The Dutch Textile Trade: Wool, Linen and a Golden Age Industry

In the shadow of the VOC and the Wisselbank, the Dutch Republic quietly dominated another global industry: textiles. This episode follows the rise of the Leiden lakenindustrie (cloth industry), where skilled weavers from the Southern Netherlands brought their craft after the fall of Antwerp. Lucas and Luna explore the brutal working conditions of the saaiwerkers (serge workers), the role of the Wisselbank in financing wool imports from Spain and England, and the stunning innovation of the 'Dutch loom' that cranked out fine cloth for markets from the Baltic to the Levant. They also examine the darker side: the Lakenhal (cloth hall) of Leiden became a symbol of prosperity built on low wages and a workforce that included orphans from the city's weeshuizen. With names like Pieter van der Werff, the city's burgemeester during the Spanish siege, and the Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie ordering uniforms by the thousands, this episode weaves together trade, labor, and technology in the making of a Golden Age.

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