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Albert Casimir, Duke of Teschen

1738–1822

Born
11 Jul 1738, Moritzburg
Country of birth
Germany
Died
10 Feb 1822, Vienna
facts
10
sources
1
images and files
0

Facts and their sources

Tap a fact to see where it comes from.

  • Birth11 Jul 1738, MoritzburgProbable1 source
  • TitlePalatine of Hungary, 1765–1780Confirmed2 competing claims1 source
  • Titlegovernor-general, 1780–1794Confirmed2 competing claims1 source
  • Death10 Feb 1822, ViennaProbable1 source
  • ParentMaria Josepha of AustriaConfirmed1 source
  • ParentAugustus III of PolandConfirmed1 source
  • TitlestadtholderConfirmed2 competing claims1 source

A life in time

  1. Born · Moritzburg

    Birth, Moritzburg

  2. Event · Palatine of Hungary

    Event

  3. Child born: Princess Maria Christina Theresia

    Birth, Vienna

  4. Event · governor-general

    Event

  5. Died · Vienna

    Death, Vienna

What was it like?

The world around Moritzburg, 1738: 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.

Albert was born around the same time as Matthias Claudius, Isabelle de Charrière, and Giovanni Paisiello.

Known for

Titles held

  • Palatine of Hungary1765–1780
  • governor-general1780–1794
  • stadtholder
Born around the same time

  • Matthias Claudius

    1740 · German poet (1740-1815)

  • Isabelle de Charrière

    1740 · Dutch French-language writer and composer (1740-1805)

  • Giovanni Paisiello

    1740 · Italian composer of the Classical era (1740-1816)

  • Carl Michael Bellman

    1740 · Swedish poet, songwriter and composer (1740–1795)

  • James Watt

    1736 · British engineer (1736–1819)

  • Joseph-Louis Lagrange

    1736 · Mathematician and astronomer (1736–1813)

Fashion

Prussian Soldier Clothing Allowances

Prussian soldiers were entitled to annual small clothing issues including two pairs of shoes, two shirts, and linen trousers, costing 5 thalers, 6 groschen, and 2 pfennigs, often deducted from their pay. Old uniforms were frequently repurposed into nightcaps and chest cloths by non-commissioned officers and soldiers.

Around 1733–1733

Mandatory Clothing for Knackers

A 1733 regulation required knackers and their assistants to wear dark gray coats with buttons and red, pointed hats to identify themselves in public. Failure to follow this dress code resulted in forced labor known as the cart punishment.

Music

Hautboisten provided common musical entertainment

Hautboisten, who were professional wind ensembles, were among the primary providers of musical entertainment in Prussian lands during the first half of the 18th century.

Music restricted during Frederick William I's reign

During the reign of King Frederick William I, who considered music a harmful art, musical performances were restricted to churches, and home celebrations or carnival processions were not held.

Getting around

Difficulties of traveling on Prussian roads

In the 18th century, travel in Prussia was notoriously difficult due to poor roads, with some passengers joking that they could have walked faster than the carriage. A coachman could even abandon a passenger on the road if the passenger struck them or complained too aggressively.

Diverse modes and speeds of travel

While the wealthy could use express post services to travel faster, a large portion of the population traveled between towns on foot, including traders and pilgrims. Traveling with a large entourage, such as a queen's court, was significantly slower due to the need for frequent stops and local greetings.

Daily life

Irregular school attendance and teaching

Prussian schooling was often erratic, with children frequently absent during summer months to work on farms or when families were required to pay fines for failing to send them. Many schools lacked trained teachers, relying instead on local sextons, discharged soldiers, or day laborers who often struggled to teach basic reading and arithmetic.

Simple peasant and town housing

Common peasant homes were simple one or two-room timber-framed structures, often dominated by a central hearth used for both warmth and cooking meals like bread and potatoes. In some planned towns, houses were built without cellars and partitioned into two equal living spaces to accommodate two families each.

Food

Introduction of the Potato

Although potatoes were introduced in 1727, they were initially met with skepticism by the public, who often did not know how to cultivate them properly. Over time, they became a crucial food source for the poor due to their reliability and ability to prevent famine.

Beverages of Ordinary People

Ordinary people typically drank beer for sustenance and at social gatherings, while coffee began to gain popularity among some segments of the population toward the middle of the century. Barley coffee was also used as a common beverage for afternoon snacks.

Prices and wages
Around 1740–1756

Grain prices in Berlin

In 1740, a bushel of rye in Berlin cost 1 thaler and 21 groschen due to a bad harvest, though prices typically stabilized between 19 and 20 groschen until the Seven Years' War. At the time, one thaler was equal to 24 groschen.

Work

Common occupations and labor obligations

Most ordinary people were village farmers who worked as fullholders, halfholders, or smallholders, often supplementing farming with cottage industries like spinning, weaving, or basic woodworking. Many were legal subjects of a local lordship, rendering rent through grain, cash, or compulsory labor known as Frondienst.

Mandatory spinning for workers

A 1723 royal edict mandated that street vendors and unemployed servants spin one pound of wool weekly, and even craftswomen or merchants' daughters were forbidden from sitting idle while at market stalls. They were required to spend their time spinning wool or flax, knitting, or sewing instead.

During their lifetime

  1. 1756

    Seven Years' War casualties and destruction

    During the Seven Years' War, some 160,000 Prussian soldiers died in battle or from disease, devastating the population.

  2. 1766

    State monopolies on consumer goods introduced

    A new tax and excise ordinance in 1766 created state monopolies on items including tobacco, coffee, and porcelain.

  3. 1770

    Migration during the 1770-71 famine

    During the great famines of 1770–71, peasants from other parts of Germany migrated to Prussia where food supplies were more accessible.

  4. 1781

    Abolition of Serfdom Controls in 1781

    In 1781, Emperor Joseph II issued the Serfdom Patent, granting peasants the legal right to marry, move, and seek education without lordly permission.

  5. 1781

    Religious Toleration Patent of 1781

    The 1781 Patent of Toleration granted religious freedom and legal equality to Lutherans, Calvinists, and Serbian Orthodox Christians.

  6. 1784

    Centralized Hospital Opened in 1784

    The Allgemeines Krankenhaus opened in Vienna in 1784 to centralize medical care and provide free treatment for the poor.

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.