François Le Fort

In 1576 De Castro composed a chanson book on texts by Pierre De Ronsard for the French merchant François Le Fort.

• Le Fort's commercial activities
• Le Fort's cultural interests

François Le Fort was a French merchant from Vitry, who settled in Antwerp. He became a member of the Antwerp City Council as Master of the Barbers' Guild.

[Transcription] "Geordonneert opt versueck gedaen by die vanden Maendagschen Raedt, dat deselve Raetslieden selen vry ende exempt wesen vande ordinarise wachte, mits de diensten, lasten ende vacatien die deselve continuelyck inde stadtsaecken syn doende, ... dat daeromme Cornelis Hildernisse, Deken vande Schippers, desaengaende sal wesen exempt. Actum ut supra (22 November 1582) ... Gelycke acte op Franchoys le fort, Deken vande Barbiers." [Tranlation] "Ordered on the request of the Monday Council, that Councillors will be free and exempt of the ordinary guard duty, on condition that they continue to do the services, charges and vacations which they continuously perform in the city matters, ... that for this reason Cornelis Hildernisse, Master of the Shippers' company, will be exempt. Actum ut supra (22 November 1582) ... The same act for Franchoys le Fort, Master of the Barbers."

Antwerp, City Archive, T 25, fol. 95r

In 1574 François Le Fort was among the merchants who lent money to the city for the payment of the Spanish soldiers.

[Transcription] "Hiernae volghen de partyen van diverschen cooplieden ende borgheren die geaccordert hebben int Collegio inde generale leeninghe ... Franchoys Le Fort: Ic L ll Arthois" [Translation] "Hereafter follow the parties of several merchants and citizens who have agreed in the Council to contribute to the general loans ... Franchoys Le Fort: Ic L ll Arthois [150 pounds Artois]"

Antwerp, City Archive, PK 1570, fol. 49r

He founded a trading corporation together with two other merchants (including the influential Balthasar De Moucheron, his brother-in-law). Their company was specialized in overseas trading. In 1585 (after the Fall of Antwerp) they moved the company to Zeeland.

In the document below one can read that the company, which was headed by Balthasar De Moucheron (as is clear from the text), drew up a deed which affirmed that it was the lawful owner of the ship La bonne esperance.

[Transcription] "Sr Balthasar de Moucheron marchant resident en ceste ville d'Anvers Juravit Que luij et (les Srs Franchois Le Fort manant de ceste dicte ville, et Jerosme Andre demourant a Rouen) [crossed out and replaced by:] sa compaignie, sont vrays proprietaires et Srs de la navire nommée la bonne Esperance, de port de cent vingt tonneaulx, de leaige environ de six ans [...] Actum XXV May LXXXV." [Translation] "Sir Balthasar De Moucheron, merchant residing in this city of Antwerp, swears that he and (sir François Le Fort, residing in this city, and Jerosme Andre, residing in Rouen) [crossed out and replaced by: ]) his company are the true proprietors and Lords of the ship called la bonne Esperance (the good Hope), which has a cartload of 120 ton and is about six years old [...] 25 May 1585"

Antwerp, City Archive, SR 384, fol. 554v

Obviously, their business expeditions often met with serious problems:

[Transcription] "De Compagnie uyt Zeelant hadden Anno 1598 uytghesonden drie Schepen / De Maene / De Sonne / ende de langhe Bercke / daer van de Mane bleef int uyt-varen / qualijck gheballast /omvallende voor Doveren: de twee andere / De Sonne ende de langhe Berck voeren tot Bantavi / daer sy Peper laden / ende quamen niet gheheel volladen t'huys." [Translation] "The Company from Zeeland had sent out three ships The Moon, The Sun and the long Birch, of which the Moon, badly loaded, capsized near Dover; the two other ships The Sun and the long Birch sailed to Bantavi, where they loaded pepper, but returned underloaded."

Emanuel Van Meteren, Historie der nieder-landischer ende
haerder Na-buren Oorlogen ende gechiedenissen tot den jaere
M. VI^c.. XII, 1614 (new edition), fol. 396v (1598)

On one of the expeditions to an island near Guinea in 1598 Le Fort lost his life in a dramatic way. Emanuel Van Meteren described the tragic event.

[Transcription] "Deze voyagie [naar Isola del Principe] en geluckte niet wel/ want sy waren vijf Maenden by den wegh/ ende aent Eylant comende/ door middel van Cornelis van Moucheron cregen sy behendelijcken die principaelsten vant Eylant in een van haer Schepen/ waer onder was den Gouverneur/ ende hunnen gheestleijcken Pater Vicarius dien sy aensyden/ hoe dat sy belast waren vande[n] Prince Mauritz en[de] sijnen Luytenant Balthasar van Moucheron/ hun Meester vant Eylant te maken ... corts daer nae door het aensetten vande voors. Vicarius, vielen sy de Nederlanders opt lijf/ dan werden weder ghedwongen ende ghereconcilieert/ soo dat sy vijf ofte ses weken vredelijcken leefden/ daertusschen vergat Cleerhaghen ende dandere/ haer sterckten op te maken/ also belast was/ dat welcke vande Eylanders ghemerckt/ conspireerden wederomme/ door het aensetten vande voors. Vicarius, waeroppe sy hem gevanghen namen/ maer sijn aenhanghers cregen Fransoys Le Fort Neve van Moucheron/ ende Steven Quaremo Reghter/ die sy beyde doot smeten/ waeromme sy den Pater Vicarius als Criminel ophingen." [Translation] "The journey [to the Isle of Prince] did not succeed well; they were five months under way and when they reached the island, they received one of the principals of the isle on board of the ship through the mediation of Cornelis Van Moucheron, including the Governor and their priest Father Vicarius, whom they informed they were ordered by Prince Mauritz and his lieutenant Balthasar Van Moucheron to take possession of the island ... incited by the said priest they [the inhabitants of the island] shortly afterwards attacked the Netherlanders, but they were overmastered and reconciled. They thus lived in peace for five or six weeks. But meanwhile Cleerhaghen and the others neglected to maintain, as was ordered, the defence strategy, which was noticed by some of the islanders. Incited again by the said Vicarius they conspired, in response to which he [Father Vicarius] was detained [by the Netherlanders], but his followers managed to capture Fransoys Le Fort, Nephew [sic] of Moucheron, and Steven Quaremo, Judge, both of whom they threw to death, for which in turn Father Vicarius was hanged as a criminal."

Emanuel Van Meteren, Historie der Nieder-landscher ende
haerder Na-buren oorlogen ende geschiedenissen tot den jaere
M. VI^c. XII, 1614, (new edition), fol. 396v (1598)