You know that the seventeenth century was the golden age of piracy when ships were sailing and goods were being transported from one continent to another. But do you know how the goods reached the market on land? After all, water transportation was not enough for fulfilling the needs of the people. Roads were developed as a mode of transportation and various mediums were used to travel.
People traveled within the city as well as to other countries by road. Farmers and other suppliers used road transportation to carry their goods to the market.
Various vehicles were found on the roads in the seventeenth century. Though the steam engine had not yet been introduced to the world, other vehicles were effective at meeting the needs of the people. The seventeenth century witnessed transformations in various vehicles as well as the introduction of mass transportation.
The cheapest method for traveling or unloading goods was walking. But if the distance was long and the goods were heavy, then the use of a vehicle was indispensable. During the seventeenth century, generally, men were found traveling while women stayed at home.
The seventeenth century wasn’t the age of the automobile; it was the age of the animal-mobile. The majority of vehicles were drawn by animals. People used to breed horses especially for the purpose of transportation, making sure that livestock was fit for traveling.
The seventeenth century was the century of development and various improved mediums for transportation could be found on the roads. The rich were able to afford their own vehicles and hire a coachman to take them around. But the poor had to travel through cheap public transport or drive on their own.
Animal-Drawn Vehicles popular In The 17th Century
There were no horses in America before the Spanish colonized its territories. When Spanish migrants realized the grave need for animal-drawn vehicles, they started to import horses from Spain. This was the beginning of animal-drawn vehicles, which experienced an evolution in the seventeenth century.
17th Century Carriages
Carriages were four-wheeled vehicles with wooden framework. They had an opening on the
side and the coachmen (driver) was generally positioned on an elevated seat on the edge of
the passenger coach. Carriages were drawn by horses and mules. The structure of a carriage
and the number of horses depended on the type of carriage.
The basic structure of a carriage consisted of an open coach for the settling of the passenger,
a perch attached to the horses through ropes for the coachman, and four finely
designed wheels. The wheels revolved around a bearing known as the axle.
The biggest drawback in carriages before the seventeenth century was the open roof and lack of safety and steel springs to protect the passengers while traveling through rough roads. In the
seventeenth century, both of these issues were taken care of to a great extent. The classic carriage introduced in the seventeenth century was the berlin.
The berlin was first introduced in Germany in the year 1660. It was an intricately designed carriage. The structure was passenger-centric and tried to offer comfort. It was simple, yet satisfying. Using either door on both sides of the carriage, the passengers would enter a compartment covered by a protective roof. This compartment allowed four passengers at a time and had glass windows.
In the early seventeenth century, passengers often felt uncomfortable because of the jumps and bumps on rough roads. The berlin was constructed keeping this problem in mind. The main body (or passenger’s compartment) was suspended from the framework of the carriage using leather straps. This smart suspension structure absorbed the shocks and offered a comfortable ride. The framework of a berlin included a perch for the coachman and chassis rails. Furthermore, an extended rear seat was available for the footman. Footmen were the driver’s helpers; they kept an eye on the road, ensuring a safe ride.
Public Buses - Mass Transportation
The first vehicle for mass transportation was the public bus, which was introduced in the seventeenth century. It was a horse-drawn vehicle with an enclosed compartment, roof, and rear-hooded seats. The passengers were allowed to sit in either of these spots. Public buses were larger in size. They ran according to predetermined schedules and routes. The fare was also fixed according to the seating arrangements. However, these buses were not a successful medium for transportation. They were slow in speed, always crowded, and if you desired to sit in the enclosed compartment, they were extremely expensive.
Wagons - Vehicles For Goods
Wagons resembled carriages, but they were generally used for transporting goods. Wagons were spacious and durable, and thus they allowed easy and secure transportation of goods. In the seventeenth century, wagons were open and a bit inconvenient for passengers. They were rectangular in structure and comparatively heavier than carriages.
Man-drawn Vehicles Vehicles popular In The 17th Century
Manual labor was the mantra in the seventeenth century. The world was still waiting for the industrial revolution and poverty was eating up the population. Drawing vehicles for transportation purposes was a strong profession for earning a livelihood. Not only animals, but humans were also employed to draw vehicles.
Sedan Chair
This was a light-weight, two-wheeled cart drawn by laborers. The sedan chair was a small-sized vehicle suitable for only one passenger. Earlier sedan chairs were constructed without a roof. But after the introduction of the berlin, an enclosed compartment with glass windows was added to the sedan chair. This added to the weight of the vehicle and further reduced speed and efficiency. However, the sedan chair with an enclosed compartment was comfortable for exclusive passengers. These were used for traveling short distances only. For long distances, horse-drawn carriages were preferred as they were much faster.
Carts For Goods
Certain people couldn’t afford an animal-drawn vehicle. People could not even afford to travel through public transportation. Thus, some lower-class people were forced to draw their own carts and deliver goods on their own. Large-sized, two-wheeled carts that were suitable for transporting goods were used by poor people to transport their supplies to the market.
Traveling was the luxury of wealthy people only. The lower class rarely traveled out of town for entertainment purposes. Merchants were always traveling for sales and laborers traveled to reach their workplace. Transportation was a costly deal in the seventeenth century, thus people preferred to stay at home. In the seventeenth century, road transportation was a slow process. Though horses were used to increase efficiency, they also had their limits. It was the invention of the steam engine in the year 1698 that changed the face of transportation. If you imagine a seventeenth-century road, you would see a few open carriages mixed with some berlins with enclosed compartments drawn by horses. Along with horses, you would observe people drawing sedan chairs. You might also witness the large, crowded public buses being drawn by horses. Some farmers would be carrying their own two-wheeled carts while a wealthy gentleman might be enjoying the view through the glass window in a sedan chair.