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Maximilian Thomas Erzherzog von Österreich

1638–1639

Born
1638, Vienna
Country of birth
Habsburg monarchy, today Austria
Died
1639, Vienna
facts
9
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 · Vienna

    Birth, Vienna

  2. Died · Vienna

    Death, Vienna

What was it like?

The world around Vienna, 1638: 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.

Peasant women often wore their hair in two braids pinned with a broad needle and kept a straw hat with a black border on their heads throughout the entire day, even during meals. For Sundays and feasts, women upgraded their attire with lace-trimmed caps and felt hats.

Fashion

Women's Daily and Festive Headwear

Peasant women often wore their hair in two braids pinned with a broad needle and kept a straw hat with a black border on their heads throughout the entire day, even during meals. For Sundays and feasts, women upgraded their attire with lace-trimmed caps and felt hats.

Music

Musical instruments at noble gatherings

At social gatherings of the nobility, people entertained themselves by dancing, playing games, and performing music on pairs of instruments such as the lute and viol, or cornetto and drum.

Getting around

Difficult road conditions caused frequent repairs

Travelers faced rough, unpaved roads where wagon axles often required frequent mechanical adjustments during a single trip.

Walking was the primary mode of travel

Most ordinary people traveled exclusively on foot, typically covering 20 to 35 kilometers per day depending on the terrain.

Daily life

Kitchen as shared living space

The kitchen served as the primary living and heating space in farmhouses, and at night, it was common to shelter poultry indoors to keep them safe.

Traditional open-fire smoke kitchens

In the 17th century, kitchens featured open fire pits where smoke blackened the room; food was prepared in iron or brass pots suspended over the fire using a metal support called a Drudenfuß.

Food

Beer as the daily beverage

Beer was the everyday drink for most people, whereas wine was largely reserved for festivities, formal occasions, or as a component of wages for court staff.

Festive deep-fried treats

For celebrations, families might enjoy deep-fried pastries like Nonnenfürzle, which were made from dough cooked in hot fat and dusted with sugar.

Prices and wages

Cost of a pair of shoes

A soldier's shoes with a simple sole cost 5 Batzen, while those with a double sole cost 7 Batzen.

Mercenary wages and food prices

A mercenary's monthly wage was 4 Gulden, which had to cover food and equipment for himself and his family. A pound of bacon cost 6 Kreuzer, while a pound of butter cost 1 Batzen.

Work

Daily travel distances for messengers

Foot messengers in this era could typically walk between 25 and 40 kilometres in a single day. Specialized runners were even capable of covering more than 60 kilometres daily.

Rural cottage industry and outwork

In regions like the Waldviertel, up to 30,000 rural residents performed outwork, with women primarily doing the labour-intensive spinning of cotton. Entrepreneurs used this system to keep wage costs low, sometimes employing children for manufacturing tasks.

News and letters

Cost of sending letters

The cost for sending a letter was 6 kr for a full sheet, which was equivalent to the price of a loaf of bread, while a half-sheet cost 3 kr.

Legs of the community carriers

Ordinary people often relied on itinerant workers, students, and peddlers, known as the legs of the community, to carry messages while traveling.

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.