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Peter II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg

Oldenburg, 8 Jul 1827 – Rastede, 13 Jun 1900

9 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 8 Jul 1827

    Born in Oldenburg

  2. 1852–1855

    2 children are born

  3. 1853–1900

    Grand Duke

  4. 13 Jun 1900

    Dies in Rastede, aged 72

Family

See the tree

Parents

Partner

Children · 2

During his lifetime

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

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

The 1820s · Peter is born in Oldenburg

Around the world1825–1830

The first passenger railway

In England a steam locomotive pulled the first public train in 1825; within decades railways crossed every continent.

At the table

The rise of potato schnapps

Potato-based schnapps became a widespread and essential daily pleasure for the poor, as it was much cheaper to produce than grain-based spirits. Some observers noted that after market days, many farmers returned home in a state of intoxication.

What people wore

Limited Resources for Rural Children

Children from poorer families often wore clothes made from their parents' discarded garments and frequently went barefoot over stones and stubble during the summer. In some villages, a single umbrella was considered a rare luxury owned by the entire community.

Getting around

High cost of travel

A short stagecoach trip from Berlin to Magdeburg cost four Taler, which was nearly the entire monthly wage of a village schoolteacher.

What it cost

Marriage requirements and net worth

To obtain permission to marry, a couple often needed to prove a minimum net worth of 100 to 200 guilders.

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.

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.