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Filippino de' Medici

1598–1602

Born
9 Apr 1598, Florence
Country of birth
Grand Duchy of Tuscany, today Italy
Died
3 Apr 1602, Florence
facts
6
sources
1
images and files
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Facts and their sources

Tap a fact to see where it comes from.

  • Birth9 Apr 1598, FlorenceProbable1 source
  • Death3 Apr 1602, FlorenceProbable1 source
  • ParentFerdinando I de' MediciConfirmed1 source

A life in time

  1. Born · Florence

    Birth, Florence

  2. Died · Florence

    Death, Florence

What was it like?

The world around Florence, 1598: 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.

Artisan families often owned a modest wardrobe, such as two or three sets of clothes kept in chests, including fine garments reserved for Sundays and festive occasions.

Fashion

Artisans Kept Festive Clothes in Chests

Artisan families often owned a modest wardrobe, such as two or three sets of clothes kept in chests, including fine garments reserved for Sundays and festive occasions.

Heavy Fines for Illegal Fashion Choices

In some Italian cities, violating sumptuary laws by wearing forbidden luxurious clothing could result in a heavy fine of 25 scudi.

Music

The Popular Pavane Dance

The solemn, slow-moving pavane was a popular dance used by nobles for grand entries and festivities, often accompanied by drums, oboes, trombones, and violins.

Getting around

Carriages required extensive resources

Wealthy travelers used carriages, but these required significant support, including horses, specialized personnel, and frequent maintenance on poor roads.

Daily travel distances varied significantly

Travelers generally covered between 20 and 40 kilometers per day, though this varied greatly depending on terrain, weather, and the individual's social status.

Daily life

Languages used in everyday life

Franco-Provencal was the language of everyday activities and family life for most people, while French was used by the highest classes.

Schooling for children in Savoy towns

Towns such as Chambery and Montmelian paid schoolmasters, supported by ecclesiastical institutions or private patronage.

Food
Around 1600–1624

Rural diet of beans and chestnuts

During times of severe famine, country dwellers survived by consuming minimal food, such as beans and chestnuts, as cities prioritized their own limited grain supplies over feeding the rural population.

Around 1600–1624

Strict bread rationing for the poor

To ensure urban stability during food shortages, authorities strictly rationed bread, forcing the poor to eat smaller loaves made from a mixture of less valuable cereals and pulses. In contrast, fine flour bread was reserved exclusively for city residents.

Prices and wages
Around 1600–1600

Strict grain rationing in Parma

During the 1590-1593 famine, authorities strictly limited grain transactions, prohibiting any individual deal involving more than 4.7 kg of grain to prevent hoarding.

Around 1590–1593

Strict grain purchase limits during famine

During the famine of 1590–1593, daily purchases were restricted by law to prevent speculation; for instance, deals involving more than 4.7 kg of grain were strictly prohibited.

Work

Common trades and dual employment

Common jobs included construction workers like masons, stonecutters, and carpenters, as well as domestic servants and daily laborers working in trades, commerce, or agriculture. Urban residents often pursued a double activity, maintaining small plots of land near the city alongside their main trade.

Daily and weekly work rhythms

The working day was dictated by natural light and urban gate times, typically starting at 4:00 AM when city gates opened and ending around 8:00 PM. Weekly rhythms were organized by market days, religious observances, and the cycles of bakers' ovens and slaughterhouses.

News and letters

Improved speed of mail delivery

Thanks to improved efficiency, mail sent by the ordinary service that previously took two weeks could reach its destination in just five days.

Price of sending private letters

Private letters could be sent for 7-9 Milanese soldi per ounce, a price comparable to the cost of buying three or four loaves of bread.

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.