Christiaan Huygens – A family affair - Proeven van Vroeger

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But if Y[our] H[ighness] deigns to gratify me with that public mark of his beneficence, that I offer him at his good pleasure, and of which I would hold the introduction as not done, if it displeases him; I will leave all other foreign consideration and I would estimate myself to be obliged of a new bond of service of his very-illustrious House for the number of days that I still have, and after me the children that God has given to me, and that through all the cares that are possible to me I cherish the same objective, and with the successes that make me hope that one day they will find themselves capable to let themselves know by their obeisance and fidelity […] 136 As Blom rightly points out, with the Stadholder’s consent from that moment on the family Huygens fully possessed the position of the princely secretary again and ‘incubated’ it during the years of hardship that were to come – the Stadholderless years (1650 – 1672) – until, with de Witt’s death in 1672, Constantijn Sr. managed to move the new Stadholder Willem III to appoint his son Constantijn Jr. (Christiaan Jr.’s brother) as the new secretary. 137 These “gifts” to Constantijn Sr. and his family as a whole – his appointment first as secretary and later as the sole secretary and the accepted survivance of the function within the family with Constantijn Jr.’s succession in the function – should be regarded as crucial to Huygens’s program for his and his family’s socio-professional fashioning. The link and “love” between the prince and his family – i.e. his family’s servitude to the princely patron – was tightened with every gesture of the prince. For instance: the donation of a racehorse in September 1633, 138 or the gift of the membership of the Estates Council of the Oranges in 1630. The latter function gave Constantijn Sr. an endowment of another f 1,000; shared supervision over the domain and possessions of the Oranges and another platform for political 136 Ibid. p159. “Mais si V. A. daigne me gratifier de ceste marque publique de sa bienvueillance, que je luy propose soubs son bon plaisir, et dont je tiendray l’ouverture pour non faicte, si elle luy desplaist, je lairray là toute autre imagination estrangere et m’estimeray obligé d’un nouveau lien au service de sa tres-illustre Maison pour le nombre de jours qui me rest, et après moy les enfans que Dieu m’a donnez, et que par tous les soings qui me sont possibles je nourris à mesme dessein, et aveq des succes qui me font esperer qu’un jour ils se trouveront capables de faire cognoistre par leur obeïsance et fidelité, qu’ils ne degenerent point de celuy qui ne veult cognoistre de plus haulte condition que d’estre reputé toute sa vie.” 137 HUYGENS, C. & BLOM, F. R. E. (2003) Mijn leven verteld aan mijn kinderen in twee boeken (De vita propria sermonum inter liberos), Amsterdam, Prometheus., p15 138 HOFMAN, H. A. (1983) Constantine Huygens (1596-1687) : a christian-humanist bourgeois-gentilhomme in service of the House of Orange, Utrecht, HES Uitgevers., p168. In this same year, Huygens received the “toezicht op de opvoeding van de commandeur van Buren, jhr. Frederik van Nassau, heer van Zuylestein (bastard-son of the Prince) “als jonge man werd hij naar Parijs gezonden om daar frans, paarrijden, schermen enz. Tot in de perfectie te leren. Huygens correspondeerde met hem en zijn leermeesters.” HOFMAN, H. A. (1983) Constantine Huygens (1596-1687) : a christian-humanist bourgeoisgentilhomme in service of the House of Orange, Utrecht, HES Uitgevers., p168-9 44
advice to the Stadholder. 139 This extra tie to the House of Orange proved vital when there was no longer a Stadholder to serve in the Stadholderless period and thus no secretary needed, because it was in this period that the Oranges, more than ever, needed their Council to protect their possessions and their crucial Principality of Orange against the aggressive geographical politics of Louis XIV (see Chapter VI, section ii). 140 The Princes of Orange, like other aristocratic rulers in Europe, could safely attract ambitious courtiers to their core of power. The social elevation of the Huygens family was at least partly dependent on the incubation of a public function within the family, as was the social mobility of other upper-bourgeois families. This contrasted with the old, established nobility that had an independent status and could thus pose a threat to the ruler. Paradoxically, though courtiers like the Huygens could grow socially, they would never be able to acquire a status that would bring the position of the ruler in danger. In other words, as a relationship of dependency existed between courtier and ruler, the latter could control the former and limit his possibilities. Huygens validated the social and economic possibilities of courtly love, the princes appreciated its restrictions too. b. Following the example of the old Dutch, French, German and English nobility and putting Van Aerssen’s adage “that good meat hardly knows itself appreciated without a sauce” 141 to work, Constantijn Sr. obtained several lordships and titles. Constantijn Sr. was knighted in England by James I, as we have seen, and later, in 1633 at the French Court by Louis XIII through the brokerage of Henri de Beringhen – the King’s First Knight – he was made a knight in the Order of Saint Michel. Huygens was given the right to carry a golden lily on a blue field in his armament, an important sign of stature. 