Skip to content
VitrineRoyal Houses of Europe
Sign in

Henriet of Savoy-Villars

d. 1611

Country of birth
France(inferred from the family)
Died
1611, Soissons
facts
9
sources
1
images and files
0

Facts and their sources

Tap a fact to see where it comes from.

A life in time

  1. Child born: Catherine of Guise

    Birth

  2. Died · Soissons

    Death, Soissons

What was it like?

The world around Soissons, 1611: 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 1626, a servant named Jean Trottier received a new doublet made of coarse linen, a white frieze waistcoat, and white serge hose, which settled a debt of 6 livres and 8 sols.

Known for

Titles held

  • Dame d'honneur
Fashion

Clothing debt settled for 6 livres, 8 sols

In 1626, a servant named Jean Trottier received a new doublet made of coarse linen, a white frieze waistcoat, and white serge hose, which settled a debt of 6 livres and 8 sols.

Clothing for feast days vs daily life

Common villagers typically wore the same basic garments daily, while the more prosperous members of the community had specific outfits reserved for Sundays and feast days.

Music

Court ballet performances

The courtly ballet was a spectacular performance featuring masked dancers in elaborate costumes, accompanied by a mix of airs and instrumental music.

Lute and vocal music popularity

Private aristocratic and bourgeois entertainment was almost entirely vocal, with the lute often accompanying singing in the popular air de cour genre.

Getting around

Primary modes of travel were simple

Ordinary people primarily traveled by foot, on horseback, or via water, as roads were frequently unpaved and turned into mud during rain.

River travel was economical but slow

Traveling by river was a common and economical method, though it could be slow; a journey from Paris to Rouen by water could take three or four days downstream, but returning upstream took about four days.

Daily life

Child labor starting at age six

Many children began working as laborers at age six, often enduring 12-hour days without rest. While some children were apprentices in trades like blacksmithing or coopering, others worked in family farms.

Crowded living in shared urban spaces

In 17th-century Paris, ordinary people often lived in crowded, narrow buildings where a single room served as a kitchen, sleeping area, and living space. Privacy was minimal, as rooms were frequently shared by entire families, lodgers, or apprentices.

Food

Bread as the foundation of daily meals

Bread was the central element of the daily diet, often served as "soup" by soaking hard, stale slices in water, broth, or vegetable mixtures.

Drinking wine instead of dangerous water

Drinking water was often considered unhealthy, so ordinary people preferred to drink diluted wine or piquette, a low-quality drink made from grape pomace.

Prices and wages

Daily laborer wages in early 17th century

Between 1601 and 1625, the average daily wage of a common French laborer was approximately 2.28 livres.

Cost of pigs and wood in 17th century

In the 17th century, a single pig could cost approximately 24 livres, while a cart of wood was valued at 11 livres.

Work

Cobbler gossip and regulated daily wages

Parisian cobblers were known as the neighborhood gazetteers who gossiped and shared news from their small, crowded street-corner shops. Regulations from 1567 set daily wages at ten sous tournois for laborers and five sous for unskilled manual workers.

Diverse common jobs in rural and urban areas

Around 85% of the population lived in the countryside and worked in agriculture, while urban dwellers relied on diverse trades like baking, sewing, and manual labor. Common urban jobs included artisans, servants, boatmen, porters, and carters who moved essential goods like grain and stone.

News and letters

Fast delivery for important political news

Important political news could travel very quickly using extraordinary couriers, such as reports of the assassination of Henri IV in 1610, which reached Venice from Paris in just 8 days.

Local delivery by independent messengers

During this period, local correspondence was often handled by independent messengers or specialized local carriers who traveled between towns on foot or horseback, sometimes with schedules as infrequent as once every two weeks.

During their lifetime

  1. 1562

    French Wars of Religion begin

    The French Wars of Religion broke out in 1562, leading to immense loss of life through violence, famine, and disease that lasted until 1598.

  2. 1562

    Recurring subsistence crises

    During the wars, periodic subsistence crises occurred in 1562–1563, 1565–1566, 1573–1574, 1586–1587, and 1590–1592, causing high prices and food shortages.

  3. 1572

    St. Bartholomew's Day massacre

    The St. Bartholomew's Day massacre, a violent event in Paris in 1572, resulted in significant deaths and intensified the religious conflicts.

  4. 1598

    Edict of Nantes signed

    The Edict of Nantes was issued in 1598, marking the end of the religious wars and granting limited rights to Huguenots.

Family

Parents

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.