Johann Georg I, Elector of Saxony

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.

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.

News and letters

Efficient Relay System and Delivery Times

To speed up delivery, the postal system used a relay method where couriers handed off letters at fixed intervals of 15 to 35 km, allowing riders to travel day and night. On the main route between Brussels and Innsbruck, which spanned about 920 kilometers, a letter could be delivered in approximately five to six days.

Music

Town pipers performed music from towers

Civic musicians known as Stadtpfeifer regularly performed music from church towers and town hall balconies, often using loud brass and wind instruments like the cornett, sackbut, and shawm.

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.

Getting around

Most travel was done on foot

Ordinary people primarily traveled between towns on foot, usually covering about 20 kilometers per day. For longer distances, they relied on walking, although they occasionally hitched rides on wagons belonging to farmers or carters.

Work

Remarkable Skills of Ordinary People

A Tübingen cobbler reportedly used advanced swimming and breath-holding techniques to dive into dangerous whirlpools in the Neckar River to steal high-quality fish. Such specialized knowledge of swimming was documented in early training manuals, which even suggested using reeds or animal bladders as buoyancy aids.