142 Of equal strategic worth, though coming at considerably higher price, was Huygens’s getting hold of different lordships and their connected titles, and the building of two prominent houses – one at the central Plein in The Hague and the other a ‘retraite’ at Voorburg. 139 MÖRKE, O. (1997) The Orange Court as a Centre of Political and Social Life during the Republic IN KEBLUSEK, M., ZIJLMANS, J. & MUSEUM, H. H. (Eds.) Princely display: the court of Frederik Hendrik of Orange and Amalia van Solms. The Hague; Zwolle, Historical Museum; Waanders., p61 140 HOFMAN, H. A. (1983) Constantine Huygens (1596-1687) : a christian-humanist bourgeois-gentilhomme in service of the House of Orange, Utrecht, HES Uitgevers., p168. Huygens, by that time chair of the Council (since 1654), played a central role in this conflict. 141 Quoted in: Ibid., p65. 142 STRENGHOLT, L., HUYGENS, C. & HEER, A. R. E. D. (1987) Constanter: het leven van Constantijn Huygens, Amsterdam, Querido., p60. HUYGENS, C. (1911) BW., Vol. I, xlix. Even after Louis XIV cleaned up the list of Knights later on, Huygens kept his position high on the list. 45
Page 1 and 2: Christiaan Huygens - A family affai
Page 3 and 4: Abstract Christiaan Huygens - A fam
Page 5 and 6: present-day patent (the monopoly on
Page 7 and 8: Court, Constantijn Sr. requested th
Page 9 and 10: court, diplomacy and natural philos
Page 11 and 12: II. A “Grand Tour” de Force in
Page 13 and 14: opportunity to see the world, learn
Page 15 and 16: A same strategic use of his musical
Page 17 and 18: Constantijn’s objective - putting
Page 19 and 20: authorities out- and inside the Rep
Page 21 and 22: Barendrecht argues, the foreign min
Page 23 and 24: Constantijn Sr. may have encountere
Page 25 and 26: patronage of different ambassadors
Page 27 and 28: could be employed in that context v
Page 29 and 30: involved social and material benefi
Page 31 and 32: Council of States (Raad van State)
Page 33 and 34: From Huygens’s defense it shows t
Page 35 and 36: “honesty”), thus inviting the r
Page 37 and 38: this constituted but a relative sma
Page 39 and 40: 1627 to approximately f 300.000 in
Page 41 and 42: Orange - which itself in turn showe
Page 43: correspondence with and poems for h
Page 47 and 48: Post) by its natural inclusion in t
Page 49 and 50: Amongst the highest of the bourgeoi
Page 51 and 52: In many ways, Constantijn Sr. was p
Page 53 and 54: and England refused the diplomatic
Page 55 and 56: knowledge of the natural sciences.
Page 57 and 58: Constantijn Sr. used in his writing
Page 59 and 60: make “dry” matter more interest
Page 61 and 62: emphasized by Erasmus and Castiglio
Page 63 and 64: the seemingly dominant position for
Page 65 and 66: prominent role in the rest of their
Page 67 and 68: within the Dutch aristocracy throug
Page 69 and 70: Importantly, Constantijn Sr. made s
Page 71 and 72: applications he would later give th
Page 73 and 74: Marquis de Chambonière, Vicquefort
Page 75 and 76: donated his books to many of his no
Page 77 and 78: Christiana presented his evidence o
Page 79 and 80: VI. Zulekoms at Court Three galas i
Page 81 and 82: the father’s plans for Christiaan
Page 83 and 84: It seems likely that the father sti
Page 85 and 86: the summer of 1655 - first to Paris
Page 87 and 88: laudatory verse of Constantijn Sr.
Page 89 and 90: and sharing them with his brothers.
Page 91 and 92: appearances. Widely available and m
Page 93 and 94: than its literary value, may explai
Page 95 and 96:
VII. The Business of Instruments -
Page 97 and 98:
at many points the whole family Huy
Page 99 and 100:
ii. Making and distributing instrum
Page 101 and 102:
England in November 1658 346 and wa
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clocks. 357 Generally, the role of
Page 105 and 106:
moment for these events. 363 As Huy
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the Zulichems, Father and Son: all
Page 109 and 110:
from a repentant Petit himself, he
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VIII. Patronage and its Privileges
Page 113 and 114:
You have acted wisely by not awaiti
Page 115 and 116:
texts and inventions did vary a gre
Page 117 and 118:
getting a privilege with the French
Page 119 and 120:
operation” of Constantijn Sr. and
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observations. It is not true that C
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Appendix A The following list of bo
Page 125 and 126:
Appendix B The following list of bo
Page 127 and 128:
Folios - imprints of palaces, garde
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dans l’histoire………………
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BRUGMANS, H. L. & HUYGENS, C. (1935
Page 133 and 134:
KAISER, F. (1846) Iets over de kijk
Page 135:
SLIVE, S. & REMBRANDT HARMENSZOON V
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Christiaan Huygens – A family affair - Proeven van Vroeger

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