Anna Catherine of Nassau-Ottweiler

At the table

Daily Porridge Habits

Because meat was expensive and rarely eaten, families often relied on a thick, long-cooking grain porridge as their primary warm meal. To stretch the food, they frequently reheated it, resulting in a thick, semi-solid consistency.

What people wore

Men's fashion favored comfort and leather boots

During the Thirty Years' War, men's fashion shifted toward comfort, featuring high-waisted doublets and wide, knee-length breeches that fell in loose folds. Soldiers and educated men alike popularized large leather boots that reached above the knee, which were often worn turned down or slouching.

Getting around

Mounted post speeds in Germany

Mounted postal services in Central Europe utilized horse relay stations to reach speeds of up to 84 kilometers per day, allowing the 422-kilometer journey between Cologne and Hamburg to be completed in five days.

What it cost

Wages paid in goods

By the mid-17th century, laborer contracts often included payment in kind, such as pairs of shoes, grain, or clothing, in addition to a daily or annual wage.

Music

Musical Cradle Devotions and Festive Processions

During Christmas, Jesuits organized cradle devotions, where a constructed cradle containing a figure of the Christ child was rocked to the sound of music. Music was also used in processions, often involving bells, trumpets, military drums, and even the discharge of muskets and cannons.

Daily life

Limited and seasonal schooling

Schooling was not compulsory, and rural children often only attended in winter because they had to work on farms during the summer. Instruction focused primarily on memorizing the Bible to learn how to pray and read scripture.