Acknowledgements
This book is an adapted version of a dissertation defended at two universities (University of Exeter, UK and Vrije Universiteit Brussels, BE) in spring 2021. Compared to the original dissertation, the book has summarised the original first chapter in the introduction, as this was largely a literature review on the political-legal environment of the Low Countries. Moreover, the introduction and conclusion have been substantially revised for this publication, whilst the chapters themselves have largely remained as they were. For readability, I have substantially shortened footnotes in Chapters 3â6, omitting transcriptions of all the primary sourcework in the footnotes, except where the transcription was strictly necessary.
Since submitting the PhD, my insights have (inevitably) progressed further. For this, I would particularly like to thank my dissertation committee, consisting of Frederik Dhondt, Hester Schadee, Louis Sicking and Oscar Gelderblom, for the constructive discussion and feedback on the dissertation during the two defences. This has, without a doubt, further improved the original manuscript. The insights of the two anonymous peer reviewers offered useful feedback in terms of focus, sharpening up the overall argument. Presentations about (parts of) the manuscript, for example at the Institute of Historical Research in London, the International Maritime History Association conference in Porto an the World Economic History Congress in Paris, have also allowed me to incorporate new insights into this book.
In the acknowledgements of the dissertation, I already thanked at length those important in the development of the dissertation: my supervisors Maria Fusaro and Dave De ruysscher, all AveTransRisk members, and in particular Sabine Go, Marta GarcÃa Garralón, Lewis Wade, Jake Dyble and Antonio Iodice, for making the PhD journey both more fun and more bearable. At the VUB, Marco in ât Veld and Pieter de Reu also deserve a special mention. Of course, I cannot go without thanking my old-and-new mentor Cátia Antunes, who has consistently supported me in the past twelve years. At Brill, I thank Gerlina Harlaftis, as the series editor of the Studies in Maritime History, and Alessandra Giliberto, as the editor in charge of handling my proposal, for the smooth and efficient process of turning the dissertation into a book.
I dedicate this book to Suzanne, for her unwavering support and love.
Gijs Dreijer
The Hague, The Netherlands
August 2022