The Van Der Meulen and Della Faille Families in the Dutch Revolt a Disser
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UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Family in Revolt: The Van der Meulen and Della Faille Families in the Dutch Revolt A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in History by James Robert Sadler, Jr 2015 © Copyright by James Robert Sadler, Jr 2015 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Family in Revolt: The Van der Meulen and Della Faille Families in the Dutch Revolt By James Robert Sadler, Jr Doctor of Philosophy in History University of California, Los Angeles, 2015 Professor Margaret Jacob, Chair Through an analysis of thousands of letters, account books, lawsuits, and testaments left by two prominent merchant families from Antwerp, this dissertation investigates the strategies used by kin to maintain and refashion social structures disrupted by the Dutch Revolt, early modern capitalism, and the life-cycle of families. The marriage of Daniel van der Meulen and Hester della Faille in 1584 connected two sibling groups who were divided in their political and religious allegiances. This dissertation traces the lives of the two sibling groups from the time that they entered into marriages and began careers as merchants in the 1560s until the last years of their lives in the second decade of the seventeenth century. - ii - In the face of multiple forces pulling the siblings apart, the Van der Meulens and Della Failles constructed an ideal of a united house centered around the tight bonds of siblings and radiating out to collateral kin. The transition of power and property from the generation of the parents to a group of siblings acted as the primary test of siblings bonds. The tensions between horizontal kin and interest in the preservation of patrimony created tension in relations among siblings. For their entire lives, the Della Faille siblings struggled to administer and divide the vast capital left by their father, Jan della Faille de Oude. The Van der Meulens proved more able to live together in harmony, constructing an image of family bonds strengthened through exile. Though often divided by religious, political, and personal divisions, the siblings perceived the bonds of kinship to be eternal. The experience of the Van der Meulen and Della Faille siblings provides an opportunity to examine the intertwined nature of private-order solutions and institutions in early modern trade. This dissertation argues that sibling groups constituted the core of the increasingly global networks of exchange at the end of the sixteenth century. However, trust among siblings did not flourish naturally. The creation of trust and friendship between siblings depended upon hierarchical family structures fortified—but also mediated—through affection and exchanges of gifts, favors, capital, and credit. - iii - The Dissertation of James Robert Sadler, Jr is approved. Peter Arnade Teofilo Ruiz David Sabean Margaret Jacob, Committee Chair University of California, Los Angeles 2015 - iv - To family and friends - v - Table of Contents Abstract ii List of Figures xiii List of Tables xiv Acknowledgements xv Vita xix Introduction 1 1. Fission and Fusion in Sibling Relationships 8 2. Long-Distance Trade in Early Modern Europe 14 3. Kinship in Early Modern Europe 19 4. Context: Antwerp’s Golden Age and the Dutch Revolt 26 A. The Economy of Antwerp and the Low Countries to 1566 27 B. The Dutch Revolt and the Fall of Antwerp in 1585 35 C. Division of the Low Countries and the Growth of Amsterdam 43 5. Sources 47 6. Overview of Chapters 55 Chapter 1: The Correspondence Networks of Marten della Faille and 63 Daniel van der Meulen 1. Introduction: Merchant Letters and Netherlandish Merchants 63 2. The Correspondence Collections 69 3. Marten della Faille’s Correspondence Network 73 A. The Trade of Marten della Faille 73 B. Overview of Marten’s Letter Book 74 C. Geography of Marten’s Correspondence Network 80 4. Daniel van der Meulen’s Correspondence Network, 1578–1591 85 - vi - A. Overview of Daniel’s Correspondence Network 85 B. Before August 1584 94 C. Representative to the States General, 1584–1585 96 D. Bremen Period, 1585–1591 97 5. Leiden Period, 1591–1600 107 A. Trade, 1592–1600 110 B. Germany 115 C. Italy 118 D. France 120 E. England 123 F. New Areas 124 G. Holland and Zeeland 126 H. Northern Low Countries Outside of Holland and Zeeland 136 I. Southern Low Countries 137 J. Overview of Daniel’s Network after 1591 139 6. Conclusion: Comparison of the Networks of Marten and Daniel 140 Chapter 2: The Widower Jan de