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Fabiola of Belgium

1928–2014

Born
11 Jun 1928, Madrid
Country of birth
Spain
Died
5 Dec 2014, Laeken
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 · Madrid

    Birth, Madrid

  2. Event · Consort of the Belgians

    Event

  3. Died · Laeken

    Death, Laeken

What was it like?

The world around Madrid, 1928: 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.

Fabiola was born the same year as Andy Warhol, Stanley Kubrick, and Maya Angelou.

Known for

Titles held

  • Consort of the Belgians1960–1993
Born the same year

  • Andy Warhol

    American artist, film director, and producer (1928–1987)

  • Stanley Kubrick

    American filmmaker and photographer (1928–1999)

  • Maya Angelou

    American poet, author, and civil rights activist (1928–2014)

  • Elie Wiesel

    Romanian-born American writer, professor, political activist, Nobel laureate, and Holocaust survivor (1928-2016)

  • Che Guevara

    Argentine Marxist revolutionary (1928–1967)

  • Noam Chomsky

    American linguist and activist (born 1928)

Fashion
Around 1930–1949

San Fermín Festival Attire

The traditional San Fermín festival outfit of white clothes and red sash became popular in the 1930s. The red sash measures 2.5 meters long and 12 centimeters wide.

Around 1900–1924

Espadrilles as Everyday Footwear

Espadrilles were the most common footwear for workers and farmers, often paired with socks by men or stockings by women, while leather shoes were typically reserved for formal occasions or specific uniforms.

Music

Christmas music and nativity traditions

Christmas celebrations featured midnight masses where people sang villancicos, and homes were decorated with elaborate nativity scenes called nacimientos instead of Christmas trees. Children received their gifts on January 6th, the feast of the Epiphany, brought by the Three Kings.

Women as keepers of oral tradition

Women were the primary custodians of oral musical traditions, singing specialized songs for every life stage, including lullabies, youth courting rounds, weddings, and funeral laments. Professional female mourners were hired to sing at funerals and also went door-to-door on All Souls' Eve to collect money for masses.

Getting around
Around 1927–1927

A creative journey by sexticycle

In 1927, playwright Jardiel Poncela invented a "sexticycle"—three bicycles joined together—and traveled 314 kilometers from Zaragoza to Madrid in eleven days.

Automobiles changing travel in the 1920s

In the 1920s, early automobiles were so fast that they could transport a traveler directly to their doorstep, leading some to predict the railway would disappear.

Daily life
Around 1930–1949

Child labor and limited schooling access

Poorer girls often worked as domestic servants for as little as one peseta a month plus food, while others stayed home to embroider or care for younger siblings instead of attending school. Schooling was frequently interrupted by teacher changes or seasonal farm work, with some children walking over two hours to attend.

Around 1930–1949

Daily chores and crowded home life

Cooking was done over wood or straw fires in small kitchens, and many children had to leave school as early as age seven to help with farm work, such as sifting straw or guarding cattle. Domestic life was often crowded, with multiple generations and up to eleven people sharing small stone houses.

Food
Around 1936–1949

Desperate sources of protein

Food shortages were so severe that some people resorted to eating animals like cats, donkeys, or dogs, which were passed off as rabbit or lamb.

Around 1900–1924

Staple diet of ordinary Spanish families

Ordinary families relied heavily on cereals, potatoes, and legumes, which made up about 60% of their caloric intake. Meat consumption was low due to high prices, and families often saved money by eating simple national dishes like puchero.

Prices and wages

Average daily wages in 1928

In 1928, the average Spanish worker earned about 0.50 pesetas per hour, or 4 pesetas for a full day's work.

Around 1938–1938

Black market prices in 1938

During the scarcity of 1938, officially priced goods were unavailable; a dozen eggs officially cost 17.50 pesetas but sold for 110 on the black market.

Work
Around 1932–1932

Low wages for long hours in Madrid

In 1932, young girls in Madrid earned 3.75 pesetas for a 12-hour day sewing clothes in poorly ventilated rooms. This was often the only way for families to afford basic survival, as a modest meal already cost two pesetas.

Around 1923–1923

Maternity subsidy of 50 pesetas

In 1923, a maternity subsidy of 50 pesetas was introduced for mothers after childbirth.

During their lifetime

  1. 1935

    First electric railway line opened

    On May 5, 1935, the national railway company opened Belgium's first electric line between Brussels-Nord and Antwerp-Central.

  2. 1944

    Operation Gutt currency reform

    Following the liberation of Brussels in October 1944, the government carried out Operation Gutt to exchange existing banknotes and curb post-war inflation.

  3. 1950

    Tourism industry boom 1950-1970

    The annual number of tourists visiting Spain skyrocketed from less than half a million in 1950 to over 20 million by 1970.

  4. 1956

    First nuclear chain reaction achieved in Belgium

    Belgium successfully achieved its first controlled nuclear chain reaction at the BR 1 research reactor in Mol.

  5. 1958

    Brussels hosts World Fair Expo 58

    The World Fair in Brussels, Expo 58, modernized the country and introduced citizens to a new era of global possibilities.

  6. 1960

    Massive labor emigration to Europe 1960-1975

    Between 1960 and 1975, approximately three million Spaniards emigrated to European countries like Germany, France, and Switzerland to seek work.

Family

Parents

Spouses

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.