Knowledge Production in the Dutch Republic: The Household Academy of Hugo Grotius

The household academy was an important center of knowledge production in the Dutch Republic. This article analyzes the workings of one of the premier political and learned families of Holland, centered on the jurist Hugo Grotius (1583–1645). His immediate relatives were actively involved in the process of writing and publication. They sought to steer him clear of certain political and scholarly debates, while helping him to engage in others. They liaised with Dutch printers, and served as research assistants, scribes, and translators. With his aid and encouragement, they also became authors themselves, including his wife, her sister and her daughter.