Catherine de Bourbon

Catherine of Bourbon was a Navarrese princess regent. She was the daughter of Queen Jeanne III of Navarre and King Antoine de Bourbon. She ruled the principality of Béarn in the name of her brother, King Henry III of Navarre, from 1576 until 1596.

Servant girl's market clothing

A servant girl in Paris in 1586 wore a bonnet covered with a long cloth hood and a bodice that was laced at the front and trimmed with black velvet.

Shepherdess attire in Anjou

A shepherdess from Anjou wore a cloth bonnet with a raised crown, a blouse with a fluted collar, a blue bodice, braces, and a woollen skirt.

Instruments classified by volume

In the 16th century, instruments were classified by volume: loud instruments like oboes, trumpets, and sackbuts were for outdoor festivals, while quiet instruments like lutes, viols, and spinets were for intimate indoor use.

Rise of amateur home music

While professional musicians were hired for major events, amateur music-making at home became popular among the nobility and bourgeoisie, supported by the growth of music publishing and the use of tablatures.

Royal travel took weeks to complete

A royal court journey from Paris to Chambord could take three weeks because the procession included thousands of people, animals, and entire households.

Common ways of traveling during the Renaissance

Until the mid-16th century, common travel methods included walking, riding a mule, or, for the wealthy, riding a horse.

Segregated elementary schooling

While private tutors served noble families, elementary schools for others were church-run and segregated by gender; a 1554 decree specifically prohibited boys and girls from studying together.

Tall and narrow city housing

Ordinary Paris houses were tall, narrow structures of four or five stories, built with stone foundations, exposed wooden frames, and white plaster facades to prevent fires.

Bread and soup were dietary staples

Ordinary families based their daily diet on bread, often eaten as soup by soaking pieces in water or bouillon, alongside cereal porridges or cakes. This was frequently accompanied by a companage, which was a variety of accessible foods like vegetables, legumes, cheese, or eggs.

Wine was preferred over water

Because water was considered unhealthy, most people drank fermented beverages like wine, which was often diluted with water. Women were expected to drink less alcohol than men, and their consumption of wine was sometimes cut heavily with water to prevent intoxication.

Cost of a meal

In 1563, a reasonable meal cost approximately 2.5 sols tournois, consuming about 62% of a laborer's minimum daily wage.

Agricultural worker daily wage

By 1550, an agricultural worker earned 1 livre per day.

Calligraphers as Early Forensic Experts

Master calligraphers, recognized by the King in 1570, acted as forensics experts by comparing handwritten documents to detect forgeries.

Daily Life of Printing Apprentices

Printing press workers often worked more than 12 hours a day and were provided with a daily meal at the master's table as part of their wages.

Letter travel time between cities

A messenger traveling from Toulouse to Paris typically took two weeks to complete the journey, then stayed in Paris for eight days to distribute and collect letters.

Messengers carried private letters for money

During this period, royal messengers were technically forbidden from carrying private mail, but they frequently did so to supplement their meager wages.