Gillis de Greve

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Gillis de Greve (* around 1541 in Antwerp ; † September 13, 1604 in Hamburg ) was a Dutch merchant .

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Gillis de Greve was a Protestant Dutchman. During the time of the Spanish Netherlands , he left his country of birth due to Spanish pressure and emigrated to Hamburg around 1568. Here he traded with the Merchant Adventurers , from whom he bought sheets. In return, he supplied them with madder , flax , wool, canvas from Soltau , barchents from Upper Germany, Italian silk, Nuremberg aunt and steel, copper and lead. He also exported grain to Spain and Italy and sold timber imported from Denmark and Norway to the Iberian Peninsula . There he bought pepper, sugar, salt, ginger and other spices as well as precious stones, cork and canned olives.

De Greve, who owned a house in the town and a country estate in Billwerder , worked as a jurat at the Sankt Petri Church from 1596 . Since he felt obliged to charity, he co-founded the Dutch Poor Casse and took over its annual administration in 1589/90 and 1598/99. De Greve was one of the co-founders of the Hamburg orphanage , but he did not live to see it opened. The merchant made large donations to both institutions in his will.

Gillis de Greve was married to Marie, née van Haesdonck, who died in 1608. The two sons Jacob (1553–1636) and Johann (1586–1638), who were also considered generous donors, emerged from the marriage.

literature

personal data
SURNAME Greve, Gillis de
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Dutch merchant
DATE OF BIRTH around 1541
PLACE OF BIRTH Antwerp
DATE OF DEATH September 13, 1604
Place of death Hamburg