Yesterday in a television series about the Dutch Golden Age (17th C) the focus was now on the East Sea Trade. The Danes and the Swedes were always fighting each other to control the profitable toll on the Sont (the sea street between Denmark and Sweden, giving access to the East Sea, the Baltic states and Russia). It was told this toll was very important, in some years it formed half of the total revenues of the Danish state. This toll was a thorn in the flesh of the Dutchmen because they, with the largest merchant fleet, had to pay the most.
The shrewd Dutch always supported the weakest of the two countries. When Sweden was stronger than Denmark, the Dutch would support the Danes. When Denmark became too powerful, the Dutch supported the Swedes. Often the price was high, both parties had to pay enormous sums for weapons, soldiers, assistance from the Dutch fleet (as we know, war is very expensive).
Interesting was that a Dutch merchant family, Marselis, became so enormously rich because the King of Denmark paid in fiefs and lands. Ultimately even the debt-ridden King of Denmark (I thought Frederik III) had to pawn the royal crown to the Marselis family. The family would become very important and still belong to the Danish nobility as Barons of Güldencrone. Queen Margrethe still has an estate called Marselisborg, once originally established by the Dutch Marselis family.
At the other side of the Sont a Dutch family equally gained an enormous wealth and fortune by getting the King debt-ridden. It is the family De Geer, still belonging to both the Swedish and the Dutch aristocracy. The palais De Geer in Stockholm still serves as the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. In yesterday's program the presenter both visited a Baron Marselis av Güldencrone and had a meeting with various De Geer descendants at the former palais (the Embassy).
The most funny anecdote was that Gabriel Marselis, without any formal power or position, informally became the one of the most influential men in Denmark. He even litterally slept above the crown. The state crown was pawned to him and was placed in a cassette underneath the bed of the Dutch merchant....
I never knew that the so carefully guarded Danish royal crown once was given in pawn to a merchant. Quite unbelievable but also a nice fait-divers.
on January 2, 2013, 5:30 am
