Maria Josepha of Austria

Maria Josepha of Austria was the Queen of Poland, Grand Duchess of Lithuania and Electress of Saxony by marriage to Augustus III. From 1711 to 1717, she was heiress presumptive to the Habsburg monarchy.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.