Abstract

In my contribution I would like to argue that Antwerp as a basis for Tyndale's activities was an obvious choice because of the city's economic importance during the first half of the 16th century. Tyndale was clearly looking for: the availability of printing technology, and infrastructure and location which facilitated export activities and an open-minded, cosmopolitan environment which would be friendly toward his Protestant ideas.

I would also like to demonstrate that Antwerp was the obvious choice for anybody coming from England as England was in a certain way an extension of the Antwerp economy. Finally I would like to look at Antwerp from a broader international perspective. Too often the story of Antwerp's Golden Age has been told from a Eurocentric perspective. Here I argue that Antwerp was not one of the major metropolitan cities in the world. After referring to the economic and technological advances made by the Islamic cities during their Golden Age, I emphasize that Islam missed what would make the difference for the world's history from the 16th century onwards: they could not get hold of the precious metals from Latin America through Spain. The money reached Northern Europe and its distribution center was Antwerp. In the long run this European colonial trade would provide capital for England's Industrial Revolution. And the first time England had come in touch with this flow of new American precious metals was Antwerp at the time of Tyndale's presence in that city.