Herman Frans Anna baron Van der Wee (born 10 July 1928) is a Belgian economic historian. He was a full professor of social and economic history at the

KU Leuven KU Leuven (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) is a Catholic research university in the city of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. Founded in 1425, it is the oldest university in Belgium and the oldest university in the Low Countries. In addition to its mai ...

from 1969 to 1993. The academic output of Van der Wee spans economic history, the

history of banking The history of banking began with the first prototype banks, that is, the merchants of the world, who gave grain loans to farmers and traders who carried goods between cities. This was around 2000 BCE in Assyria, India and Sumer. Later, in a ...

, financial history. He has performed research on the period from the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

to the present time. Geographically he has performed broad research as well, looking into

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 ...

, Belgium, the

Low Countries The Low Countries (; ), historically also known as the Netherlands (), is a coastal lowland region in Northwestern Europe forming the lower Drainage basin, basin of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta and consisting today of the three modern "Bene ...

, Europe and the world.

Career

Van der Wee was born on 10 July 1928 in Lier to Jos Van der Wee and Martha Planckaert. He began studying law at the

Catholic University of Leuven University of Leuven or University of Louvain (; ) may refer to: * Old University of Leuven (1425–1797) * State University of Leuven (1817–1835) * Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) * Katholieke Universiteit Leuven or KU Leuven (1968 ...

in 1945. In 1949, he obtained a degree in philosophy. In 1950 he obtained his

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

in law. He earned a further degree in social and political studies in 1951. In 1963, he obtained his doctorate in history with a thesis titled: "The Growth of the Antwerp Market and the European Economy, fourteenth-sixteenth centuries." His doctoral advisor was . In 1955 Van der Wee became a lecturer at the Catholic University of Leuven. From 1956 to 1963 Van der Wee worked for the factory of his father-in-law. Which allowed him to develop further insight into the practicalities of economic life. During this period the later politician Frank Vandenbroucke worked for two years as his assistant. In 1966, he became associate professor at the Catholic University of Leuven and the next year he obtained a position as professor. By 1969, he was named full professor social and economic history at the

. Van der Wee was first employed primarily by the Faculty of Economics, but in 1977 this was expanded to include the Faculty of History. Van der Wee took up emeritus status in 1993. At the university, a fund was set up in his name to support the internationalization of multidisciplinary research projects. Van der Wee was President of the International Economic History Association between 1986 and 1990. The academic interest of Van der Wee spans the period from the

to the present time. Geographically he has studied

, Belgium, the

, Europe and the world. He has performed research in the areas of economic history, the

, financial history.

Honours and awards

Van der Wee was elected a member of the

Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts The Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts (, , abbr. KVAB) is an independent learned society of science and arts of the Flemish Community in Belgium. It is one of Belgium's numerous academies and traces its origin to 1772 when ...

in 1977. He was elected a foreign member of the

Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (, KNAW) is an organization dedicated to the advancement of science and literature in the Netherlands. The academy is housed in the Trippenhuis in Amsterdam. In addition to various advisory a ...

in 1984. He was elected Corresponding Fellow of the

British Academy The British Academy for the Promotion of Historical, Philosophical and Philological Studies is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences. It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the sa ...

in 1987. Van der Wee was one of the founding members of the

Academia Europaea The Academia Europaea is a pan-European Academy of humanities, letters, law, and sciences. The Academia was founded in 1988 as a functioning Europe-wide Academy that encompasses all fields of scholarly inquiry. It acts as co-ordinator of Europe ...

in 1988. In 1993 he was elected international honorary member of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

. In 1995 he became a Corresponding Fellow of the

Royal Historical Society The Royal Historical Society (RHS), founded in 1868, is a learned society of the United Kingdom which advances scholarly studies of history. Origins The society was founded and received its royal charter in 1868. Until 1872 it was known as the H ...

. In 1992 Van der Wee won the Dr A. H. Heineken Prize for History, awarded by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, for his work in economic history. In 1994 he was knighted by King

Albert II of Belgium Albert II (born 6 June 1934) is a member of the Belgian royal family who reigned as King of the Belgians from 9 August 1993 until his abdication on 21 July 2013. Albert II is the son of King Leopold III and the last living child of Queen As ...

with the title of baron. Van der Wee was recipient of the 1995 Golden Medal of Honor of the

Flemish Parliament The Flemish Parliament (Dutch language, Dutch: , formerly called Flemish Council or ''Vlaamse Raad'') constitutes the legislature, legislative power in Flanders for matters which fall within the competence of Flanders, both as a geographic reg ...

. He received an honorary degree from the

University of Leicester The University of Leicester ( ) is a public university, public research university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park, Leicester, Victoria Park. The university's predecessor, Univ ...

in 1995.

Personal life

Van der Wee married fellow history student Monique Verbreyt in 1954. Van der Wee has two children. Their daughter, Barbara, is an architect.

References

External links

Profile at KU Leuven
{{DEFAULTSORT:Van der Wee, Herman 1928 births Living people Belgian barons 20th-century Belgian historians Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) alumni Academic staff of the Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) Corresponding fellows of the British Academy Economic historians Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Fellows of the Royal Historical Society Academic staff of KU Leuven Members of Academia Europaea Members of the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts Members of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences People from Lier, Belgium Winners of the Heineken Prize