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In the news1571
Deadly plague epidemic strikes Antwerp
A severe plague outbreak in 1571 killed approximately 1,700 people in Antwerp in September alone, hitting children particularly hard.
Countess Catharina Belgica of Nassau
Antwerp, 10 Aug 1578 – The Hague, 12 Apr 1648
10 facts3 sources
Facts and their sources
- Born10 Aug 1578, Antwerpnot verified1 source
- Titleregentnot verified1 source
- Died12 Apr 1648, The Haguenot verified1 source
A life in time
10 Aug 1578
Born in Antwerp
29 Jan 1602
A daughter is born
12 Apr 1648
Dies in The Hague, aged 69
Family
See the treeDuring her lifetime
She lived through 8 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Antwerp.
General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.
The 1570s · Countess is born in Antwerp
Getting around
Five-hour canal trips and ice-breaking barges
In 1575, authorities mandated that the horse-drawn canal barge trip between Brussels and Willebroek must take exactly five hours. To keep the canal navigable during winter, an iron-reinforced barge pulled by many horses was used to break the ice as early as 1573.
In the news1576
Spanish Fury massacre destroys Antwerp
In November 1576, unpaid Spanish soldiers mutinied in Antwerp, murdering about 7,000 residents and plundering the city for three days.
Daily life
Family records in daily life
Well-off families meticulously recorded daily events like births, marriages, and where children were sent to learn Latin or French in personal notebooks.
What people wore
Practical straw hats for workers
Straw hats of various shapes, such as wide-brimmed or bowl-shaped, were a practical headwear choice for market women and those working outdoors.
Music
Peasant music with bagpipes and fiddles
At peasant feasts, ordinary people enjoyed loud, lively music featuring instruments like bagpipes, fiddles, and hurdy-gurdies.
At the table
Beer as a Daily Staple Drink
Because water was often contaminated and dangerous, ordinary people drank beer as their staple beverage, even giving it to children.