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Francesco di Ferdinando de' Medici

1594–1614

Born
14 May 1594, Florence
Country of birth
Grand Duchy of Tuscany, today Italy
Died
17 May 1614, Pisa
facts
8
sources
1
images and files
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Facts and their sources

Tap a fact to see where it comes from.

A life in time

  1. Born · Florence

    Birth, Florence

  2. Died · Pisa

    Death, Pisa

What was it like?

The world around Florence, 1594: 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 1587–1587

Introduction of liquid chocolate to society

In 1587, Duke Emanuele Filiberto introduced liquid chocolate to society in honor of moving the capital from Chambéry to Turin.

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.

Prices and wages
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.

Around 1588–1592

Wheat price surge in Parma

The controlled price of wheat in Parma's public market surged from 117.18 soldi in 1588 to a peak of 402 soldi per unit in 1592 during a severe subsistence crisis.

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.