Christiaan Huygens – A family affair - Proeven van Vroeger

IX. Conclusion
The aim of this thesis has been to question the persistent tension between the
scholarship surrounding Constantijn Huygens Sr. and that of his son, Christiaan Huygens Jr..
My conclusion is that much of this tension is the direct consequence of distinct disciplinary
foci and that extra attention needs to be paid to the broad intersection between these two
men’s life and work. Even though much of the connection between father and son lies in the
socio-political realm, its significance stretches out over different fields of study.
My starting position has been the awareness that both men, despite their differences,
had a lot in common. They shared the same house for decades, were part and parcel of the
same family and moved in much the same social milieus. Constantijn Sr., one of the Dutch
“national poets,” in fact put much more time in his work as the secretary to the Dutch
Stadholder than in writing poetry, and if he filled his empty hours with versifying, he often did
so with an eye on improving his social and professional contacts. Using the diplomatic network
of the Oranges, he sent his own works to connections at many courts and universities and later
sometimes added work of his son Christiaan Jr. He shared his great interest in the natural
sciences, music, poetry and the classical languages with his sons, providing Christiaan Jr. and
his brothers with an education at their home that was comparable to the educational program
he later administered for the young prince and future Stadholder Willem III. Constantijn Sr.’s
high socio-professional ambitions were not just a private matter – they were ambitions for his
whole family, each of his sons included.
Christiaan Jr., “the brilliant scientist,” had great interest in music, drawing, and also
wrote poetry. Raised in a family of diplomats, with an education steering in the direction of
diplomacy or another function in public service under an aristocratic ruler, Christiaan Jr.
abided by his father’s aspirations and was drawn in the diplomatic circles completely. While he
worked a substantial part of his time on the invention and development of scientific
instruments and did brilliant work in mathematics and astronomy, he also continuously moved
in the highest echelons of society, frequenting the houses of ambassadors and other high
diplomats in Paris, London and The Hague. He was introduced to courtiers and aristocrats
from all over Europe by his father and many of his journeys were also arranged for him by
Constantijn Sr..
At first sight it is easier to see the differences than the similarities between the two
Huygens, but their correspondence and career paths do not seem to warrant these primary
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