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1669

6 facts1 source

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 1669

    Born

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He lived through 11 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like.

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

The 1660s · <name is born

In the news1660

Pyrenees Earthquake (1660)

A major earthquake struck the Pyrenees in 1660, destroying 20 houses in Bagnères-de-Bigorre and causing the collapse of the bell tower of Saint-Michel church in Bordeaux.

At the table

Bread as the Foundation of Daily Meals

Bread was the staple of the ordinary diet, often eaten as "soup" by soaking slices in a liquid like water, broth, or vegetable potage. These large, dense loaves were baked to last for one or two weeks at a time.

What people wore

Extremely wide rhingrave breeches

During this period, the rhingrave was a popular, extremely wide men's garment resembling a skirt or split-culottes, which could require up to 1.77 meters of fabric per leg.

Getting around

Traveling on foot was common for many

Ordinary people, such as peddlers and pilgrims, typically traveled on foot, covering 20 to 30 kilometers a day and wearing out a pair of shoes every 15 days.

What it cost

Laborer daily wages dropped in mid-17th century

During the period from 1651 to 1675, the daily wage of a common laborer in France fell to 1.60 livres, significantly lower than the levels seen earlier in the century.

Music

Everyday musical tools and maintenance

Portable violins called pochettes were used by dance masters to teach dance lessons in homes. Harpsichords in palaces required regular maintenance, where staff spent one-third of their time just removing wax drippings from candles.

Daily life

Children were sent to school

Household rules expected servants to wake and feed children and ensure they went off to school.