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Eugen Alexander Franz, 1st Prince of Thurn and Taxis

1652–1714

Born
11 Jan 1652, Brussels metropolitan area
Country of birth
Spanish Netherlands, today Belgium
Died
21 Feb 1714, Frankfurt
facts
7
sources
1
images and files
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Facts and their sources

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A life in time

  1. Born · Brussels metropolitan area

    Birth, Brussels metropolitan area

  2. Child born: Anselm Francis, 2nd Prince of Thurn and Taxis

    Birth, Brussels metropolitan area

  3. Child born: Anna Franziska, Prinzessin von Thurn und Taxis

    Birth

  4. Child born: Felix Thurn-Taxis

    Birth

  5. Died · Frankfurt

    Death, Frankfurt

What was it like?

The world around Brussels metropolitan area, 1652: 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.

Men wore shirts, greges (breeches reaching to the knees), stockings, a doublet, a coat, and a hat. Villagers often wore the same clothes daily, while the more well-to-do changed for Sundays and feast days.

Fashion

Men's everyday clothing in the 17th century

Men wore shirts, greges (breeches reaching to the knees), stockings, a doublet, a coat, and a hat. Villagers often wore the same clothes daily, while the more well-to-do changed for Sundays and feast days.

Women's daily and festive attire

Women were corseted and wore a chemise under a short skirt, often with an apron; their clothing was dominated by black, gray, and red colors. On feast days, they would wear a fine cloth dress.

Music

A high-value private concert in 1652

In 1652 Paris, a private concert featuring a harpsichord and two viols was described as being worth three thousand pistoles.

Peasants dancing on the Sabbath

Despite church disapproval of Sabbath dancing, peasants frequently enjoyed dancing to the sound of a pipe and tabor on their day of rest.

Getting around
Around 1647–1647

Brussels to Paris in twelve days

In 1647, a public coach traveled from Brussels to Paris at a speed of two kilometers per hour, taking twelve days to complete the journey. It only moved during daylight hours and stopped at sunset, often in the open countryside.

Canal travel by horse-drawn barge

Horse-drawn barges on canals were a primary means of passenger transport in Flanders, moving between cities like Bruges and Ostend. Travelers often had to transfer between different boats at canal locks along the way.

Daily life

Basic schooling provided by village masters

Schooling was not mandatory and often paid for by the village community; children were taught by local masters just enough reading, writing, and arithmetic.

Cooking centered on the hearth

Cooking was typically done over a hearth, which also provided heat, though some poor urban dwellers without space or fuel relied on purchasing ready-made food from street shops.

Food

Meat was a rare luxury

Meat was extremely rare for ordinary families, with many peasants eating it fewer than three times a year. In contrast, they frequently relied on thick pottages made from seasonal vegetables, legumes, and bread.

The cost of wine for weddings

During popular wedding celebrations, good Tonnerre wine could be purchased for ten sous per pinte. Ordinary people rarely drank wine, often consuming water or sour piquettes made from leftover grape marc or fruits instead.

Prices and wages
Around 1654–1654

Daily wages for construction workers

In 1654, a mason in Orléans earned 64 liards per day, while a carpenter earned 80 liards per day.

Food prices in the 17th century

A pig cost 24 livres, while a bushel of red wheat was priced at 47 sous in the 17th century.

Work

Fixed daily wages for laborers

In 1567, a royal edict set daily wages at ten sous tournois for skilled workers and five sous tournois for laborers.

Shoemakers as neighborhood news reporters

Shoemakers were the neighborhood gazetteers who gossiped and shared news from their open-fronted stalls until closing time.

News and letters

Paris lacked internal city mail service

Before 1653, it was impossible to send mail within Paris; people had to rely on servants or hand-deliver their own messages.

Around 1653–1653

Local mail service cost one sou

In 1653, the Petite Poste was established in Paris, allowing letters to be delivered within the city for the cost of one sou.

During their lifetime

  1. 1654

    Antwerp plague control measures

    Magistrates in Antwerp issued specific regulations to limit the spread of the plague.

  2. 1654

    Demonstration of vacuum power

    Otto von Guericke demonstrated the power of a vacuum in Regensburg using sixteen horses to pull apart two sealed hemispheres.

  3. 1654

    Legally binding serfdom in Mecklenburg

    The Servants Law of 1654 legally anchored serfdom in Mecklenburg, divesting serfs of personal freedoms and allowing them to be sold with property.

  4. 1659

    Antwerp street chains removed

    Guild protests forced magistrates in Antwerp to remove street chains that restricted movement.

  5. 1659

    Artois annexed by France

    The Treaty of the Pyrenees resulted in the region of Artois being annexed by France.

  6. 1660

    Invention of the berlin carriage

    The carriage known as the berlin was developed in Berlin, quickly becoming the most popular horse-drawn vehicle of the century.

Family

Parents

Spouses

Children

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.