Maria Amalia of Austria

Maria Amalia of Austria was Holy Roman empress, queen of Bohemia, and electress of Bavaria among many other titles as the spouse of Emperor Charles VII. By birth, she was an archduchess of Austria as the daughter of Emperor Joseph I. One of her children was Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria.

Cleanliness marked social respectability in Vienna

In 18th-century Vienna, maintaining cleanliness was essential, and residents typically owned between six and eleven shirts or shifts, which served as a social marker of respectability.

Handkerchiefs served as essential purses

Men in the Habsburg lands often used tobacco handkerchiefs (Schnupftüchel) as small purses to carry money and tobacco, reflecting the widespread popularity of snuff.

Rural children were musically literate and skilled

In 18th-century Bohemia, Moravia, and Austria, children in rural schools were taught to play instruments like violins, hautbois, and bassoons, resulting in a musically literate population. Even in the smallest villages, peasants sang and played various instruments during High Mass.

The rural Pastorella Christmas tradition

The Pastorella was a popular rural Christmas genre, often incorporating the herdsman's horn and local folk melodies into church music. Over 100 examples of these works, which were performed during midnight Mass, are known to exist from this period.

Carriage travel times

Travel was slow and difficult; for example, a journey by carriage between St. Pölten and Melk, a distance of 30 kilometers, took 5 to 7 hours under good weather conditions.

Dangers of traveling by day

Travelers mostly journeyed during the day because roads were rough, uneven, and prone to dangers like highwaymen and accidents, making nighttime travel unsafe.

Home life and shared spaces

Common households relied on simple tiled stoves for heat and cooking, while tasks like laundry, wood storage, and waste management were shared in communal courtyards. Indoor light was scarce, often relying on the limited daylight filtered through small windows and basic lamps.

Water access and cooking routines

Access to water was a daily chore requiring residents to fetch it from nearby pumps or neighborhood fountains. Cooking was a labor-intensive activity centered on iron pots and ceramic bowls, often performed in cramped, multi-purpose living areas.

Everyday drinks for the people

Common drinks included water, milk, and bread-water, while beer was a staple for the general population. Every local inn typically brewed its own dark, top-fermented beer.

Refreshing drinks for poor women

Poor women who could not access wine cellars drank water mixed with vinegar for refreshment. A delicacy created for them was the Sugar-Schäuffelein, made from barberry juice and acidified with spirits of sulfur.

Daily wages for laborers

In the late 17th century, day laborers earned about 6 kreuzer for women and up to 18 kreuzer for some skilled laborers like carpenters.

Court employment and servant agencies

The Viennese court functioned as a massive employer, expanding to thousands of staff who held over 80 different jobs including cooks, washerwomen, and carriage drivers. By 1707, a specific employment agency known as the Fragamt in the Alstergasse was established to manage domestic servant placements.

Long hours in the craft guilds

In the early 18th century, craft guilds often required workdays of over 15 hours, with workers rising between 5 and 6 a.m. and retiring by 9 or 10 p.m. These long hours were punctuated by three meal breaks lasting about two hours in total.