Ana Dorothea of Austria

1611–1694

Born: 1611, Vienna
Country of birth: Habsburg monarchy, today Austria
Died: 14 Aug 1694, Madrid

facts: 8
sources: 1
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Facts and their sources

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Birth1611, ViennaProbableDisputed1 competing claim1 source
Death14 Aug 1694, MadridProbable1 source
ParentEmperor Rudolf IIConfirmed1 source
ParentKatharina StradaConfirmed1 source

A life in time

1611
Born · Vienna
Birth, Vienna
14 Aug 1694
Died · Madrid
Death, Madrid

What was it like?

The world around Vienna, 1611: 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.

Children from poorer families typically wore only a long simple shirt, while children past the age of four were dressed in the same uncomfortable, restrictive clothing styles as their parents.

Fashion

Children’s rigid clothing standards

Children from poorer families typically wore only a long simple shirt, while children past the age of four were dressed in the same uncomfortable, restrictive clothing styles as their parents.

Exclusive aristocratic symbols

Wearing the color red or sporting a feather on a hat were considered highly elitist practices reserved for the aristocracy and prohibited for the rural population.

Music

Domestic music in early 17th-century Austria

The Linzer Orgeltabulatur, compiled between 1611 and 1613, contains 108 pieces that were intended for domestic recreation on the regal, a small reed-organ, rather than for church use.

Around 1618–1618

Noble dance music in Graz

Around 1618, nobility in Graz enjoyed ensemble dance music, such as the pieces in Posch's collection, often featuring four string instruments for feasts.

Getting around

River travel was faster than land transport.

Travel by boat downstream was the fastest method, with one vessel type covering 450 kilometers from Regensburg to Vienna in at least a week. Boats could reach up to 150 kilometers in 24 hours under optimal downstream conditions.

Typical travel times and rest points.

A 115-kilometer journey between St. Pölten and St. Florian typically required 20 to 28 hours. Travelers often stayed at posting stations located about every 25 kilometers to rest and change horses.

Daily life

Children treated as adults

Children were typically treated like small adults and were expected to emulate adult behavior as they learned crafts and chores from their parents.

Education for children

In rural areas, formal schooling was rare, whereas children of urban artisans and craftsmen received elementary education.

Food

Common beer consumption

Beer was the standard daily beverage for most people, and by the 16th century, many taverns brewed their own dark, top-fermented beer. Wine was generally reserved for the wealthy or special occasions, as it was significantly more expensive.

Festive treats for the poor

Nonnenfürzle, a small, deep-fried pastry made from choux dough, was a rare and valued treat for the rural population on festive occasions. These delicacies were prepared in hot lard and rolled in sugar when enough money was available.

Prices and wages

Candle Prices

In the early 17th century, one pound of tallow candles cost 6 Kreuzer, while a pound of table candles cost 28 Kreuzer.

Weekly Worker Expenses

In the 17th century, a worker required about 100 Kreuzer per week to cover basic necessities like grain, meat, fat, and candles for his family.

Work

Fraudulent practices in vineyard labour

Vineyard labourers sometimes committed a fraud called Bärenanbinden, where they would take a wage advance and then leave their job before the work was finished.

Mining work schedules and breaks

Miners in Schwaz worked twelve-hour shifts that included approximately four hours of breaks, resulting in an effective eight-hour workday.

News and letters

People as the legs of communication

Most people could not read or write, so they relied on traveling journeymen, students, and peddlers to pass news by word of mouth. Peasants were often obligated by their feudal lords to carry messages and letters for them.

Postal delivery times and speed

Average travel times for letters included 12 to 15 days to reach Vienna and 20 to 25 days to reach Paris from Rome. Important political news could travel much faster via extraordinary couriers who would stop for nothing.

During their lifetime

1626
Peasant Rebellion of 1626
In 1626, peasants revolted against re-Catholicization and heavy taxation, laying siege to the city of Linz for nine weeks.
1627
First royal bankruptcy in 1627
In 1627, Spain was forced to declare its first bankruptcy due to the insupportable military strain on the monarchy's resources.
1628
Dutch capture treasure fleet in 1628
In 1628, the Dutch captured the entire American treasure fleet at the Cuban bay of Matanzas, severely impacting the Crown's finances.
1631
Massive abandonment of farmsteads in 1631
A 1631 survey of the Archduchy of Austria below the Enns found 8,980 farmsteads abandoned due to war and religious pressures.
1640
Catalan peasant revolt in 1640
During the winter of 1640, a peasant uprising broke out in Catalonia against Spanish troops stationed there, leading to political instability.
1645
Plague epidemic in 1645
A plague epidemic struck the market town of Traismauer in 1645 and 1646, resulting from the ongoing warfare.

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.