Abstract
By means of an in-depth analysis of 132 partnership agreements, which had
been notarized in the city of Antwerp between 1480 and 1620, the present
article aspires to provide a substantiated narrative on the use as well as legal
features of private partnerships in the early modern Low Countries. In so
doing, it became apparent that such small-scale partnerships constituted an
effective means in the hands of, mostly non-related, merchants and craftsmen
who were looking for legal certainty. Moreover, the examination of these
partnership agreements demonstrated the wide-ranging contractual freedom
that contracting parties in sixteenth-century Antwerp could dispose of
and that therefore historical reality not necessarily complies with legal ideas
and concepts provided for by legislative or statutory documents.
been notarized in the city of Antwerp between 1480 and 1620, the present
article aspires to provide a substantiated narrative on the use as well as legal
features of private partnerships in the early modern Low Countries. In so
doing, it became apparent that such small-scale partnerships constituted an
effective means in the hands of, mostly non-related, merchants and craftsmen
who were looking for legal certainty. Moreover, the examination of these
partnership agreements demonstrated the wide-ranging contractual freedom
that contracting parties in sixteenth-century Antwerp could dispose of
and that therefore historical reality not necessarily complies with legal ideas
and concepts provided for by legislative or statutory documents.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1-24 |
Number of pages | 25 |
Journal | Tijdschrift voor Sociale en Economische Geschiedenis |
Volume | 13 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2016 |