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Maria of Portugal

1511–1513

Born
3 Feb 1511, Lisbon
Country of birth
Kingdom of Portugal, today Portugal
Died
1513
facts
7
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 · Lisbon

    Birth, Lisbon

  2. Died

    Death

What was it like?

The world around Lisbon, 1511: 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.

When Maria was born in 1511, Lisbon belonged to the Kingdom of Portugal, ruled by Manuel I of Portugal.

Who ruled

  • Manuel I of Portugal

    Monarch of Portugal, 1495–1521 · Kingdom of Portugal

Fashion

Commoner Clothing in Everyday Life

Ordinary people wore dark-colored clothing made of coarse, patched fabrics. Men wore woolen tunics, coarse leggings, and felt or cloth hats.

Feast Day Formal Attire

On feast days, men wore breeches, vests, and jackets, often accessorized with large silver buckles on their shoes and breeches. If they did not own this formal attire, they borrowed it from others.

Music

Music during royal meals

King Manuel I enjoyed music during his meals, listening to ensembles playing shawms, sackbuts, cornets, harps, drums, and fiddles every Sunday and holy day.

Music in civic and religious processions

In early 16th-century processions, such as Corpus Christi in Coimbra, participants performed choral polyphony, instrumental music, dances, and even acted out scenes while dressed as angels.

Getting around

Daily Travel Distances

A hurried travel party on horseback could cover approximately 40 kilometers per day, though this distance was significantly reduced if the animals used for traction were oxen.

Travel Methods and Social Class Restrictions

Travelers commonly used horses or mules for transport, while ordinary people typically traveled on foot or by donkey because riding a mule was a status symbol reserved for nobility, clergy, and military leaders until the 16th century.

Daily life

Cooking depended on hearths and stored fuel

Household cooking relied on a fire area and stored goods within the same domestic space, with hearths/brazier-type setups as everyday equipment.

Lisbon homes organized around a courtyard

Many houses used a central open courtyard that brought light and air into the interior and connected rooms together.

Food

Common drinks and the poor's fish

Water and wine were the primary drinks, and in cities, water carriers sold fresh water using carts or jars to those who needed it. Sardines were a staple for the poor, often serving as a common alternative to more expensive fish or meat.

Simple fare for ordinary Portuguese families

Ordinary families often ate light meals of fruit and bread, or pottages of cereals and vegetables, saving meat and sweets for festive days. In 1422, a local council purchased farteis, which were cakes made with flour, eggs, butter, and sometimes almonds, for community celebrations.

Prices and wages

Higher Bread Costs in Cities

In urban centers like Lisbon, Funchal, and Algarve towns, the cost of daily bread was twice as high as it was in rural agricultural areas.

Rising Meat Prices in Lisbon

By the start of the 16th century, the price of meat in Lisbon rose sharply, with a 25 percent increase in the cost of beef and mutton occurring over a three-year period.

Work

Common jobs in Portugal

Seafaring, shipbuilding, and related trades like rope and sail manufacturing were major industries, alongside agricultural work, food supply, and craft professions.

Limited annual working days

The average person worked about 240 days a year, with significant time reserved for religious and civic holidays when labor was prohibited.

News and letters

No organized mail before 1520

Before 1520, there was no organized public mail system; people relied on private messengers, such as squires, monks, or merchants, to deliver letters.

Around 1520–1524

Armed couriers for protection

Couriers often traveled through dangerous, remote areas and were authorized to carry swords or daggers day and night to defend themselves and the mail.

Family

Parents

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.