Gustav Olofsson the Younger

What people wore

Practical Workwear for Peasant Women

Peasant women sometimes knotted their skirts while working to move more easily. They wore a long coarse linen chemise, often with a woolen surcoat on top for warmth.

Daily life

Practical education through household work

Children learned crafts and chores within the household, such as an eleven-year-old boy helping in his father's foundry by keeping the fire going with bellows.

Work

Peasantry and service as primary occupations

Most ordinary people in Sweden lived on farms and engaged in subsistence agriculture, producing their own food, clothing, and tools. Serving as a farmhand (dräng) or maid (piga) was one of the most common occupations for young people, typically organized through annual contracts.

Music

Ring dances and heroic songs in public

People gathered at town squares or open fields to dance in rings or long rows, often singing songs about ancient heroes to the light of fires.

At the table

Beer as a daily staple

Beer was the most common drink, often consumed warm as a morning beverage or as a weak brew served with daily meals like pea soup and bread.

Getting around

Hospitality and group travel safety

Travelers often sought safety in groups, and guests frequently relied on the hospitality of clergy or peasants because official inns were scarce. During the Kalmar Union, those on state business often expected free food and lodging.

What it cost

Value of clothing items

Stolen trousers were valued at 6 or 8 öre, reflecting the high cost of clothing items in the 16th century.