Maria Antonia of Austria

Maria Antonia of Austria was the eldest daughter and only surviving child of Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I and his first wife Margaret Theresa of Spain. As a granddaughter of King Philip IV of Spain, she became heiress presumptive to Habsburg Spain when her mother died in 1673. She became the consort of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria, upon her marriage in 1685.

Four sets of clothing for rural life

In rural areas, people typically owned four types of clothing: workwear, everyday festive wear, Sunday best, and special attire for high church holidays. The wedding suit often served as the high holiday outfit and was frequently worn by the deceased for their burial.

Winter undergarments and petticoats

Women did not wear underpants, relying instead on multiple petticoats to stay warm during winter. Men wore long underpants in the winter that were tied at the belly and ankles.

Authorities banned music during crises

Music performances were frequently forbidden by authorities during times of crisis, such as the appearance of a comet in 1681 or during the Turkish wars of 1605.

Common instruments for rural dance

In 17th-century rural areas, the most common instruments for dance music were the bagpipe, the hurdy-gurdy, and the fiddle.

Travel times between towns

A journey of 30 kilometers between St. Pölten and Melk typically took 5 to 7 hours under good weather conditions.

Traveling on foot in the Habsburg Monarchy

Most ordinary people in the Habsburg lands traveled on foot, covering approximately 20 to 35 kilometers per day depending on the terrain.

The smoke kitchen as a central hub

Ordinary homes featured a smoke kitchen, a central space where food was cooked over an open fire, often leaving the room blackened by soot. This kitchen served as a cooking and heating area and sometimes even housed poultry at night.

Winter schooling for children

Regular schooling for children was typically only possible during the winter months when agricultural work was less demanding. Often, there was only one classroom with a single teacher who instructed all the children regardless of their different ages.

Common Drinks: Vinegar Water and Dark Beer

While beer was a standard staple for many, poor women who could not afford wine or other drinks often relied on water mixed with vinegar for hydration. When available, beer was typically top-fermented, dark, and lower in alcohol content than modern varieties.

Creative Substitutes in Rural Cooking

Facing shortages, rural families practiced creative cooking by mimicking expensive dishes, using names like false almond cake or false meat soup to describe their humble substitutes.

Price of bread in Vienna

Between 1650 and 1674, the price of bread in Vienna ranged from 1.27 to 2.82 Kreuzer per kilogram.

Wages of farm workers

Between 1657 and 1663, a farmhand (Maierknecht) earned an annual wage of 6 gulden and a pair of boots, while a spinner earned 3 gulden and a pair of shoes.

Agricultural life dominated the Habsburg monarchy

Approximately 75 to 80 percent of the population worked in agriculture, which included small farmers, farmhands, and maids who lived in the farmer's household.

Cottage industry as supplemental income

Rural women earned extra money by spinning cotton or weaving in a cottage industry system, often directed by traders who provided raw materials. In the Waldviertel region alone, up to 30,000 people were engaged in this type of outwork to supplement their income.

Oral news and involuntary couriers

Since few people could read or write, ordinary people relied on word-of-mouth news from travelers like students, peddlers, and journeymen who were known as the legs of the community. Feudal lords also required their peasant subjects to carry letters and messages as part of their obligatory services.

Postal speeds and relay stations

Average postal travel times for information to reach destinations like Vienna were 12 to 15 days, while major news like the death of a ruler could arrive significantly faster via extraordinary couriers. Ordinary letters and news relied on relay stations where horses and couriers were changed every 15 to 40 kilometers to maintain speed.