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Johann Kruse

d. 1702

Country of birth
Latvia(inferred from the family)
Died
1702, Alūksne
facts
4
sources
1
images and files
0

Facts and their sources

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  • Death1702, AlūksneProbable1 source

A life in time

  1. Died · Alūksne

    Death, Alūksne

What was it like?

The world around Alūksne, 1702: 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.

Ordinary people wore simple garments made from wool and linen that they produced themselves. During the winter, they crafted sturdy footwear known as pastalas from cattle hides.

Fashion
Around 1675–1699

Simple homemade wool and linen clothing

Ordinary people wore simple garments made from wool and linen that they produced themselves. During the winter, they crafted sturdy footwear known as pastalas from cattle hides.

Around 1675–1699

Traditional handmade accessories and footwear

Women covered their heads with linen scarves that were decorated with colorful threads and needle embroidery. People also skillfully made everyday shoes from linden or willow bark.

Music
Around 1600–1699

Competitive singing at wedding celebrations

Communal singing was essential at weddings, where guests engaged in apdziedasanas, a competitive and humorous form of improvisational singing between two opposing groups.

Around 1600–1699

Traditional musical instruments in villages

Traditional instruments during this era included bagpipes, which were widely known in villages, alongside shepherd instruments like whistles, horns, and trumpets.

Getting around
Around 1675–1699

Cost of a winter transport vehicle

In 1586, a sledge was purchased at the Ramygala market for ten Lithuanian groši, illustrating the rural cost of winter transport equipment.

Around 1675–1699

Peasant transport duties and distances

Transport duties required peasants to carry correspondence or small items, often walking up to three miles, while trips to distant towns sometimes exceeded eight miles.

Daily life
Around 1675–1699

Schooling and Discipline for Children

Schooling for peasant children included reading, writing, and religion, often supervised by local pastors. In Liepāja, teachers were permitted to use a rod for discipline, though striking children with fists or sticks was prohibited by law.

Food
Around 1675–1699

Home-brewed beer was standard drink

Beer was the most common drink, and while guilds controlled commercial brewing, individuals frequently brewed their own for home use.

Around 1675–1699

Imported salted herring as a staple

Herring imported from the Netherlands was a crucial staple for ordinary diets, as it could be easily preserved by salting or smoking.

Work
Around 1675–1699

Mandatory peasant labor on manor farms

Peasant families performed mandatory labor, such as sending a man with a horse to work on the manor farm for 1.5 days every week throughout the entire year. Additional seasonal obligations could require even more labor, such as 32 extra days of a man-horse team during the summer.

Around 1675–1699

Peasant reliance on manor loans

Peasants frequently relied on manors for subsistence support, with corn and livestock loans being common, especially during the spring months.

News and letters
Around 1688–1694

Travel time between Moscow and Riga

In the late seventeenth century, letters traveling between Moscow and Riga typically took 11 to 12 days to reach their destination.

Around 1675–1699

News delivery via Lutheran pastors

In Livland, government orders were often delivered to Lutheran pastors, who announced the news to local peasants from the pulpit in Latvian or Estonian.

During their lifetime

  1. 1649

    Catastrophic Daugava flooding in 1649

    In April 1649, severe flooding of the Daugava River destroyed all buildings on the islands of Riga and caused significant damage to the city's suburbs.

  2. 1657

    Plague epidemic in Mitau

    In 1657, a devastating plague outbreak killed at least 901 people in the city of Mitau alone within 22 weeks.

  3. 1660

    Water supply system built in Jelgava

    In 1660, Jelgava introduced a water supply system that delivered water from the Svete River to private houses and public pumps via underground wooden pipes.

  4. 1685

    New postal service in Courland

    Duke Frederick Casimir organized a separate, independent postal service through Courland in 1685, sparking fierce competition with the existing Swedish-run mail service.

  5. 1686

    Church Law transforms regional literacy

    The Church Law of 1686, extended to Livonia in 1690, mandated that parish priests monitor households to ensure they could read the Bible and participate in catechism.

Family

Spouses