Post by vigilanti on Jul 1, 2006 17:34:45 GMT -5
I found a great book "Life in France under Louis XIV" By John Laurence Carr. Here are just a few of the things i learned and thought some of you may find useful.
20 sous= 1 livre = 1 franc
5 liveres = 1 écu
10 livres = 1 pistole
20 livres = 1 louis
The Louis franc was worth 1.78F. gold
The modern franc is worth 5.55F. gold
Gambling was a pastime of the rich card-games or backgammon (called tric-trac) On Christmas day 1678 the king’s royal mistress Montespan lost 700,000 écus. Louis paid his brothers debts which amounted to 40,000 écus on another occasion Prince Philippe had to pawn the family jewels to pay his creditors. Still there were many more legitimate cost a noble had to pay. An unmarried noble had to keep 37 servants (5 being attendants for the most respected domestics) 14 horses for his carrages and another 16 for riding. A married man with a country house increased the staff by 12, children added a further 7 to the number. A noble woman could be expected spend 40 livers a year on clothes alone.
One can only imagine such a sum in light of what it would mean to the rest of the population
The work day for an artisan was often 14 hours the minimum being 10 hours. Holidays were of course unpaid. At Nevers toward the end of the century a stone mason earned 12-15 sous per day, a carpenters mate earned 12 s a master craftsman earned 15-18s the miners of St-Etienne earned 15-16, Stichers earned 20-25, weavers earned 12-15… Paris locksmiths earned 30 sous a day. A wet nurse received 24 livres a year plus keep, the same wage plus a free pint of wine each day was paid to a servant… to them a hole years wage was just a little more than the cost of a pig in the market, a watch or a good hunting gun. Many workers earned about 15 sous a day the average was 12… some earned as little as 4 sous a day. Postal carriers earned 5 sous for carrying an open letter / 6 for a sealed letter, distance of 40 - 60 leagues (1 league being 3 miles)
At Nevers a loaf of bread weighing 430 grams was between 1 and 2 sous, beef cost 2 or 3 sous a pound a pint of wine 2 or 3 sous a dozen eggs 10 sous a pound of butter 5 to 8 sous, 8 candles cost 6 to 10 sous.(a noble household should not consume more than 4 per day) At the end of the century in Paris a pair of shoes cost 3 liveres and sabots (wooden shoes) cost 25 sous a shirt cost 30 sous
Militia men were were paid 3 sous a day (and would serve for 2 years); meat, bread and wine were provided free to men on the march, else 1 sou 6 deniers were kept back from their pay to provision them.
Common soldiers received 5 sous a day,
a sub-lieutenant earned a salary of 1,000 a year,
A colonel received 6,000 liveres a year,
And here is a bit more i learned about out military friends
Instead of wearing the kings uniform Clothes were provided largely by the captain (and were designed in his colors), after 1683 many regiments of Calvary wore blue, the Swiss and the queens regiments wore red and after 1682 light gray was favored by infantry units. Infantry men were equipped with a felt hat called a lapion(or lantern). In 1670 a minor revolution in army equiptment took place. The pike gradually disappeared replaced by musket and bayonet. The épée was superceded by the saber and the carbine by the pistol.
20 sous= 1 livre = 1 franc
5 liveres = 1 écu
10 livres = 1 pistole
20 livres = 1 louis
The Louis franc was worth 1.78F. gold
The modern franc is worth 5.55F. gold
Gambling was a pastime of the rich card-games or backgammon (called tric-trac) On Christmas day 1678 the king’s royal mistress Montespan lost 700,000 écus. Louis paid his brothers debts which amounted to 40,000 écus on another occasion Prince Philippe had to pawn the family jewels to pay his creditors. Still there were many more legitimate cost a noble had to pay. An unmarried noble had to keep 37 servants (5 being attendants for the most respected domestics) 14 horses for his carrages and another 16 for riding. A married man with a country house increased the staff by 12, children added a further 7 to the number. A noble woman could be expected spend 40 livers a year on clothes alone.
One can only imagine such a sum in light of what it would mean to the rest of the population
The work day for an artisan was often 14 hours the minimum being 10 hours. Holidays were of course unpaid. At Nevers toward the end of the century a stone mason earned 12-15 sous per day, a carpenters mate earned 12 s a master craftsman earned 15-18s the miners of St-Etienne earned 15-16, Stichers earned 20-25, weavers earned 12-15… Paris locksmiths earned 30 sous a day. A wet nurse received 24 livres a year plus keep, the same wage plus a free pint of wine each day was paid to a servant… to them a hole years wage was just a little more than the cost of a pig in the market, a watch or a good hunting gun. Many workers earned about 15 sous a day the average was 12… some earned as little as 4 sous a day. Postal carriers earned 5 sous for carrying an open letter / 6 for a sealed letter, distance of 40 - 60 leagues (1 league being 3 miles)
At Nevers a loaf of bread weighing 430 grams was between 1 and 2 sous, beef cost 2 or 3 sous a pound a pint of wine 2 or 3 sous a dozen eggs 10 sous a pound of butter 5 to 8 sous, 8 candles cost 6 to 10 sous.(a noble household should not consume more than 4 per day) At the end of the century in Paris a pair of shoes cost 3 liveres and sabots (wooden shoes) cost 25 sous a shirt cost 30 sous
Militia men were were paid 3 sous a day (and would serve for 2 years); meat, bread and wine were provided free to men on the march, else 1 sou 6 deniers were kept back from their pay to provision them.
Common soldiers received 5 sous a day,
a sub-lieutenant earned a salary of 1,000 a year,
A colonel received 6,000 liveres a year,
And here is a bit more i learned about out military friends
Instead of wearing the kings uniform Clothes were provided largely by the captain (and were designed in his colors), after 1683 many regiments of Calvary wore blue, the Swiss and the queens regiments wore red and after 1682 light gray was favored by infantry units. Infantry men were equipped with a felt hat called a lapion(or lantern). In 1670 a minor revolution in army equiptment took place. The pike gradually disappeared replaced by musket and bayonet. The épée was superceded by the saber and the carbine by the pistol.
