Louis De Geer (1587-1652)

Louis De Geer (1587-1652)

Louis De Geer , (Liège,17 november 1587, - Amsterdam, 19 june 1652) was a Walloon/Dutch merchant and industrialist. He is considered the father of Swedish industry for introducing Walloon blast furnaces in Sweden. He produced cannons for the German protestant movement, but also for the Dutch admirals and the Dutch East India Company and the Dutch West India Company.

Biography

De Geer was born in Liège/Luik in what today is considered Belgium. He was a brother-in-law of the famous Dutch author P.C. Hooft. In those days Liège was already famous for its iron ore. Hij settled as a coppersmith in Rouen and in 1611 eventually reached Dordrecht. When he earned his fortune as a banker and industrialist he moved to Amsterdam in 1615. Due to his numerous travels he received a good education in the business.

With the outbreak of the Thirty Years War the call for weapons increased enormously. In 1618 De Geer delivered weapons to Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, the Swedish king. Impressed by his business instincts the Swedish Crown allowed him to lease estates near Finspång, Östergötland in eastern Sweden proper. Before long, De Geer had established a formidable workshop industry there. In 1623 he was active in a Swedish trading company.

The Swedish Crown continued to support him and De Geer received the monopoly on the copper and iron trade. De Geer, who embraced Sweden as his second mother country, immigrated to Sweden in 1627. He hoped to evade toll in de Sont. In 1634 he bought het Huis met de Hoofden on the Keizersgracht in Amsterdam. His wife died after the birth of their sixteenth child.

In 1640 De Geer traveled again to Sweden en was ennobled. In his new status he was able to buy 3/4th of the leased farmlands. His home in Stockholm is nowadays the Dutch embassy in Sweden.

Working for Axel Oxenstierna he went to Amsterdam for support in the war against Denmark. In 1644, at the start of the Torstenson War against Denmark, he singlehandedly equipped an armada of ships to sail towards Denmark. This fleet contained a complete marine, 32 ships with sailors, weaponry and officers. The Swedish were able to conquer Fehmarn in Denmark, thanks to this aid. De Geer is also considered responsible for the Swedish Africa Company. When he founded this company a riot started in Amsterdam in 1649. His family also gave the pacifist and humanist Comenius “onderdak” in his home in Amsterdam. He died in 1662 after falling ill during another voyage to Sweden. He returned to Amsterdam and died there.


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  • Louis de Geer (1587–1652) — von David Beck Louis de Geer, weitere Schreibweisen des Vornamens waren: Lodewiik, Lovis und Louys, (* 17. November 1587 in Liège; † 19. Juni 1652 in Amsterdam) war ein belgischer Kaufmann und Industrieller und gilt im allgemeinen als Vater des… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Louis De Geer (1587–1652) — Louis De Geer der Ältere von David Beck Louis De Geer, weitere Schreibweisen des Vornamens waren: Lodewiik, Lovis und Louys, (* 17. November 1587 in Lüttich; † 19. Juni 1652 in Amsterdam) war ein niederländischer Kaufmann und …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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  • Louis De Geer — Louis de Geer …   Wikipédia en Français

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  • Louis De Geer — may be:People: *Louis De Geer (1587 1652), industrial entrepreneur of Walloon origin *Louis De Geer (1622 1695), industrial entrepreneur *Louis De Geer (1818 1896), baron, Prime Minister of Sweden 1876 80 *Louis De Geer (1854 1935), baron, Prime… …   Wikipedia

  • Louis de Geer — ist der Name folgender Personen: Louis De Geer (1587–1652), belgischer Kaufmann und Industrieller Louis De Geer (1622–1695), belgischer Kaufmann und Industrieller Louis De Geer (1818–1896), schwedischer Politiker und Schriftsteller Louis De Geer… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Geer — ist Geer (Belgien), Gemeinde in der Provinz Lüttich der französische Name des belgischen Flusses Jeker Geer ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Carl De Geer (1720–1778), schwedischer Industrieller, Wissenschaftler, Zoologe und Entomologe… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • De Geer — Geer heißt der Ort Geer (Belgien), Gemeinde in der Provinz Lüttich Geer ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Carl De Geer (1720–1778), schwedischer Industrieller, Wissenschaftler, Zoologe und Entomologe Carl De Geer (Politiker) (1747–1805),… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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