Pedro, Prince of Brazil

Music

Instruments in royal and public life

Musicians used wind and percussion instruments, such as trumpets, shawms (charamelas), and timbales, to provide harmonic accompaniment for court ceremonies and public processions. These ensembles played at royal river excursions on the Tagus and during festive street celebrations.

At the table

Daily diet of a fieldworker

A 17th-century fieldworker could consume up to 1 kilogram of bread daily, along with broth, vegetables, small amounts of meat or fish, and significant quantities of wine.

Work

Enslaved women performed essential cleaning work

Enslaved women in Lisbon, known as calhandreiras, performed the exhausting task of carrying heavy ceramic pots of household rubbish and dirty water to the river every morning.

What people wore

Simple and borrowed festive wear for fishermen

Fishermen wore simple, uniform clothing including linen drawers, a woolen hat, and a sleeveless vest, adding a jacket only in cold weather. On feast days, they upgraded to a suit with silver shoe buckles and striped cotton stockings, often borrowed from relatives if they did not own one.

Getting around

Daily travel distances were limited

A standard daily distance for a hurried group with horses was about 40 kilometers, though speeds were much lower if using oxen.

What it cost

Property taxes for Arraiolos farmers

In 1715, "seareiros" (tenant farmers) in Arraiolos were assigned a property tax of 1,500 réis for their land, with an additional 200 réis for one individual's production equipment.