Dossier № 25: Borrowing money
Erfgoed Leiden, SA I, 381, f. 20v
Introduction
We imagine the Duke of Burgundy as a rich and powerful man. Powerful may be true, but rich? His servants had to knock on the doors of his subjects time and again to get more money. Especially in the turbulent period when the city of Ghent was in revolt (1449-1453), Duke Philip the Good was short of cash. This text makes it clear that the duke was so urgently in need of money that he sent his stadtholder out to borrow money from Leiden. The princely domains could serve as collateral, or the amount could be deducted from the next stipend. Leiden, however, was not that enthusiastic…
Physical Description
Paper register, described with a Gothic cursive.