From the late 15th century onward, the city of Antwerp experienced an enormous demographic and economic expansion and became the commercial metropolis of the West par excellence. Merchants from Portugal, Spain, England, Germany, and other parts of Europe settled in Antwerp and gave the city a cosmopolitan character. The rapid economic growth had far reaching consequences for the city’s social and cultural life. A limited number of merchants and bankers realized big fortunes and caused a highly polarized wealth structure. At the same time, the increasing prosperity created opportunities for a broad social middle group. The economic expansion greatly stimulated cultural and artistic activities. Foreigners visiting Antwerp were struck by the elaborated and laicized school system. The book printing industry boomed too, giving Antwerp a dominant position in the Low Countries. A similar evolution happened in the realm of the arts. A contemporary observed that the best artists moved to Antwerp and commented that “art prefers to be with abundance.” The cosmopolitan character of the city, the availability of books, and the high level of schooling created an openness and a critical attitude in religious matters and contributed to the rise of Protestantism. Furthermore, from 1566 onward Antwerp played a key role in the Netherlandish, or Dutch, Revolt. In 1585, however, rebellious Antwerp surrendered to the besieging Spanish army and quickly became a stronghold of the Counter-Reformation. The closure of the Scheldt River to navigation after 1585 notwithstanding, the Antwerp economy experienced an Indian summer in the first half of the 17th century thanks to the integration of commerce into the Iberian trade system. Furthermore, art production highly profited from the construction and redecoration of churches, turning Antwerp into an international center of baroque art. The history of Antwerp’s so-called Golden Age generated much historical research. While a focus on the economic and social aspects characterized the 1960s and 1970s, the history of art and culture has drawn considerable attention in the years since then.

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