Anna de' Medici, Archduchess of Austria

What people wore

Famine-Era Food Restrictions and Rationing

During periods of famine, authorities prohibited the baking of luxury bread and sweets to control food costs. The poorest citizens relied on state-subsidized shops that sold bread made from a mix of inferior cereals and pulses.

Daily life

Schooling for the noble elite

Duke Ranuccio I founded a boarding school for noble boys in 1601, where students learned French, dancing, horsemanship, and fortification design. High fees were charged for this exclusive education that attracted pupils from across Europe.

Work

Barber-surgeons in Parma

Barber-surgeons were the most numerous medical workers in Parma, often performing both grooming tasks like shaving and invasive procedures such as bloodletting using razors and lancets.

Music

Domestic music in early 17th-century Austria

The Linzer Orgeltabulatur, compiled between 1611 and 1613, contains 108 pieces that were intended for domestic recreation on the regal, a small reed-organ, rather than for church use.

At the table

Strict bread rationing for the poor

To ensure urban stability during food shortages, authorities strictly rationed bread, forcing the poor to eat smaller loaves made from a mixture of less valuable cereals and pulses. In contrast, fine flour bread was reserved exclusively for city residents.

Getting around

Travel and Communication in the Duchy

In the early 17th century, the Via Emilia was a vital, though sometimes poorly maintained, route for transit between Piacenza, Parma, and Bologna, featuring regular services by couriers and messengers who operated on fixed schedules. Travel on this route was managed via post stations where riders could change horses to maintain efficient communication networks.

What it cost

Grain sale limits during famine

During the famine years around 1590–1593, authorities prohibited the sale of grain in quantities larger than 4.7 kg to prevent speculation.