Christiaan Huygens – A family affair - Proeven van Vroeger

Recommendations

Info

twenty years before Constantijn Jr. actually was allowed to carry this title. 213 Marriage was also a family matter, which can be seen clearly in the case of Constantijn Jr.’s engagement with a rich merchant’s daughter of lower social background. Christiaan Jr.’s opinion, shared by his sister Susanna, was that “[w]hen I will be asked for my view, I will say it freely and hold always that my brother should aspire to an alliance more considerable and useful, and that otherwise he will be very bad at ease with the rent of those 40 thousand livres.” The money was not much during their father’s lifetime, and it was insensible to marry such a low-ranked girl. 214 In a way, it is remarkable that teamwork existed despite the father’s seeming dominion and the high ambitions that were shared within the family. Also, the whole family was dependent on the financial support of Constantijn Sr. for many years. It was not until 1663, when Christiaan Jr. was thirty-four, that, through a gratuity of the King of France (see Chapter VIII), he began to get his own income. Until at least 1666, when Christiaan Jr. received an income for his role in the Académie des Sciences, Christiaan Jr., like his brothers, had to rely on his father’s wallet and approval. 215 “Il Padre,” or “Signor Padre,” as Constantijn Sr. was called either lovingly or teasingly, gave his sons a reasonable monthly payment, yet this had the consequence that hardly any extra money could be spent without their father’s consent. Nonetheless, the correspondence hardly betrays any significant frictions on this point. 216 Constantijn Sr. gave his sons an education and upbringing devised to create little erudite courtiers. The boys were prepared for diplomacy and public service through a thorough training in classics, a variety of contemporary languages, music, poetry and sports. Constantijn Sr. aimed to secure his family’s survivance by training his sons’ comportment, composure and judgment. By his supervision of the educational process of his sons and his 213 Ibid., Vol. I, No. 72 – Christiaan Jr. to Constantijn Jr. (Feb. 8, 1650); No. 73 (Feb. 12, 1650); No. 75 – Constantijn Jr. to Christiaan Jr. (Feb. 23, 1650) 214 “Quand on me demandera mon avis je le diray librement et soutiendray tousjours que le frere devroit aspirer a quelque alliance plus considerable et plus utile, et qu’il sera d’ailleurs tresmal a son aise avec la rente de ces 40 mille livres et ce qu’il apportera de son costè, qui durant la vie de Pere ne sera pas grand chose.” My translation. In: Ibid., Vol. V, No. 1214 – Christiaan to Lodewijk (22 Feb. 1664); No. 1217 – Susanna to Christiaan Jr. (Feb. 28, 1664) 215 Till late in his life, Christiaan asks the advice and permission of his father for certain things. On his leave to Paris: Oeuvres, Vol. III, No. 834 (Feb. 4, 1661); Vol. IV, No. 1155 (Oct. 19, 1663), Vol. IV, No. 1161 – Christiaan Jr. to Constantijn Jr. (Nov. 2, 1663). Asking money for wigs – Vol. V, No. 1419 – Christiaan Jr. to Lodewijk (Jun. 15, 1665). 216 For Christiaan Jr., instruments were costly business (see Chapter VII, section ii): HUYGENS, C. (1888) OC., Vol. IV, No. 996 (Mar. 15, 1662); Vol. V, No. 1250 (Aug. 8, 1664). Negotiations for a raise did not always work out: HUYGENS, C. (1888) OC., Vol. V, No. 1223 – Christiaan Jr. to Lodewijk (Mar. 28, 1664). On the other hand Constantijn Sr. could be generous without even being asked for it: HUYGENS, C. (1888) OC., Vol. V, No. 1198 (Jan. 3, 1664). 64
prominent role in the rest of their upbringing, he could ensure that his sons came to see the family as central and came to realize their important future roles for the family. Despite his dominance, the sons cared about their father and reprimanded one another when needed, as this quote from a letter of Constantijn Jr. to Christiaan Jr. (thirty-four at that moment) shows: I do not see how you could withdraw yourself from there and leave il signor Padre alone and deprived of his whole progeny […] 217 217 HUYGENS, C. (1888) OC., Vol. V, No. 1206 – Constantijn Jr. to Christiaan (Jan. 17, 1664) “Je ne voy pas comment vous pourriez vous tirer de là et laisser il Signor Padre seul et desnué de toute sa progenie […].” My translation. 65
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 and 44: correspondence with and poems for h
Page 45 and 46: advice to the Stadholder. 139 This
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: the seemingly dominant position for
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
Page 103 and 104: clocks. 357 Generally, the role of
Page 105 and 106: moment for these events. 363 As Huy
Page 107 and 108: the Zulichems, Father and Son: all
Page 109 and 110: from a repentant Petit himself, he
Page 111 and 112: 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
Page 121 and 122:
observations. It is not true that C
Page 123 and 124:
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
Page 129 and 130:
dans l’histoire………………
Page 131 and 132:
BRUGMANS, H. L. & HUYGENS, C. (1935
Page 133 and 134:
KAISER, F. (1846) Iets over de kijk
Page 135:
SLIVE, S. & REMBRANDT HARMENSZOON V
show all

Christiaan Huygens – A family affair - Proeven van Vroeger

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?