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Dorothea Renata, Gräfin von Zinzendorf und Pottendorf

1669–1743

Born
23 Sep 1669, Sopron
Country of birth
Hungary
Died
22 Feb 1743, Castell
facts
7
sources
1
images and files
0

Facts and their sources

Tap a fact to see where it comes from.

A life in time

  1. Born · Sopron

    Birth, Sopron

  2. Child born: Sofia Teodora of Castell-Remlingen

    Birth, Castell

  3. Died · Castell

    Death, Castell

What was it like?

The world around Sopron, 1669: 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.

In 1674, a mother instructed her son to change his clean linen shirt and underpants simultaneously every week to ensure they wore out at the same rate.

Fashion
Around 1674–1674

Weekly garment maintenance requirements

In 1674, a mother instructed her son to change his clean linen shirt and underpants simultaneously every week to ensure they wore out at the same rate.

Music

Bagpipes were prized and highly-paid instruments

The bagpipe was a highly popular instrument for all social classes, including nobility and peasants, often used to accompany dances at festivals, weddings, and work gatherings. It was so esteemed that at the court of Prince Ferenc Rákóczi I in 1666, bagpipers were among the highest-paid musicians, earning more than most others except for violinists and trumpeters.

Music for sorrow and celebration

Funerals and public processions were often accompanied by ensembles of drums, trumpets, and Turkish pipes, which were played with such plaintive intensity that they were known to make both men and women weep. In contrast, festive occasions like weddings used these same musicians to create a merry atmosphere for drinking and celebration.

Getting around

Carriage travel for the wealthy

For long journeys, nobles used coaches drawn by four horses, while the most affluent traveled with coaches drawn by six horses and a caravan of wagons.

Supplies for the journey

Travelers often brought their own food on the road, including fried chicken, white bread, garlic, lard, and several bottles of wine.

Daily life

Lighting and household illumination

Lighting inside the home was provided by open fireplaces, pine torches, or oil lamps using oils from seeds like rape, pumpkin, or sunflower. Candles made from sheep or cow tallow were also commonly dipped for use in the household.

Peasant home layout and construction

Peasant homes in the 17th century were typically square-shaped structures made of wattle-and-daub, lime-washed, and roofed with thatch or reeds. A central room, often containing the fireplace for cooking and heating, served as the hub of family life.

Food

Beef and cabbage diet

Beef was the most consumed meat, often served in seasoned sauces without a side dish. Cabbage was exceptionally popular, earning the title queen of the kitchen gardens, and was used as a frequent accompaniment to meat.

Bread and wine consumption in Hungary

Ordinary families consumed bread made from a mix of white flour and rye, while those of higher rank ate bread made purely of white flour. Wine was the primary drink for all social strata, with daily portions ranging from 1.6 to 3.2 liters per person.

Prices and wages

Cost of a soldier's outfit

For a soldier in the mid-17th century, a full set of clothes including a dolman, fur coat, hat, boots or shoes, trousers, and underwear cost approximately 12 Forints. This expense was substantial, consuming about half of a soldier's annual pay, which was often paid late or in goods like broadcloth and salt.

Livestock and weapon prices

During this period, livestock prices served as a significant measure of value: an ox cost between 16 and 32 Forints, a cow was valued at 20 Forints, and a calf cost 2 Forints. Meanwhile, a rifle could be purchased for 5 Forints and a pair of pistols for 4.5 Forints.

Work

Heavy Labor and Collective Farming Duties

Many villagers were required to perform heavy labor, such as providing ten four-ox carts a week for iron ore transport or dedicating weeks of labor to harvesting and hay-cutting for the landlord. In some regions, peasants also collectively managed sophisticated flood plain fishing systems by blocking and opening narrow channels called fok.

Spinning Houses as Social Hubs

Spinning houses served as both work hubs and match-making sites where young people gathered after the day's chores. A young man who picked up a girl’s dropped spindle could return it only in exchange for a kiss.

News and letters

Letters sent by war prisoners for ransom

During times of war, captives used a special prisoner post to send letters home asking for their ransom, provided they returned within a set time or others would pay with their lives.

Letters were folded without addresses

Until the 18th century, letters were not addressed; instead, they were folded so the recipient's name appeared on the outside. Because this often made delivery difficult, postmasters frequently opened sealed letters hoping to find the address inside.

During their lifetime

  1. 1683

    Recapture of Hungary from Ottomans, 1683-1699

    Following the 1683 siege of Vienna, allied forces recaptured most of Hungary from the Ottomans, concluding with the Treaty of Karlowitz in 1699.

  2. 1685

    Huguenot migration to Brandenburg

    The Great Elector issued the Edict of Potsdam, inviting French Huguenot refugees to settle in Brandenburg and Berlin to help rebuild the economy.

  3. 1709

    Great famine after the 1709 winter

    A severe winter caused the Bodensee to freeze completely, leading to widespread crop failures and famine across Europe.

  4. 1717

    Christmas flood kills 11,000 people

    A major storm surge on Christmas claimed over 11,000 lives along the German North Sea coast.

  5. 1717

    Compulsory education introduced in Prussia

    Prussia introduced compulsory education for children between the ages of five and twelve.

  6. 1731

    Guild autonomy abolished by law

    The Imperial Diet passed a law that ended the autonomy of craft guilds, making it easier for people to enter trades.

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.