Oude: Marriage and the Maternal 147 Inheritance of the Della Faille Siblings 1. Introduction: Death of Cornelia van der Capellen 147 A. Marriage and Inheritance 151 2. Marriages of Jan de Oude’s Children 155 A. Marriages of Anna and Maria 155 B. Marriages of Caro 158 C. Marriages of Steven 162 D. Godparents of Jan de Oude’s Grandchildren 171 - vii - 3. Maternal Inheritance of the Della Faille Siblings 176 A. The Maternal Inheritance of Hester and Cornelia, 1569–1578 176 B. The Maternal Inheritance of Jan, Carlo, and Marten to 1569 180 C. The Maternal Inheritance of Jan and Carlo, 1569–1575 183 D. Lawsuits of Jan and Carlo, 1575 190 E. Marten’s Accumulation of Wealth, 1569-1578 198 F. The Maternal Inheritance of Anna, Jacques, 202 and Steven, 1575–1578 4. Conclusion 205 Chapter 3: The Marriage of Daniel van der Meulen and Hester della Faille: 207 Family, Emotions, and the Fall of Antwerp 1. Introduction 207 2. Marriages of the Van der Meulen Siblings 210 3. Courtship and the Siege of Antwerp 215 4. A Wedding 226 5. Marriage 231 6. Siege and Friendship 241 7. Conclusion: The Fall of Antwerp 245 Chapter 4: The Testaments of Jan della Faille de Oude and Elizabeth Zeghers: 249 Inheritance and the Structuring of Sibling Relationships 1. Introduction 249 2. Context of the Testaments 254 3. Structure of the Testaments 259 4. Bequests 263 A. Bequests of Elizabeth Zeghers 264 B. Bequests of Jan della Faille de Oude 265 - viii - C. Bequests to the Poor 267 D. Statistics 269 E. Bequests to Non-Kin 273 F. Bequests to Kin 276 5. Inheritance 288 A. The Van der Meulen Inheritance 291 B. The Della Faille Inheritance 300 6. Conclusion 314 Chapter 5: The Estate of Jan de Oude: Accounting and the 319 Inheritance of the Della Failles Siblings 1. Introduction 319 A. Accounting for the Capital of Jan de Oude 322 2. The States of 1583 and 1594 328 3. Accounting for the Estate in 1583 333 4. Size and Development of the Inheritance, 1583–1594 338 A. The State of 26 December 1583 339 B. The State of 31 December 1594 353 5. Disbursement of the Inheritance, 1583–1594 357 A. Disbursements before 26 December 1583 358 B. Disbursements after 26 December 1583 364 C. Liquidation of the Branch in London 369 6. Examples of Disbursements: Steven and Hester 382 A. Steven 383 B. Hester 387 7. Conclusion 398 - ix - Chapter 6: Divided Siblings: Lawsuits over the Creation of a State and Inventory 403 1. Introduction 403 2. Judgment of Antwerp Magistrates, 27 October 1584 408 3. Jan against Marten in Antwerp, 1586 416 4. Carlo against Jacques 423 5. Daniel against Jan 432 A. 1585 433 B. The Creation of a State by Hendrick van Uffelen 437 6. Carlo against Marten in Brabant 441 7. Conclusion 450 Chapter 7: A Good Son, A Good Father: Friendship and Enmity 453 between Marten, Jacques, and Daniel 1. Introduction 453 2. Background to the Trade of the Della Faille in London 458 3. London, 1583 461 4. A Good Father and a Good Son: The Ideal of a United Family 472 5. London, 1586–1587 484 6. Unbrotherly Feelings 497 7. Friendship and Alliance, 1588–1594 506 8. The Estate Comes to a Bitter End, 1615-1617 513 9. Conclusion 520 Chapter 8: “How pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity”: 523 Family and Exile in the Dutch Revolt 1. Introduction 523 2. Paternal Bonds of Affection 530 - x - 3. Anxiety of Exile 535 4. Death of a Mother 541 5. Republic of Siblings 555 6. A Future Together 563 7. Conclusion 569 Conclusion 572 Appendix A: The Della Faille and Van der Meulen Families 584 On Names 584 Historiography of the Della Faille and Van der Meulen Families 585 1. The Della Faille Family 585 A. Jan della Faille de Oude, c. 1515 to 8 November 1582 585 B. Jan della Faille, c. 1542 to 26 March 1618 587 C. Anna della Faille, c. 1543 to 16 October 1622 588 D. Marten della Faille, c. 1544–1545 to 17 February 1620 589 E. Carlo della Faille, c. 1546 to 13 June 1617 591 F. Jacques della Faille, c. 1549–1550 to 24 October 1615 592 G. Steven della Faille, c. 1550 to 3–5 October 1621 594 H. Maria della Faille, 2 February 1555 to 25 February 1578 595 I. Hester della Faille, c. 1558–1559 to 28 May 1643 596 J. Cornelia della Faille, c. 1562–1566 to 27 November 1582 597 2. The Van der Meulen Family 598 A. Jan van der Meulen, Before 1520 to c. 1563 598 B. Elizabeth Zeghers, c. 1520 to 17 June 1587 599 C. Anna van der Meulen, c. 1544–1546 to unknown 600 D. Jean van der Meulen, c. 1547–1548 to November 1576 602 - xi - E. Andries van der Meulen, c. 1549 to 12 January 1611 603 F. Sara van der Meulen, c. 1552–1553 to April 1618 605 G. Daniel van der Meulen, 23 October 1554 to 25 July 1600 606 H. Maria van der Meulen, c.