Antwerp diaspora

Antwerp diaspora:

Did you know the 17th century was the golden age of Antwerp.
There are lots of examples of diasporas however one of them is trade diaspora. A trade diaspora is a community, often members of an extended family, that goes abroad to conduct trade in a host society. One of the examples of a trade diaspora is the Antwerp diaspora.
The Antwerp diaspora was a trade diaspora.
One of the reasons why the Antwerp diaspora is a trade diaspora because of the religious and political events of the 1560s and 1570s intervened. Making the Dutch revolt against the Spanish rule which toppled the commercial dominance of Antwerp, as well as the southern provinces. The Religious and political repression gave unrest, more policing, ever higher taxes to pay for this policing, revolts, more repression, war and destruction. This caused a gliding downfall of production, trade, banking and business in general. Belgium was ruined, with more than half of the surviving population fleeing, mainly to the north.
That North (now Holland / The Netherlands) became free and independent therefore over 40% of the population of Amsterdam consisted of immigrants, mainly from Antwerp. With them most of the trade, banking and intellectual elite of the south.
The Antwerp diaspora is a trading diaspora, religious and political events caused most of Belgium to leave to the north ( Holland) because the became free and independent: the Golden Age of Holland in the making.

Source:
http://www.guideholland.com/newsexpand.html