Krzysztof Radziwiłł

What people wore

Cost of a woman's dress

In 1540, a dress known as a suknia cost one and a half Lithuanian groszy, and a bride might include three of these in different colors as part of her dowry.

Daily life

Peasant home construction and features

Most peasants lived in modest wooden farmhouses equipped with a stove, though some in the Samogitia region resided in dwellings called a numas that featured a fireplace.

Work

Working hours from sunrise to sunset

Peasants worked from sunrise to sunset, with three scheduled breaks for those using draught animals, and shorter half-hour breaks for others.

Music

Jesuit college dance parties

Students at Jesuit colleges sometimes organized dance parties to enliven their daily lives, featuring Western-style dances such as Chorea, Paduana, and Galiarda.

At the table

Everyday beer and holiday mead

Beer was the most common everyday beverage for people of various social statuses, often brewed at home or in taverns. Mead was also produced and enjoyed, though it was generally less abundant and more associated with holidays or special gatherings than everyday beer consumption.

Getting around

Hiring guards for travel safety

To protect goods while traveling, a merchant in 1586 hired two Tartars for four guilders and required them to swear an oath as a guarantee of safety.

What it cost

Value of animals compared to clothing

For the price of one expensive coat, which was 40 groschen, one could purchase two pigs or two sheep.