Herman Frans Anna baron Van der Wee (born 10 July 1928) is a Belgian economic historian. He was a full professor of social and economic history at the

KU Leuven KU Leuven (or Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) is a Catholic research university in the city of Leuven, Belgium. It conducts teaching, research, and services in computer science, engineering, natural sciences, theology, humanities, medicine, ...

from 1969 to 1993. The academic output of Van der Wee spans economic history, the

history of banking The history of banking began with the first prototype banks, that is, the merchants of the world, who gave grain loans to farmers and traders who carried goods between cities. This was around 2000 BCE in Assyria, India and Sumeria. Later, in an ...

, financial history. He has performed research on the period from the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

to the present time. Geographically he has performed broad research as well, looking into Antwerp, Belgium, the

Low Countries The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...

, Europe and the world.

Career

Van der Wee was born on 10 July 1928 in Lier to Jos Van der Wee and Martha Planckaert. He started studying law at the Catholic University of Leuven in 1945. In 1949 he obtained a degree in philosophy. In 1950 he obtained his

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''li ...

in law. Van der Wee obtained a further degree in social and political studies in 1951. In 1963 he obtained his doctorate in history with a thesis titled: "The Growth of the Antwerp Market and the European Economy, fourteenth-sixteenth centuries." His doctoral advisor was . In 1955 Van der Wee became a lecturer at the Catholic University of Leuven. From 1956 to 1963 Van der Wee worked for the factory of his father-in-law. Which allowed him to develop further insight into the practicalities of economic life. During this period the later politician

Frank Vandenbroucke Frank Vandenbroucke is the name of: *Frank Vandenbroucke (politician) (born 1955), Belgian politician *Frank Vandenbroucke (cyclist) Frank Vandenbroucke (6 November 1974 – 12 October 2009) was a Belgian professional road racing cyclist. After ...

worked for two years as his assistant. In 1966 he became associate professor at the Catholic University of Leuven and the next year he obtained a position as professor. By 1969 he was named full professor social and economic history at the

. Van der Wee was first employed primarily by the Faculty of Economics, but in 1977 this was expanded to include the Faculty of History. Van der Wee took up emeritus status in 1993. At the university, a fund was set up in his name to support the internationalization of multidisciplinary research projects. Van der Wee was President of the

International Economic History Association The International Economic History Association (IEHA) is an association of national, regional, and international organizations dedicated to the field of economic history, broadly defined. The IEHA includes 45 member organizations in 40 countries a ...

between 1986 and 1990. The academic interest of Van der Wee spans the period from the

to the present time. Geographically he has studied Antwerp, Belgium, the

, Europe and the world. He has performed research in the areas of economic history, the

, financial history.

Honours and awards

Van der Wee was elected a member of the

Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts The Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts ( nl, Koninklijke Vlaamse Academie van België voor Wetenschappen en Kunsten, or KVAB) is one of an independent learned society of science and arts of the Flemish Community in Belgium. ...

in 1977. He was elected a foreign member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1984. He was elected Corresponding Fellow of the

British Academy The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences. It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the same year. It is now a fellowship of more than 1,000 leading scholars spa ...

in 1987. Van der Wee was one of the founding members of the

Academia Europaea The Academia Europaea is a pan-European Academy of Humanities, Letters, Law, and Sciences. The Academia was founded in 1988 as a functioning Europe-wide Academy that encompasses all fields of scholarly inquiry. It acts as co-ordinator of Europea ...

in 1988. In 1993 he was elected international honorary member of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...

. In 1995 he became a Corresponding Fellow of the

Royal Historical Society The Royal Historical Society, founded in 1868, is a learned society of the United Kingdom which advances scholarly studies of history. Origins The society was founded and received its royal charter in 1868. Until 1872 it was known as the Histori ...

. In 1992 Van der Wee won the Dr A. H. Heineken Prize for History, awarded by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, for his work in economic history. In 1994 he was knighted by King

Albert II of Belgium , house = Belgium , father = Leopold III of Belgium , mother = Astrid of Sweden , birth_date = , birth_place = Stuyvenberg Castle, Laeken, Brussels, Belgium , death_date = , death_place = , signature = Albert II of Belgium Signat ...

with the title of baron. Van der Wee was recipient of the 1995 Golden Medal of Honor of the Flemish Parliament. He received an honorary degree from the

University of Leicester , mottoeng = So that they may have life , established = , type = public research university , endowment = £20.0 million , budget = £326 million , chancellor = David Willetts , vice_chancellor = Nishan Canagarajah , head_lab ...

in 1995.

Personal life

Van der Wee married fellow history student Monique Verbreyt in 1954. Van der Wee has two children. His daughter Barbara is an architect. He lives in house designed by architects and . The house was built for Van der Wee in 1963.

References

External links

Profile at KU Leuven
{{DEFAULTSORT:Van der Wee, Herman 1928 births Living people Barons of Belgium 20th-century Belgian historians Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) alumni Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) faculty Corresponding Fellows of the British Academy Economic historians Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Fellows of the Royal Historical Society KU Leuven faculty Members of Academia Europaea Members of the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts Members of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences People from Lier, Belgium Winners of the Heineken Prize