Medici Florence was a magnet for craftsmanship from the Low Countries
Yesterday, Belgian newspaper De Standaard featured the migration research of SHOC members William Torbeyns and Bart Lambert, together with KU Leuven colleague Jelle Haemers.
Drawing on the membership registers of a migrant confraternity, they show that in the fifteenth century, hundreds of people from the Low Countries—men, women and children alike—made their way to Florence. These migrants came not only from major urban centres such as Ghent, Bruges and Brussels, but also from smaller towns like Peer, Diest and Herk-de-Stad.
Many found work in the Florentine linen industry, while others were active as bakers, barbers, and musicians.
Their study was published in BMGN – Low Countries Historical Review and is available in open access here: https://bmgn-lchr.nl/article/view/23149