Author: admin
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🌐 As part of our research project on multilevel governance in medieval and early modern commercial cities, we are expanding our website with a series of short vignettes on the legal histories of key trading hubs. In each of these introductions we explore the organisation of urban governance in relation to the economy of the…
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In his seminal work, Cities of Commerce, Oscar Gelderblom has famously argued that urban competition was the driving force behind economically efficient institutions.[1] This blog post examines the different competitive strategies developed by the ‘great skippers’ guilds’ through their admission requirements and further regulations in Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Despite the crucial role of inland navigation,…
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📚 New Book: 𝗣𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲. 𝗔𝗺𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗱𝗮𝗺’𝘀 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗛𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗿𝘆 Step inside one of Amsterdam’s most iconic buildings and discover its hidden past! 𝘗𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦 unveils the fascinating history of the Royal Palace on Dam Square – originally built as Amsterdam’s City Hall during the Dutch Golden Age. Far from today’s serene marble halls, it…
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🌐 As part of our research project on multilevel governance in medieval and early modern commercial cities, Maurits den Hollander and I are expanding our website with a series of short vignettes on the legal histories of key trading hubs. In each of these introductions we explore the organisation of urban governance in relation to…
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Wednesday 26 March 2025, our team, joined by dr. Niels Fieremans (Universiteit Gent), organised a panel as part of the European Social Science History Conference 2025 at Leiden University. Titled ‘Urban Professionals and Commerce in the Low Countries, c. 1400-1700’, the panel united five papers focusing on various types of urban officials in cities of…
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The city of Amsterdam occupies a prominent role in our research. Two of our team members completed their PhD’s at the UvA, while both principal investigators used the city as case study for our own doctoral dissertations. Libraries have been written about the rise of the city on the Amstel as a global economic power.…
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Friday, 24th of January 2025, Maurits den Hollander and Marco in ‘t Veld organised a specialised workshop as a kick-off of their combined research project. The aim of the workshop was to explore the historical and legal dimensions of commission trade in early modern Europe. This much-neglected area of study offers rich insights into the…
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The concept of commission trade and the role of commission agents in early modern Europe presents a complex and often confusing narrative. Historians have struggled to define this crucial component of trade, as the boundaries between commission agents, brokers, factors, and other intermediaries were not always clearly demarcated. While the term ‘commission agent’ may seem…
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By the end of summer 2024, we received great news from Tilburg Law School. Our faculty accepted our proposal to receive a top-up grant for our collaborative research program ‘Multilevel Governance in Late Medieval and Early Modern Cities of Commerce’, which integrates both of our Starter Grant projects. Our personal interests and research have a…