Charles I

At the table

Ordinary household diet and cooking fat

While the wealthy enjoyed complex pies and ragouts, ordinary people often used leftover scraps to make soups and kept pigs, sheep, or chickens for meat, eggs, and cheese. Cooking was primarily done using pig fat rather than butter.

What people wore

Flemish peasant men's clothing

Flemish peasant men typically wore a long linen undershirt, a tight-fitting doublet secured with ties, and snug hose tied to the doublet to keep them in place. A codpiece, made of the same fabric as the hose, was worn over the front opening for modesty.

Getting around

Foot messengers covered significant daily distances

In the early 16th century, messengers on foot could travel 25 to 40 kilometers daily, while professional runners sometimes covered over 60 kilometers per day.

What it cost

Price of simple leather shoes

Simple leather shoes cost between 3 and 8 guilders, depending on the quality of the leather and the craftsmanship.

Music

Loud instruments at village festivals

At village festivals in Flanders, loud instruments such as trumpets, oboes, flutes, fifes, bagpipes, and drums were commonly used to entertain the crowds.

Daily life

Cooking and heating with peat

Instead of coal, residents heated their homes and cooked with peat, a type of earth found in abundance that burns well.