Archduchess Maria Maddalena of Austria

What people wore

Jewish population faced discriminatory dress regulations

Discriminatory laws compelled Jewish men to wear specific identifying markers on their clothes, such as beards or stigmatizing symbols.

Daily life

Heated living spaces with limited light

The Stube was the only heated room in many homes, featuring small windows that limited light and a stove often fueled from outside to prevent smoke.

Work

Wages and employment for rural servants

Rural workers included farm-hands and maids who worked for wages, food, and lodging. If these servants left their employment before the end of their customary one-year term without a valid reason, they forfeited all their wages.

Music

Instruments used in 16th-century Austrian music

In the late 16th century, musicians in Austrian regions played instruments such as recorders, trombones, cornetti, lutes, harps, and viols, as seen in period iconography and monastery artifacts.

At the table

Common Staples: Porridge and Bread

The daily diet of ordinary families centered on cereal-based porridges made of oats, millet, or barley, often prepared with water, milk, or lard. Bread, typically made from rye or oats, was another primary staple, sometimes baked into durable flatbreads that could be softened with water.

Getting around

Slow daily travel for stage coaches

Stage coaches in the late 16th century traveled only about 37 kilometers on average per day due to poor roads and the varying widths of wheel tracks.

What it cost

Cost of beef and bread

In 1575, the price of beef in Vienna was approximately 3.14 kreuzer per kilogram, increasing to 5.14 kreuzer by 1599. During the same period, bread prices rose from about 0.86 to 1.47 kreuzer per kilogram.