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Thyra, Crown Princess of Hanover

1853–1933

Born
29 Sep 1853, Yellow Palace
Country of birth
Denmark
Died
26 Feb 1933, Gmunden
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 · Yellow Palace

    Birth, Yellow Palace

  2. Child born: Princess Marie Louise of Hanover

    Birth, Gmunden

  3. Child born: Princess Alexandra of Hanover

    Birth, Schloss Ort

  4. Child born: Ernst August, Duke of Brunswick

    Birth, Penzing

  5. Died · Gmunden

    Death, Gmunden

What was it like?

The world around Yellow Palace, 1853: 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.

Thyra, was born around the same time as John Louis Emil Dreyer, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Mihai Eminescu.

Born around the same time

  • John Louis Emil Dreyer

    1852 · Danish-Irish astronomer

  • Robert Louis Stevenson

    1850 · Scottish novelist and poet (1850–1894)

  • Mihai Eminescu

    1850 · Romanian poet, novelist and journalist (1850-1889)

  • L. Frank Baum

    1856 · American author of children's books (1856–1919)

  • Daniel Burley Woolfall

    1852 · President of FIFA from 1906 to 1918

  • Sigmund Freud

    1856 · Austrian psychiatrist and founder of psychoanalysis (1856–1939)

Fashion

Amager women's extensive apron collection

Amager women often maintained a wardrobe extensive enough to require 11 different aprons to ensure they had an appropriate outfit for every specific occasion.

Complex tailoring of men's shirts

A traditional Danish man's shirt was often constructed from 15 separate pieces of linen, which were carefully cut from a single piece of fabric to minimize waste and costs.

Music

Dance music and religious singing at home

While the fiddle became the dominant instrument for dance music, 19th-century social gatherings frequently featured popular new round dances such as the waltz, polka, and mazurka. Music was central to the home, with hymnals serving as essential religious guides for families during private devotions.

Wedding dances and lively music traditions

During 19th-century weddings, musicians played for dancers from the afternoon until the following morning. Traditional chain dances were common, and musicians were often paid by passing a plate around, sometimes playfully involving items like a wooden shoe to prompt guests to contribute more.

Getting around
Around 1842–1849

Steamship travel costs

On steamship routes like Svendborg to Copenhagen, ticket prices varied by class, with third-class passage costing 2 Rigsbankdaler and 2 mark.

Adjusting watches at train stations

Because of local time differences, passengers had to adjust their pocket watches at every new station until standardized time zones were introduced.

Daily life

Lack of indoor toilets

Toilets were not present inside homes; instead, families used communal sheds in courtyards or on back stairs that emptied into pits.

Mandatory schooling for all children

A national law passed in 1814 required all children to attend school from age seven until confirmation at age 14, often studying on alternating days to allow time for chores.

Food

Daily meal patterns and beer porridge

In ordinary families, the father ate five meals a day to sustain hard labor, while mothers and children typically ate three. Breakfast for many often consisted of beer porridge (øllebrød) and a piece of salted herring.

The rise of ground meat dishes

Before the late 19th-century invention of the meat grinder, mincemeat was considered a luxury because fresh meat had to be hand-chopped. Once grinders became available, ground beef patties (hakkebøf) and fried meatballs (frikadeller) quickly became affordable everyday staples.

Prices and wages

Rising food prices in Copenhagen markets

Between 1839 and 1873, the price of basic food items in Copenhagen increased significantly; for example, the price of a dozen eggs rose from 12 to 36 skillings.

Child labor and the cost of food

To survive on very low wages, families relied on child labor, such as making matchsticks; a mother could earn 25 øre for producing 500 small matches, which could purchase only a quarter of a loaf of rye bread and 2 kg of fat.

Work
Around 1830–1849

Craftsmen's Uniforms and Apprenticeships

Craftsmen began adopting specific uniforms in the 1830s, such as the French-inspired blouse, while some apprentices worked exclusively in exchange for their confirmation clothing to save their families the expense. Apprentices often walked in public wearing slippers on bare feet and distinctive caps with broad leather visors.

Around 1825–1849

Common Jobs in Denmark

The majority of the population worked in agriculture, while common urban jobs included craft workshops, such as stonemasons, carpenters, and painters. Unskilled work was largely dominated by laborers and day laborers who performed tasks like digging ditches, loading timber, or working in stables.

News and letters
Around 1843–1849

Late fees for mail delivery

In 1843, a late fee was introduced for mail submitted to the post office shortly after business hours. A resident of Copenhagen once paid 4 extra Skilling for a late-delivered letter on top of the 1 Skilling delivery fee.

Expanding network and rural mail collection

During this period, the Danish postal network expanded significantly with new carriage routes and steamer connections, allowing even smaller towns to have daily mail links with Copenhagen and Hamburg by the 1850s and 1860s. However, in many rural areas, people still had to collect their own mail, as direct home delivery was not standard.

During their lifetime

  1. 1853

    1853 Cholera epidemic hits Copenhagen

    A devastating cholera epidemic in 1853 killed 5,000 people in Copenhagen, prompting major improvements in urban sanitation and water supplies.

  2. 1854

    First mountain railway opens in 1854

    In 1854, the first mountain railway in the world was opened, connecting Vienna to the Semmering pass.

  3. 1857

    1857 Freedom of Trade Act passed

    The 1857 Freedom of Trade Act abolished the trade monopolies of market towns and guilds, allowing open competition in industry.

  4. 1858

    New silver florin introduced in 1858

    In 1858, a new silver florin became the official currency in Austria, replacing the previous Convention currency.

  5. 1867

    Compromise of 1867 creates Dual Monarchy

    The 1867 Compromise established the Dual Monarchy, granting Hungary autonomy and creating a shared government between Austria and Hungary.

  6. 1876

    Metric system becomes mandatory in 1876

    In 1876, the metric system became mandatory for all measurements across Austria.

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.