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Christian von Rantzau

1614–1663

Born
2 May 1614, Haderslev
Country of birth
Denmark
Died
18 Nov 1663, Copenhagen
facts
10
sources
1
images and files
0

Facts and their sources

Tap a fact to see where it comes from.

  • Birth2 May 1614, HaderslevProbableDisputed1 competing claim1 source
  • Death18 Nov 1663, CopenhagenProbableDisputed1 competing claim1 source
  • TitlestadtholderConfirmed1 competing claim1 source
  • TitleGeheimratConfirmed1 competing claim1 source
  • UnionDorothea Gräfin von RantzauConfirmed1 source

A life in time

  1. Born · Haderslev

    Birth, Haderslev

  2. Child born: Margaretha Dorothea von Alefeld

    Birth, Breitenburg

  3. Died · Copenhagen

    Death, Copenhagen

What was it like?

The world around Haderslev, 1614: who ruled, who else was alive, how people lived. This is general history, not a record about the family, and every item shows where it comes from.

In 1607, a butcher in Elsinore owned items including 5 shirts, 5 ruffs, 2 handkerchiefs, 3 pillowcases, and various types of linen bedding and yarn.

Known for

Titles held

  • stadtholder
  • Geheimrat
Fashion
Around 1607–1607

Elsinore butcher's extensive linen collection

In 1607, a butcher in Elsinore owned items including 5 shirts, 5 ruffs, 2 handkerchiefs, 3 pillowcases, and various types of linen bedding and yarn.

Around 1606–1606

Sumptuary laws for wedding jewelry

Sumptuary laws in 1606 restricted artisan brides to wearing only one gold necklace and a string of pearls, while wealthier women were permitted two necklaces.

Music

Rural instruments included bagpipes and drums

Among the rural population, common instruments included drone instruments like bagpipes and hurdy-gurdies, alongside drums and violin-like instruments such as the gig. These were often played at festivals and life celebrations, such as weddings and births.

Shawms, citherns, and flutes were popular

Instruments such as the shawm (skalmeje), cithern, and various flutes were popular in both public and private life. In some cases, people even used these for entertainment during drinking sessions, though such secular music was often viewed with hostility by the church.

Getting around

Standard day's journey of four miles

A Danish mile, used as a measure for travel, was approximately 7.5 kilometers, and four miles were considered a standard day's journey.

Around 1624–1624

Eight-day travel to Hamburg

In 1624, the post route between Copenhagen and Hamburg took 8 days, with a weekly coach service carrying mail and passengers.

Daily life

Children's Work and Schooling

In the Børnehuset orphanage, children had a 10-hour workday, from 5 to 10 in the morning and 12 to 5 in the afternoon. A priest provided a daily half-hour of education in reading and writing.

Drinking Beer Instead of Water

Water was often contaminated, so adults and children preferred to drink weak beer; it was sometimes even forbidden to drink from wells.

Food

Beer replaced water for all ages

Because drinking water was often unsafe, people of all ages drank thin, sour beer with their meals instead.

Bread was baked monthly in community ovens

Ordinary households relied on community ovens to bake large batches of bread only once a month.

Prices and wages
Around 1621–1621

Cost of cleaning a privy

Cleaning a privy at a Copenhagen courtyard in 1621 took four nights of work and cost 34 daler and 11 skilling, including a 3 daler and 16 skilling repair fee.

Rye bread price in the 1600s

In the 1600s, a pound of rye bread typically cost 1 to 2 skilling, though prices could rise significantly during grain shortages.

Work

Mandatory unpaid labor for tenant farmers

In the mid-17th century, many tenant peasants were obligated to perform at least one day of unpaid labour per week for their landlords, known as weekday men. This work included strenuous tasks like felling trees, digging ditches, and repairing fences, sometimes even using their own horses and wagons.

Peasant household tasks and ploughing teams

Peasant households were the basic economic unit, with men ploughing, sowing, and harvesting, while women managed livestock, butter, beer, and bread production. In the early 17th century, a typical ploughing team required four horses and two men to handle the heavy work.

During their lifetime

  1. 1619

    Plague kills 7,000 in Copenhagen

    An outbreak of plague in Copenhagen between 1619 and 1620 resulted in 7,000 deaths.

  2. 1627

    Occupation of Jutland brings hardship

    Foreign armies occupied Jutland from 1627 to 1629, forcing farmers to quarter soldiers, pay heavy contributions, and suffer from plague and livestock loss.

  3. 1638

    Sound toll increased for state revenue

    King Christian IV increased the Sound toll on foreign ships starting in 1638 to fund state debts and military construction.

  4. 1644

    Swedish forces invade Jutland

    A Swedish invasion of Jutland in 1644 caused widespread disruption to the rural economy and population.

  5. 1659

    Plague epidemic strikes Denmark in 1659

    A plague epidemic broke out in 1659, causing the death of 25% to 30% of the population.

  6. 1660

    Denmark becomes an absolute monarchy in 1660

    The Danish state transitioned to an absolute monarchy in 1660, centralizing power and changing how the state collected taxes.

Family

Spouses

Children

Ancestors and children

Open the full tree

Four generations back to the right, the children to the left. The number beside a child counts the generations of descendants known after them.