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Princess Catherine Alexandrovna Yurievskaya

Saint Petersburg, 9 Sep 1878 – Hayling Island, 22 Dec 1959

9 facts2 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 9 Sep 1878

    Born in Saint Petersburg

  2. 22 Dec 1959

    Dies in Hayling Island, aged 81

During her lifetime

She lived through 9 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Saint Petersburg.

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

The 1870s · Princess is born in Saint Petersburg

In the news1874

Universal Military Service Law

The 1874 Universal Military Service law reduced mandatory military service from twenty-five years to six years for all social classes.

What people wore

Rubber overshoes as rural status symbols

Rubber overshoes became a huge fashion trend in villages; people would wear them even in 30-degree summer heat just to show them off while attending church.

Getting around

Peasant Travel by Foot and Cart

For ordinary people like peasants, traveling to the nearest town was rare, often done on foot or by horse pulling a cart in summer or a sleigh in winter. Travelers carried simple food like bread, dried crusts, and vegetables, sometimes sleeping under their cart during the journey.

The Franco-Prussian War and a united Germany. Prussia defeated France, and the German Empire was proclaimed in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles.In Europe · 1870–1871

The Franco-Prussian War and a united Germany. Prussia defeated France, and the German Empire was proclaimed in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles.

Anton von Werner · public domain

In the news1879

1879 Tay Bridge collapses killing 75 passengers

In 1879, the two-mile Tay Bridge collapsed during a storm, killing 75 passengers in Britain's largest engineering disaster.

Music

The origins of the Russian garmon

In 1839, a Tula gunsmith purchased an imported harmonica for 40 roubles and used it to create the garmon, an instrument that became central to Russian village celebrations.

Daily life

Weekly Steam Baths and Water Access

The home had no plumbing or running water; families relied on pails of water and prioritized a weekly steam bath, often held in the stove itself or a dedicated bath-house. If a steam bath was unavailable, peasants would crawl into the heated oven to bathe.