Maximilian III, Archduke of Austria

What people wore

Cloth functioned as valuable currency

In the 16th century, cloth was so valuable that it was often used as a form of currency to pay workers. Because clothing was expensive, it was rarely discarded and instead circulated through society via pawning, second-hand markets, and inheritance.

Daily life

Fetching water daily

Water was scarce and had to be fetched from distant public fountains or wells, as only few houses had their own water supply.

Work

Daily Distances Covered by Messengers

Foot messengers typically traveled 25 to 40 kilometres a day, while elite runners could cover over 60 kilometres in the same time.

Music

Paying Musicians for Weddings

City wedding regulations in 1489 set specific fees for musicians, such as two guilders for brass and wind players or half a guilder for bagpipers, fiddlers, and drummers. Status often dictated which musicians could be hired for celebrations.

At the table

Staple diet of ordinary people

Ordinary families relied on staples like soup, porridge (made from oats, barley, or legumes), cabbage, turnips, and bread. Meat was a luxury for commoners, reserved primarily for festive occasions like the slaughtering of pigs or geese.

Getting around

Most people traveled on foot daily

Most people traveled on foot, covering between 20 and 40 kilometers per day.

What it cost

Vienna wages and food prices in 1549

By 1549, the daily wage for a worker in Vienna was 6 Kreuzer, with bread costing 0.67 Kreuzer per kilogram and beef costing 2.68 Kreuzer per kilogram.