizens and artisans were forbidden from using expensive materials like gold, silver, pearls, velvet, or silk. Wives of common citizens were allowed to wear a gold ring valued at no more than five or six guilders and a veil with a golden border no more than two fingers wide.

Music

Wedding musician pay based on social status

City councils regulated the musicians employed for weddings based on social status, with pay for brass and wind players reaching two guilders, while bagpipers and fiddlers received half a guilder.

At the table

Daily beer consumption in northern regions

In northern regions like Münster, beer was the standard everyday beverage, with people consuming between 2 and 3 litres daily. Wine was reserved only for the four most important religious feast days.