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Duchess Mathilde Ludovika, Countess of Trani

Possenhofen, 30 Sep 1843 – Munich, 18 Jun 1925

8 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 30 Sep 1843

    Born in Possenhofen

  2. 15 Jan 1867

    A daughter is born

  3. 18 Jun 1925

    Dies in Munich, aged 81

Family

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Parents

Partner

Children · 1

During her lifetime

She lived through 9 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Possenhofen.

General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.

The 1840s · Duchess is born in Possenhofen

In the news1846–1847

Hunger crisis of 1846-1847

A severe potato blight caused a major hunger crisis across Europe, leading to unrest in Prussian markets and bakeries.

What people wore

Festive attire and heated ruffles

For feast days, women wore black cashmere or silk dresses with a white ruffle at the collar that was permanently set into waves using a heated iron.

Daily life

Child labor and rudimentary schooling conditions

Children in rural areas were often tasked with labor, such as preparing and binding daily bundles of fuel for the household fire, a chore that frequently left their hands bleeding. Schooling was frequently held in the teacher's house, where the teacher was often a poorly paid local craftsman.

In the news1842

Freedom of movement laws in 1842

Prussia introduced new laws enabling greater freedom of movement and settlement for individuals not dependent on public relief.

Music

Daily castle tower music in Königsberg

City tower musicians performed chorales daily from Königsberg's castle tower, such as 'Ich weiß mein Gott, daß all mein Tun' at 11 am and 'Nun ruhen alle Wälder' at 9 pm.

In Europe1845–1852

The Great Famine in Ireland

Potato blight ruined harvests: a million Irish people died and a million more emigrated, many to America.

Getting around

Difficult and slow travel by stagecoach

Traveling by stagecoach in Prussia was often grueling and uncomfortable due to poorly maintained, unpaved roads and cramped, unsprung carriages. A journey from Berlin to Königsberg, spanning 565 kilometers, typically took ten to eleven days by post coach.