John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg

What people wore

Essential Daily Aprons for Women

Peasant women typically wore an apron over their dress throughout the day because most household chores were messy. This apron often extended to the feet and could also cover their torso.

Daily life

Small, dark peasant homes housing livestock

Ordinary peasant homes were typically small, dark, two-room huts made from materials like mud and straw, often featuring dirt floors and thatched roofs with few or no windows to keep out the cold. In many households, it was common to bring livestock inside during the winter to keep them warm and safe.

Work

Late night threshing work in autumn

In rural areas, farmers threshing grain by hand in autumn worked until 10 or 11 p.m. to finish the task, often consuming schnapps to sustain themselves.

Music

Popular Wedding and Civic Musicians

In German cities around 1500, a common ensemble for weddings was the pipe and drum, with performers sometimes earning half a guilder for their services. These musicians were frequently hired alongside or to alternate with town pipers (Stadtpfeifer) who played brass instruments like shawms and trombones.

At the table

Laborer purchasing power in 1500s Augsburg

In Augsburg, a day laborer's daily wage could purchase six pounds of meat or seven eggs, a peck of peas, and a quart of wine, alongside bread.

Getting around

River travel was significantly faster

Travel by water was faster; flat-bottomed river boats could cover 100 to 150 kilometers downstream in a single day under optimal conditions.

What it cost

Laborer wages and shoe costs

In early 16th-century Saxony, a day laborer could earn 9 groschen per week with keep or 16 groschen without keep. For comparison, a pair of shoes cost 3 groschen.