Christiaan Huygens – A family affair - Proeven van Vroeger

Despite Constantijn Sr.’s sprezzatura in matters of receiving gifts and establishing
wealth and social promotion, these issues were central pillars of Huygens’s life and work. His
ambitions in the professional and social realms were high, like his father’s, and the patronage
of the Prince of Orange enabled him to materialize these ambitions. Gifts were means of
strengthening the socio-economic bond between the ruler and his courtier – as gifts grew, so
did the bond, and vice versa.
iv. The love for three Oranges embodied; building a court
Constantijn Huygens Sr., however, was no passive consumer of the Prince’s gifts.
He supplemented his own social ambitions with ambitions for the House of Orange –
gaining trust from the ruler while at the same time increasing the ruler’s power and
influence. This final section on the relationship between Constantijn Sr. and the House of
Orange serves to show the closeness that Constantijn Sr. had to the consecutive Princes of
Orange, most notably Prince Frederik Hendrik. It also serves to enlighten the central role
that Constantijn Sr. had in the building of a full-fledged early modern court at The Hague, a
role that was made possible by his proximity to the prince. Constantijn Sr. had an
important hand in establishing a dynastic representation of the Oranges, a weighty factor
for the aristocratic family that lacked sovereignty within its territory.
Constantijn Sr.’s position with regard to his patrons, the Princes of Orange, Frederik
Hendrik in particular, was one of constant negotiation. The number of secretaries over the
years and the different princes fluctuated (see section i and iii of this chapter) and this seems to
have depended on the personality of these courtiers. Constantijn Sr. “survived” his colleague
Junius and obtained much influence and intimacy with the Princes Frederik Hendrik and
Willem II and the princess; Constantijn Jr., however, failed to attain a comparable trust-
relationship with Prince Willem III – this honor was reserved for the prince’s equerries. 150
Notwithstanding his ambitions, Constantijn Sr. was but of bourgeois background, which
makes his proximity to the Oranges unusual, a closeness that can be seen in the courtly
ceremonies and public appearances. 151
150 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
151 Closeness to the prince or princess was honorable. “[H]onourable places at table, honourable seats in
church, honourable positions in public processions” endowed people and their families with status –
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