Gillis Hooftman van Eyckelberg, (; 1521 – 19 January 1581,

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

) was a Dutch merchant, trader, banker, and shipbuilder from the

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. Hooftman was one of richest men of his time in the prosperous city of

, the trading center of the

Spanish Netherlands The Spanish Netherlands (; ; ; ) (historically in Spanish: , the name "Flanders" was used as a '' pars pro toto'') was the Habsburg Netherlands ruled by the Spanish branch of the Habsburgs from 1556 to 1714. They were a collection of States of t ...

Life and work

Gillis Hooftman was the son of Erken (Arnold) Arnt Hauptmann (d. 1545), a bailiff of the Lathof in the Stockem neighborhood of Eupen, and of Tryntgen (Katharina) Hoesch. The family originated from the

Rhineland The Rhineland ( ; ; ; ) is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly Middle Rhine, its middle section. It is the main industrial heartland of Germany because of its many factories, and it has historic ties to the Holy ...

, and its earlier name of ''Eichelberg'' was changed to a Limburger form, van Eyckelberg. A fiefdom in Eupen-Stockem named after Hauptmann, as is the "Hauptmann Column" was erected to help travelers find their way through the marshlands of the High Fens. The international trade in

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

was the key to the success of his trading house. His business contacts reached as far as Russia, and eventually Hooftman was in a position to purchase several trading vessels. Sources state that Hooftman may have owned more than 100 ships at his peak. These ships sailed to ports in the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...

, and also pioneered Dutch trading with ports of the

Arctic Ocean The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five oceanic divisions. It spans an area of approximately and is the coldest of the world's oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, ...

, and North Africa. By 1559, Hooftman had become one of the richest men in Antwerp, and was living on the "Steenstraat", near the Het Steen fortress. In 1578 he bought the "Pulhof" quarter in Berchem, and in 1580, he acquired the Van Affinghem Abbey's retreat in the Mattestraat. That same year he also acquired the Cleydael Castle, and became the Landlord of Cleydael and

Aartselaar Aartselaar (, old spelling: ''Aertselaer'') is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality located in the Belgium, Belgian province of Antwerp (province), Antwerp. The municipality only comprises the town of Aartselaar proper. In 2021, Aartselaar ha ...

. He became active in local politics, and for many years, he was a member of the Antwerp City Council.

Family

Hooftman married three times. Hooftman married firstly Maria Petitpas with no issue. Hooftman married secondly his niece Anna van Achterhout (died 1562), the daughter of his brother Heinrich, with issue 4 children including: * Johanna Hooftman (1555–97) who married the cloth merchant Antonio Anselmo. Martin de Vos painted portraits of the couple, which appear in the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium in

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

. On 14 February 1568 in Antwerp Cathedral, Hooftman married thirdly Margaretha van Nispen (1545–1598), a sister of

Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens ( ; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish painting, Flemish artist and diplomat. He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque tradition. Rubens' highly charged comp ...

' brother-in-law, with issue 7 children including: * Anna Hooftman who married firstly the financier Sir Horatio Palavicino (1540–1600) and secondly, as a widow, Sir Oliver Cromwell (cir 1562–1655, the uncle of the Lord Protector) *Beatrice Eichelberg Hooftman (died 1644) who married Philips de Soete de Laecke, Heer van Villers On 19 January 1581, Hooftman died at Antwerp.

References

* Willi Berens: ''Ein großer Eupener: Gillis Hooftman'' In: Eupener Geschichts- und Museumsverein (Hrsg.): ''Geschichtliches Eupen.'' Band II. Markus-Verlag, Eupen 1968. pp. 56–81

Notes

External links

Kurzbiografie
- A brief biography

Deux Médailles à l'Effigie de l'Armateur Anversois Gillis Hooftman
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hooftman, Gillis 16th-century Dutch businesspeople 1521 births 1581 deaths Dutch bankers Businesspeople from Antwerp People of the Eighty Years' War Dutch merchants