Page 77 - Mellinato, Giulio, and Aleksander Panjek. Eds. 2022. Complex Gateways. Labour and Urban History of Maritime Port Cities: The Northern Adriaticin a Comparative Perspective. Koper: University of Primorska Press.
P. 77
The Rijeka Trading Company
fits of both cities. Despite a greater inclination for Trieste, they opted for
Rijeka.
Other investors from Antwerp were also included in the company
– a group of the Moretus printing family, the successors of the Parisian
Christophe Plantin, the famous founder of the most celebrated Dutch
printing house.8 Jean Jacques Moretus (Antwerp 1690–1757), ran the
family printing company from 1730 to 1757. The family also dealt in other
businesses, and so from the very beginning, it was involved in the Rijeka
Company. Even more directly involved were Jean’s son Francois Jean and
his wife Maria Theresia, and several members of the extended family who
were linked to them via marriage connections. The Moretus family group
had approximately the same number of shares as the Proli group.9
Along with the main investors, the shareholders from Antwerp,
about a quarter of the shares were acquired by people from Vienna, includ-
ing leading people of the Court Chamber and the Commercial Directorate
such as Count Chotek and others who, despite the small number of
shares, had significant influence because the State ensured the Company
privileges and the monopoly over the production of sugar. Empress Maria
Theresa was also a shareholder; Urbano Arnoldt and the already elderly
Thomas Rima awarded her twelve shares ‘as a sign of recognition’ in the
autumn of 1750 (Michielsen 1936, 13–9).10 It was a symbolic act whereby
she did not gain great influence because the leading shareholders already
8 Jean Jacques was the head of Officina Plantiniana (Plantinsche Druckerije), of which
several members owned a large parcel of shares, along with his son Francois Jean
Moretus, and his son’s wife Maria Theresia, born Borrekens, as well as families
connected to them by marriages: the Borrekens, Wellens, de Neuf, Schields. (Gey-
sen et al. 2016).
9 Francois Jean Moretus (Antwerp 1717–1768) was the leader of the Officina Plan-
tiniana from 1757 to 1768 and was the co-owner of the Katoendrukkerij (cotton
printing company) of Dambrugge. The extensive correspondence with the man-
agement in Rijeka in the family archives (Museum Plantin Moretus Antwerp), tes-
tifies to his involvement in the Rijeka Company. His wife Maria Theresia, born
Borrekens (Antwerp 1728–1797) came from a wealthy noble family. After her hus-
band’s death, she was directly involved, and in 1768 she became the head of the
printing company and led the family company for three decades. One of her close
relatives, Jan Borrekens, worked in Rijeka in the 1750s, as did Jean Antoine Wel-
lens, also related to the Moretus family.
10 The first three directors were: Urbano Arnoldt (8 May 1750 – 7 February 1755),
Thomas Rima (1 October 1750 – 7 February 1755), at one time the secretary (sec-
retaris) of the Company in Ostend, who at the time of the founding of the Compa-
ny was 65 years old, and the young Jean Antoine Wellens (1 August 1752 – 7 Feb-
ruary 1755), the son of the first mayor of Antwerp, Pierre Antoine Wellens.
77
fits of both cities. Despite a greater inclination for Trieste, they opted for
Rijeka.
Other investors from Antwerp were also included in the company
– a group of the Moretus printing family, the successors of the Parisian
Christophe Plantin, the famous founder of the most celebrated Dutch
printing house.8 Jean Jacques Moretus (Antwerp 1690–1757), ran the
family printing company from 1730 to 1757. The family also dealt in other
businesses, and so from the very beginning, it was involved in the Rijeka
Company. Even more directly involved were Jean’s son Francois Jean and
his wife Maria Theresia, and several members of the extended family who
were linked to them via marriage connections. The Moretus family group
had approximately the same number of shares as the Proli group.9
Along with the main investors, the shareholders from Antwerp,
about a quarter of the shares were acquired by people from Vienna, includ-
ing leading people of the Court Chamber and the Commercial Directorate
such as Count Chotek and others who, despite the small number of
shares, had significant influence because the State ensured the Company
privileges and the monopoly over the production of sugar. Empress Maria
Theresa was also a shareholder; Urbano Arnoldt and the already elderly
Thomas Rima awarded her twelve shares ‘as a sign of recognition’ in the
autumn of 1750 (Michielsen 1936, 13–9).10 It was a symbolic act whereby
she did not gain great influence because the leading shareholders already
8 Jean Jacques was the head of Officina Plantiniana (Plantinsche Druckerije), of which
several members owned a large parcel of shares, along with his son Francois Jean
Moretus, and his son’s wife Maria Theresia, born Borrekens, as well as families
connected to them by marriages: the Borrekens, Wellens, de Neuf, Schields. (Gey-
sen et al. 2016).
9 Francois Jean Moretus (Antwerp 1717–1768) was the leader of the Officina Plan-
tiniana from 1757 to 1768 and was the co-owner of the Katoendrukkerij (cotton
printing company) of Dambrugge. The extensive correspondence with the man-
agement in Rijeka in the family archives (Museum Plantin Moretus Antwerp), tes-
tifies to his involvement in the Rijeka Company. His wife Maria Theresia, born
Borrekens (Antwerp 1728–1797) came from a wealthy noble family. After her hus-
band’s death, she was directly involved, and in 1768 she became the head of the
printing company and led the family company for three decades. One of her close
relatives, Jan Borrekens, worked in Rijeka in the 1750s, as did Jean Antoine Wel-
lens, also related to the Moretus family.
10 The first three directors were: Urbano Arnoldt (8 May 1750 – 7 February 1755),
Thomas Rima (1 October 1750 – 7 February 1755), at one time the secretary (sec-
retaris) of the Company in Ostend, who at the time of the founding of the Compa-
ny was 65 years old, and the young Jean Antoine Wellens (1 August 1752 – 7 Feb-
ruary 1755), the son of the first mayor of Antwerp, Pierre Antoine Wellens.
77
