Lisbon's Flemish and Dutch Community (15th to 18th Century): some notes on their history and wealth

Abstract

Lisbon city was the common homeland of many nations in the Early Modern period. This paper studies the signs of the Flemish / Dutch presence in the Portuguese capital, between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries, a presence with important contributions to Portuguese civil and military technology, cultural life and specially with an active role in the Trade between Portugal and northern Europe of Overseas products (initially sugar, chilli, pastel, and afterwards «Pau-Brasil», tobacco and diamonds), as well as more traditional products, such as wine and salt. It was a community that despite the periods of diplomatic and military contingency in the sixteenth and seventeenth century (after the closure of the Portuguese factory in Antwerp and the religious wars), maintained a continuous presence in Lisbon, becoming noticed either by their wealth, marked by important urban noble houses and countryside manor houses in the outskirts, the direct exploitation of marine salt, their social organization around Lisbon’s Flemish fraternity and the 2nd generation connection with some of the wealthiest local families thus replicating the Portuguese social patterns.