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Eugen Maximilianovich, Duke of Leuchtenberg

Saint Petersburg, 8 Feb 1847 – Saint Petersburg, 31 Aug 1901

9 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 8 Feb 1847

    Born in Saint Petersburg

  2. 31 Aug 1901

    Dies in Saint Petersburg, aged 54

Family

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Parents

Partners

During his lifetime

He lived through 7 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 1840s · Eugen is born in Saint Petersburg

In the news1848

Cholera and Crop Failures in 1848

In 1848, a major cholera epidemic, coupled with a bad harvest and dry weather that caused widespread town fires, severely disrupted the lives of the agrarian population.

Getting around

Travel times to Siberia varied wildly

In 1827, traveling by road from Moscow to Irkutsk took 23 days, which was considered extremely fast for that time. In mud-prone seasons, however, the same journey could take up to nine months.

In Europe1845–1852

The Great Famine in Ireland

Potato blight ruined harvests: a million Irish people died and a million more emigrated, many to America.

Daily life

Low rates of peasant literacy and education

Literacy among serfs was extremely low, with estimates not exceeding 1%. Education was largely confined to home training by local sextons or clerks, often limited to reading, writing, and basic arithmetic.

What people wore

Everyday men's clothing and footwear

Ordinary men typically wore a skewed-collar shirt (kosovorotka) belted over trousers, with bast shoes (lapti) being standard everyday footwear.

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.

At the table

Everyday Drinks of the Peasantry

Kvass, a drink made from rye flour and malt, was the most common everyday beverage for ordinary people. While tea culture was starting to spread, it remained a luxury for many rural families, who often only drank it during illness or on special occasions.