In the news1601
Introduction of the Millones tax in 1601
In 1601, the Crown of Castile introduced a major new tax called the Millones, which imposed an excise duty on wine and oil to fund military and governmental needs.
Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, 16 May 1609 – Brussels metropolitan area, 9 Nov 1641
15 facts3 sources
16 May 1609
Born in Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial
1619–1641
Cardinal-deacon
1620–1641
Apostolic administrator
1632–1633
Viceroy of Catalonia
1633
Governor of Milan
1633–1641
Governor of the Spanish Netherlands
9 Nov 1641
Dies in Brussels metropolitan area, aged 32
He lived through 5 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial.
General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.
In the news1601
In 1601, the Crown of Castile introduced a major new tax called the Millones, which imposed an excise duty on wine and oil to fund military and governmental needs.
Getting around
Uncomfortable early carriages
Early seventeenth-century carriages were uncomfortable because their bodies were fixed directly to the axles, lacking any suspension.
In the news1596–1602
A devastating bubonic plague outbreak killed approximately 500,000 to 700,000 people across the Iberian Peninsula.
Daily life
Water storage in homes
Most homes lacked a private well, requiring residents to fetch water from nearby public fountains. Large clay jars were then used to store this water inside the house.
What people wore
The high cost of fashionable hats
A beaver hat from Paris could be so expensive that its cost equaled the price of six mantles for poor widows to attend mass.
Music
Taborers Guiding Festival Dancers
Taborers were hired for festivals like Corpus Christi to guide dancers, often charging for their services by performing in town streets or during processions.
At the table
Subsistence diets in northern regions
In some regions like Asturias, families survived for six or more months each year on a diet based on chestnuts, nuts, fruits, and herbs due to grain shortages.