History. ANTWERP. 13. Route. 169

Antwerp (26 ft.), French Anvers, Spanish Ambéres, with (1909)
326,300 inhab. (over 400,000 including the suburbs of Borgerhout
and Berchem), situated on the broad and deep Scheldt (Escaut),
55 M. from the sea, is one of the greatest seaports of Europe, serving
as an outlet for the commerce of Germany as well as of Belgium.
With the exception of a foreign colony of (1909) 46,800 persons
(48,300 Dutch and 12,000 Germans), the population is almost exclu-
ly Flemish. The name is possibly derived from ‘aan’t werp’
(i. e. ‘at the wharf’); comp. p. 477.

Our knowledge of Antwerp extends as far back as the 7th cent-

ury. In 836 it was destroyed by the Northmen. After about the
beginning of the 14th cent. Antwerp appears as the capital of a
margrayiate, established to protect the German frontier against the
powerful Counts of Flanders. The most celebrated margrave of Ant-
werp was God/rey de Bouillon. Its advantageous situation favoured
the development of the town; and its wealth greatly increased about
the close of the 15th cent., when the trade of Bruges was trans-
ferred hither (comp. p. 26), and when the discovery of the new
sea-routes enabled the Netherlands to monopolize a great part
of the transit-trade between Cadiz, Lisbon, and Central Europe.
Under the powerful protection of Emp. Charles Y. Antwerp was
perhaps the most prosperous and wealthy city on the continent, sur-
passing even Venice and Genoa. When at the height of its prosper-
ity it numbered 125,000 inhabitants (in 1568). At that period
vessels from every part of the world lay in the Scheldt, while a
hondred or more arrived and departed daily. The great fairs held
here attracted merchants from all parts of the civilised world. The
Florentine Guicciardini, an excellent authority in these matters
(p. xvi), records that in 1566 the spices and sugar imported from
Portugal were valued at 11/s million ducats (750,0007., an enormous
sum according to the value of money at that period), silk and gold
embroideries from Italy 3 million, grain from the Baltic 1!/, million,
French and German wines 21/, million, and imports from England
{2 million ducats. Upwards of a thousand foreign commercial firms
had established themselves at Antwerp, and one of the Fuggers, the
merchant-princes of Augsburg, died here leaving a fortune of over
2 million ducats. The Flemish manufactures (carpets, clothing-stuffs,
gold and silver wares) also enjoyed a high reputation after the begin-
ning of the 16th cent., and were exported from Antwerp to Arabia,
Persia, and India.

Antwerp’s decline began during the reign of Philip lI. After
the iconoclastic devastation of churches and convents in 1566 the
Duke of Alva’s courts of heresy banished thousands of the industrious
citizens, many of whom sought refuge in England, where they
established silk-factories and contributed greatly to stimulate

English commerce. Fearful havoc was committed by the cruel
Spanish soldiery in 1576 (‘Furie Espagnole’), when the city was

 

  
  

   

 
 

 

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