Chronology menu

Chronology - Over eight hundred documented events in the history of Delft and the life of Leeuwenhoek and his family, starting in 1246.

Clicking on Chronology will display all of them, the comprehensive chronology. All the other chronologies are a sub-set of this one.

Clicking on one event, for example the fifth, Count Floris V expanded the size of the city, displays a page with more information. Expanding the Learn more section displays related content.

The drop-down menu organizes the master chronology into thirteen periods in four groups:

  • Heritage - from 1246, when Delft was first granted city rights until 1631, the year before Leeuwenhoek was born.

1246-1583
1584-1614
1615-1631

  • Youth - from 1632, the year of Leeuwenhoek's birth until 1672, the Rampjaar (Disaster Year), when many things in Delft changed, including the career of the 40-year-old Leeuwenhoek.

1632-1653
1654-1672

  • Early Career - from 1673, the year Leeuwenhoek sent his first letter to the Royal Society until mid-1702, when the 70-year-old Leeuwenhoek finished the letters that went into his publication of the seventh continuation of his letters (Sevende Vervolg der Brieven).

1673-1679 = Letters Period 1
1679-1686 = Letters Period 2
1687-1694 = Letters Period 3
1694-1702 = Letters Period 4

  • Late Career - from mid-1702, when he turned 70 years old, until 1776, when his daughter's estate was finally settled.

1702-1712 = Letters Period 5
1712-1719 = Letters Period 6
1720-1723 = Letters Period 7
1724-1776

The seven periods from 1673 to 1723 in Early and Late Career correspond to the periods in the Letters section, as indicated above.

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