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Louis Frederick, Duke of Württemberg-Montbéliard

Montbéliard, 29 Jan 1586 – Montbéliard, 26 Jan 1631

9 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 29 Jan 1586

    Born in Montbéliard

  2. 20 Jun 1623

    A daughter is born

  3. 26 Jan 1631

    Dies in Montbéliard, aged 44

Family

See the tree

Parents

Partner

Children · 1

During his lifetime

He lived through 6 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Montbéliard.

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

The 1580s · Louis is born in Montbéliard

In the news1562–1592

Recurring subsistence crises

During the wars, periodic subsistence crises occurred in 1562–1563, 1565–1566, 1573–1574, 1586–1587, and 1590–1592, causing high prices and food shortages.

At the table

Preference for fermented drinks

Because water was considered unhealthy, common people preferred drinking wine, beer, or cider.

What people wore

Standard peasant wear in Saumur region

A 16th-century peasant from the Saumur region wore a felt hat with a turned-down brim, a sayon tunic to the mid-thigh, a blue jerkin, and a country-style coat called a balandras.

Getting around

Travel speeds and horse relays

Early public carriages were slow, covering only about 48 kilometers in a day. Wealthy travelers or officials could pay to use the royal horse relay system to travel at a much faster gallop.

What it cost

Daily wages for laborers

In the period 1571–1575, a laborer earned approximately 5.87 sols tournois per day, while in 1594–1598 the wage was about 6.8 sols tournois per day.

Music

Sounds of daily life and festivals

While church music was restricted, bells rhythmically marked daily life, and loud instruments like oboes and bagpipes were used for village festivals and celebrations.

Daily life

Modest homes lacked modern interior conveniences

Ordinary homes often featured wooden facades and roofs with attic windows called lucarnes, while interiors had large, drafty rooms and oversized fireplaces. Significantly, even in wealthy residences, private bathrooms or nightstands did not exist.