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Princess Maria Christina Theresia

1767–1767

Born
16 May 1767, Vienna
Country of birth
Habsburg monarchy, today Austria
Died
17 May 1767, Vienna
facts
8
sources
1
images and files
0

Facts and their sources

Tap a fact to see where it comes from.

A life in time

  1. Born · Vienna

    Birth, Vienna

  2. Died · Vienna

    Death, Vienna

What was it like?

The world around Vienna, 1767: 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.

Princess was born around the same time as Emma, Lady Hamilton, Valentino Fioravanti, and Gregory XVI.

Known for

In their life

  • infant death
Born around the same time

  • Emma, Lady Hamilton

    1765 · Mistress of Lord Nelson (1765-1815)

  • Valentino Fioravanti

    1764 · Italian composer (1764-1837)

  • Gregory XVI

    1765 · Pope of the Catholic Church from 1831 to 1846 (1765–1846)

  • William IV

    1765 · King of the United Kingdom and Hanover from 1830 to 1837

  • Robert Fulton

    1765 · American engineer and inventor (1765–1815)

  • Nicéphore Niépce

    1765 · French inventor and photographer (1765-1833)

Fashion

Cleanliness as a mark of respectability

By the mid-eighteenth century, even people in lower wealth tiers in Vienna typically owned enough shirts and shifts to change them at least twice a week. Clean white linen was considered the standard for judging personal morality and respectability.

Everyday versus festive fabric quality

Ordinary people in Tyrol distinguished between everyday and feast day attire by the quality of the fabric, wearing blouses made of coarse linen for daily work and finer linen for holidays.

Music

Ceremonial Brass and Percussion Instruments

Trumpets and timpani were essential instruments used for state ceremonies, church processions, and official announcements, often serving to capture public attention in city squares.

The Ländler and Early Viennese Waltz

Around 1750, the Ländler, also known as the Schleifer, served as a popular country dance for couples and provided the foundation for the later Viennese waltz.

Getting around

Coach vs. rail time (Vienna–Graz)

When rail travel was available, a journey from Vienna to Graz took nine hours, while a post coach took twenty-nine hours on the same route.

Foot travel: 20–35 km daily

In the Habsburg lands, poorer people who could not afford a horse or a stagecoach typically traveled on foot, covering about 20–35 km per day.

Daily life

Shared urban living in cramped quarters

For ordinary residents, homes were often cramped rented rooms in multi-story buildings where daily tasks like cooking, sleeping, and working were all performed in the same limited space. Families relied on neighborhood wells and fountains for water and had to manage heating through tiled stoves that required constant attention.

Around 1774–1774

Compulsory schooling introduced in 1774

In 1774, Empress Maria Theresa introduced compulsory schooling for children aged six to twelve, though many children in rural areas only attended during the winter months due to agricultural labor needs. Lessons often occurred from 8 to 11 a.m. and 2 to 4 p.m., with subjects like reading, writing, and arithmetic taught using a systematic class-based method.

Food

Affordable coffee substitute for the poor

Poorer residents drank a substitute for coffee made from roasted barley sweetened with syrup, which cost only 1 Kreuzer for a cup and a roll.

Common refreshment for poor women

Poor women who could not afford wine often drank water mixed with vinegar to quench their thirst.

Work

Combining multiple occupations for survival

Workers often combined multiple jobs, such as bricklaying in summer and weaving in winter, or day-laboring alongside small-scale farming.

Common roles in 18th-century Vienna

Ordinary life depended on roles like bakers, washerwomen, coachmen, seamstresses, masons, and day laborers who moved goods through the city.

News and letters

Itinerant messengers as community legs

Since few people could read or write, itinerant workers such as pedlars and students were known as the legs of the community for carrying messages by word of mouth.

Around 1775–1799

Daily travel distances for messengers and coaches

Messengers on foot could walk between 25 and 40 kilometers a day, while mail coaches were limited to about 37 kilometers daily because of poor road conditions and the need to adjust wagon axles. Specialized runners were faster and often covered more than 60 kilometers per day.

Family

Parents

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.