Maria Theresa of Austria

Maria Theresa was the ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position in her own right. She was the sovereign of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Transylvania, Slavonia, Mantua, Milan, Moravia, Galicia and Lodomeria, Dalmatia, Austrian Netherlands, Carinthia, Carniola, Gorizia and Gradisca, Austrian Silesia, Tyrol, Styria, and Parma.

Cleanliness marked social respectability in Vienna

In 18th-century Vienna, maintaining cleanliness was essential, and residents typically owned between six and eleven shirts or shifts, which served as a social marker of respectability.

Handkerchiefs served as essential purses

Men in the Habsburg lands often used tobacco handkerchiefs (Schnupftüchel) as small purses to carry money and tobacco, reflecting the widespread popularity of snuff.

Rural children were musically literate and skilled

In 18th-century Bohemia, Moravia, and Austria, children in rural schools were taught to play instruments like violins, hautbois, and bassoons, resulting in a musically literate population. Even in the smallest villages, peasants sang and played various instruments during High Mass.

The rural Pastorella Christmas tradition

The Pastorella was a popular rural Christmas genre, often incorporating the herdsman's horn and local folk melodies into church music. Over 100 examples of these works, which were performed during midnight Mass, are known to exist from this period.

Travel times by carriage in the 1700s

In the 18th century, a 30-kilometer trip between St. Pölten and Melk took 5 to 7 hours, while a 115-kilometer journey to St. Florian took 20 to 28 hours.

Home life and shared spaces

Common households relied on simple tiled stoves for heat and cooking, while tasks like laundry, wood storage, and waste management were shared in communal courtyards. Indoor light was scarce, often relying on the limited daylight filtered through small windows and basic lamps.

Water access and cooking routines

Access to water was a daily chore requiring residents to fetch it from nearby pumps or neighborhood fountains. Cooking was a labor-intensive activity centered on iron pots and ceramic bowls, often performed in cramped, multi-purpose living areas.

Everyday drinks for the people

Common drinks included water, milk, and bread-water, while beer was a staple for the general population. Every local inn typically brewed its own dark, top-fermented beer.

Refreshing drinks for poor women

Poor women who could not access wine cellars drank water mixed with vinegar for refreshment. A delicacy created for them was the Sugar-Schäuffelein, made from barberry juice and acidified with spirits of sulfur.

Vienna daily wages and bread prices 1725

In 1725, a worker in Vienna earned 15 Kreuzer per day, while bread cost approximately 1.74 Kreuzer per kilogram.

Daily wages for laborers

In the late 17th century, day laborers earned about 6 kreuzer for women and up to 18 kreuzer for some skilled laborers like carpenters.

Court employment and servant agencies

The Viennese court functioned as a massive employer, expanding to thousands of staff who held over 80 different jobs including cooks, washerwomen, and carriage drivers. By 1707, a specific employment agency known as the Fragamt in the Alstergasse was established to manage domestic servant placements.

Long hours in the craft guilds

In the early 18th century, craft guilds often required workdays of over 15 hours, with workers rising between 5 and 6 a.m. and retiring by 9 or 10 p.m. These long hours were punctuated by three meal breaks lasting about two hours in total.

Travel time between Vienna and Brussels

In the 18th century, a messenger typically needed slightly less than a week to travel the 1100 kilometers between Vienna and Brussels, though poor weather often delayed this to two weeks or more.

Postal stations and surveillance

Postal stations were established at intervals of 20 to 40 kilometers where messengers could change horses, and some stations contained Black Chambers where suspicious letters were secretly opened.