Os que ficam : comunidade portuguesa em Antuérpia, 1596 – 1606

This paper examines the presence of the Portuguese community in Antwerp, after the conquest of the city by the troops of Philip II and the embargo imposed on trade with the United Provinces of the Netherlands. From 1585 onwards, there is an increase in the migration of merchants to neighbouring cities, such as Amsterdam. In general, Portuguese historiography has payed particular attention to the Portuguese who leave Antwerp for new mercantile centres, and to their contribution to business in these new places. However, Antwerp retained some weight as a financial market, and several Portuguese merchants remained in the city. The chronology under study comprises two time slots: 1596 and 1606. The results of the analysis reveal that in this period there is an adaptation of their commercial practices, with new business opportunities. In Antwerp, we see how the Portuguese and Castilian empires intersect, and the way Portuguese merchants benefit from it. Based on information from notarial acts such as powers of attorney, bills of exchange, settlement briefs and wills, this work identifies merchants, their business partners, transit and trading places, different kinds of economic activities they carry out, but also whom they marry, their heirs, how their family ties are woven. The result is a socio-economic profile of the Portuguese community in Antwerp around the turn of the 16th century.