Author: admin
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🏛️ Palace of Commerce reveals the hidden world behind the marble walls of Amsterdam’s seventeenth-century city hall. Enjoy the decorations in the Assurantiekamer, used to oversee maritime insurance, cargo damages, and average disputes. Full of iconography tied to shipping and the risks in maritime trade! 📖 Watch the trailer and sail along with Bob Wessels…
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🏛️Palace of Commerce takes you inside Amsterdam’s Royal Palace — once the seat of the city’s true rulers. In the seventeenth century, the Royal Palace was the eighth wonder of the world. Its central Citizen’s Hall reflects Amsterdam’s aspirations as a city of global significance, built on peace, justice, and pure economic strength. 📖 Watch…
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🏛️ Palace of Commerce takes you inside Amsterdam’s Royal Palace — once the seat of the city’s true rulers, whose actions had impact all over the world. In the seventeenth century, four powerful burgomasters governed a global empire from this very building. Backed by wealth, justice, and diplomacy, they shaped the Dutch Republic — and…
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🏛️ Palace of Commerce takes you inside Amsterdam’s Royal Palace — once the world’s most glorious city hall! In the seventeenth century, it was a magnificent center of governance, justice, and global commerce. Our book uncovers the hidden stories behind its marble walls — from merchant-regents to anonymous citizens. 📖 Watch the trailer and join…
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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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🌐 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…