(Discussion of Hesse, continued from Note Nr. 1616.)
I have emphasized, in the discussion of conditions in Hesse in the Eighteenth Century, the villages which were the homes of the farmers. Let me spend some time on the "towns", or those places which were larger. The first town is Marburg.
In the Seventeenth Century (the 1600s), Marburg was devastated in The Thirty Years' War. By the middle of the Eighteenth Century, the town still had not recovered its pre-1618 standard of living. In 1756, the Seven Years' War broke out. This was a setback for the town and its inhabitants. Many of the citizens were on the point of starvation on a regular basis. The guilds were now much weaker and spent most of their efforts on keeping members out to reduce competition. To join a guild, one needed to marry the daughter of a current guildsman. The Landgrave tried to boost economic progress by holding fairs and markets.
Numerous postal routes and roads had been established, but the conditions of the roads often made them impassable. In wet weather, fourteen horses might be needed to pull one coach carrying six people. In addition to the fare, the drivers expected bribes or tips for "drink money".
In 1726, the Landgrave mandated compulsory school attendance. By the treaty of Westphalia in 1648, the schools were to be Lutheran in outlook, even though the state religion was now Reformed. The Landgrave refused to pay for Lutheran schools. Lutheran schools had to raise their own money locally.
A fire ordnance of 1678 remained in force throughout the century. It required all carpenters, roofers, and chimney sweeps to rush with ladders and axes to any fire. The town watchman and constabularies were to report the fire immediately, as well as to prevent any threat of looting. Everyone was expected to turn out to fight the fire and guildsmen were to bring buckets for the bucket brigades. Failure to respond could result in a fine. Many towns banned straw (thatch) roofs in town. Smoking was prohibited near straw, including the straw used for beds in inns and homes. Marburg suffered especially from the lack of a good water supply.
The old university in Marburg had switched from Reformed to Lutheran, and back again in The Thirty Years' War. This disruption reduced the student body. The appointments of famous teachers did increase the number of students. In 1727, the university celebrated its 200th anniversary with a banquet in the large town hall. Five hundred students made merry at this feast. All students had to check their swords and daggers with the fencing master when they came in. It was hoped the evening would end peacefully.
(Continued in Note Nr. 1618.)
(13 Mar 03)
We gratefully acknowledge the work of John Blankenbaker who published over 2,500 Germanna History Notes via the Germanna-L@rootsweb.com email list from 1997 to 2008. We are equally thankful to George Durman (Sgt. George) for hosting the list and republishing the notes via rootsweb.com.