Boek

Leonard Blussé

Bitters bruid

Een koloniaal huwelijksdrama in de Gouden Eeuw

The drama of a colonial marriage in the Golden Age

In the seventeenth century, one of the most important motives for sailing to the Dutch East Indies was the desire to amass a fortune, and one of the fastest and easiest ways to achieve that was to latch on to a rich widow. Joan Bitter, a failed lawyer who embarked for the Indies in 1675, followed this dictum. Just six months after his arrival in Batavia (present-day Jakarta), he married Cornelia van Nijenroode, an enterprising businesswoman with considerable assets. Within a few months of their wedding, however, husband and wife were at each other’s throats.

Bitters bruid is the exciting story of an unhappy woman heroically defending herself against a heartless adventurer who has set his sights on her money. Cornelia had insisted on maintaining an independent power of disposal over her assets, but this turned out to be difficult to enforce. As her husband, Bitter had control over her possessions and refused to give her permission to engage in commerce. What’s more, he soon began searching for ways to channel her wealth back to the Dutch Republic. Although married women were considered minors in the Golden Age, Cornelia fought back and tried to get a divorce. This struggle – complete with legal subterfuge, mutual recriminations, and even public brawls – would drag on for fifteen long years.

Leonard Blussé weaves a wealth of interesting detail about the position of women in the Golden Age into his account of this painful marital drama. He also describes attitudes to marriage during the colonial era and the practice of the day regarding divorce and inheritance. He draws on paintings, letters, travel accounts and legal records to give a vivid depiction of life in the Orient, social control and church discipline. The book also provides a fascinating insight into the rigorous jurisprudence of the day and, above all, sketches the policies of the ubiquitous East India Company.

Leonard Blussé turns the struggle between a rich widow and a cunning colonial out for her money into a true legal thriller.

Vrij Nederland

Bitters bruid is a successful attempt to evoke a kaleidoscopic image of an era and two human lives that became fatally entangled.

NRC Handelsblad

Nothing is made up and the facts are unimaginably fascinating (…) a gripping book.

Provinciale Zeeuwse Courant

Vertalingen

Leonard Blussé

Leonard Blussé is attached as sinologist and historian to the University of Leiden. Earlier publications include Nederlanders overzee (The Dutch Abroad, 1983, together with Jaap de Moor) and Tribuut aan China. 400 jaar Nederlands-Chinese betrekkingen (Tribute to China. 400 Years of Sino-Dutch…

lees meer

Details

Bitters bruid. Een koloniaal huwelijksdrama in de Gouden Eeuw (1997). Non-fictie, 208 pagina's.
Oplage: 4.500

With illustrations, notes and references

Uitgeverij

Balans

Keizersgracht 117
1015 CJ Amsterdam
Netherlands
Tel: +31 20 261 19 38

E-mail:
[email protected]
Website:
http://www.uitgeverijbalans.nl

lees meer