Archduchess Maria Elisabeth of Austria

1680–1741

Born: 13 Feb 1680, Linz
Country of birth: Habsburg monarchy, today Austria
Died: 26 Aug 1741, domaine de Mariemont

facts: 10
sources: 1
images and files: 0

Facts and their sources

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Birth13 Feb 1680, LinzProbableDisputed2 competing claims1 source
TitleGovernor of the Habsburg Netherlands, 1716–1741Confirmed1 source
Death26 Aug 1741, domaine de MariemontProbable1 source
ParentLeopold I, Holy Roman EmperorConfirmed1 source
ParentEleonor Magdalene of NeuburgConfirmed1 source

A life in time

13 Feb 1680
Born · Linz
Birth, Linz
1716–1741
Event · Governor of the Habsburg Netherlands
Event
26 Aug 1741
Died · domaine de Mariemont
Death, domaine de Mariemont

What was it like?

The world around Linz, 1680: 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.

Archduchess was Governor of the Habsburg Netherlands from 1716 to 1741.

Known for

Titles held

Governor of the Habsburg Netherlands1716–1741

Fashion

Durable leather garments for men

Ordinary men in this period wore durable leather clothing, such as the Pelzrock, which was made of sheepskin worn with the fur inside and featured decorative embroidery. Peasant men also frequently wore waistcoats made of leather, known as Joppen, which were valued for their ability to protect against wind and rain.

Feast day finery and marital status attire

On feast days, rural people wore finer versions of their clothing, such as a blouse made of fine linen (harbene Pfoad) compared to the coarse linen (rupferne Pfoad) worn for daily tasks. Men sometimes distinguished their marital status through their hats, wearing green hats if unmarried and black hats after marriage.

Music

Common rural dance instruments

In the seventeenth-century countryside, ordinary people primarily used bagpipes and hurdy-gurdies for dance music, before the violin became established as a popular instrument later on.

Jewish musicians for all classes

Jewish dance bands were active in Moravia during this century and provided musical entertainment for all social classes.

Getting around

Carriage travel times

Travel was slow and difficult; for example, a journey by carriage between St. Pölten and Melk, a distance of 30 kilometers, took 5 to 7 hours under good weather conditions.

Dangers of traveling by day

Travelers mostly journeyed during the day because roads were rough, uneven, and prone to dangers like highwaymen and accidents, making nighttime travel unsafe.

Daily life

Life in the smoke kitchen

Cooking happened in smoke kitchens where food was prepared over open fires, often sharing space with poultry kept inside at night.

The heart of the home: The Stube

The Stube was a central, heated room in homes, where children often sat on a bench over the stove to stay warm while others worked.

Food

Coffee substitute for 1 kreuzer

For 1 kreuzer, working-class people could buy a bowl of roasted barley drink sweetened with syrup, which served as an affordable substitute for expensive coffee.

Creative peasant food substitutions

Peasant families practiced creative food substitutions, using names like false meat soup or false almond cake to describe dishes made from simpler, available ingredients.

Prices and wages

Around 1685–1710

Daily wages for laborers

In the late 17th century, day laborers earned about 6 kreuzer for women and up to 18 kreuzer for some skilled laborers like carpenters.

Around 1650–1674

Price of bread in Vienna

Between 1650 and 1674, the price of bread in Vienna ranged from 1.27 to 2.82 Kreuzer per kilogram.

Work

Days spent in gainful employment

Before reforms aimed at increasing productivity, ordinary people typically spent only 200 to 250 days per year in gainful employment due to numerous church holidays.

Distance covered by daily messengers

Messengers traveling on foot were capable of walking between 25 and 40 kilometers a day, while dedicated runners could cover over 60 kilometers.

News and letters

Daily travel speeds for messengers

Professional messengers on foot could walk 25 to 40 kilometers a day, while horse-drawn stagecoaches averaged about 37 kilometers daily due to poor road conditions.

Postal stations and surveillance

Postal stations, or 'posts,' were set up every 20 to 40 kilometers to change horses and riders, though some authorities also operated 'Black Chambers' to open and monitor suspicious letters.

During their lifetime

1683
Second Turkish Siege of Vienna
Ottoman forces initiated the second Turkish Siege of Vienna, leading to widespread destruction in the surrounding area until they were defeated in September.
1699
Treaty of Karlowitz
The Treaty of Karlowitz was signed, confirming Habsburg acquisition of almost all of Hungary and marking the recovery of the territory.
1704
Kuruc raids devastate Austrian lands in 1704
The Kuruc uprising caused significant disruption as rebels repeatedly invaded the archduchy, likely devastating areas like Gramatneusiedl between March and June 1704.
1713
Last major plague epidemic of 1713-1714
A severe plague epidemic, the last in the region, struck the archduchy from January 1713 to February 1714, claiming approximately 8,000 lives in Vienna.
1714
Widespread cattle plague outbreak
Between 1714 and 1741, the region suffered from a severe cattle plague that repeatedly decimated livestock across the country.
1719
Trieste and Rijeka declared free ports 1719
In 1719, Emperor Charles VI declared Trieste and Rijeka free ports to stimulate Mediterranean trade, despite significant geographical barriers that made land transport to the hinterland difficult.

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.