Drebbel in London

From Cornelis Drebbel
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1603-1610 London

🕮 zie ook Huberts boek (p. 172 e.v.)


1613-1624 London

🕮 zie ook Huberts boek (p. 290 e.v.)

  • 1620 Drebbel’s submarine demonstration in the Thames.  "March 15 anno 1620 stilo no­vo" "Received a few days ago, a letter from my father in which he wrote that Drebbel in Engelandt  developed a ship with which he is able to navigate between two waters as he likes. (Citation from the diary of Isaac Beeckman (1588-1637)) Drebbel, involved in a plan, to build a theater in London, with  the musician William Byrd (ca. 1543-1623)
  • 1621 Various reprints of Drebbel’s booklets: â€œSecure solution of Nature and the characteristics of the Elements Now with the following tractates: A clear description of the Quinta Essentia, never printed before and a Dedication of the Primum Mobile”. In his new booklet, Drebbel describes a process that looks like the production of oxygen (the body of Saltpetre is broken by the power of fire and changed in the nature of air).  Constantijn Huygens (1596 -1687) regularly meets Drebbel during his stays in England. In his autobiography, Huygens writes: ‘when I placed this moon (Drebbel) next to this sun (Bacon), I was in particular interested in physics. This modest man, a citizen from Alkmaar, had an amazing experience in this area, as I have noticed with my own eyes. Huygens about Drebbel’s microscope: â€˜Not only from his hands but also from his miraculous brain comes, what I call the standing telescope. Had Drebbel during his life done nothing else than this miraculous tube, he had acquired immortal fame forever.’ Drebbel works several years for the Duke of Buckingham, involved in garden design.
  • 1622 Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc (1580-1637) scientist and senior officer in France, Drebbel’s’ first biographer, describes a mite, which he saw through a microscope of Drebbel (lunette de Dreubels). Corresponds a.o. with Peter Paul Rubens, Galileo Galilei and Marin Mersenne about Drebbel’s innovations.
  • 1623 In Stratford-Langton, on July 20, Drebbel writes in the Album Amicorum of Daniel Stolcius: ‘Oefent u gaven regt’ / Try thy gifts rightly.  With a portrait, shown on page 1.


1625-1633 London

🕮 zie ook Huberts boek (p. 398 e.v.)

  • 1625 Drebbel works on designs for fountains at York House in London and New Hall in Chelmsford. Palaces owned by George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham (1592-1628),  the favorite and lover of King James I – VI.
  • 1626 Francis Bacon, Baron Verulam (1561-1626), Statesman, philosopher, dies in London.“For all knowledge and wonder (which is the seed of knowledge) is an impression of pleasure in itself". Bacon’s last book, Nova Atlantis, describes an ‘ideal’ utopic society; peaceful, technological far ahead. Many innovations and constructions are described in this book, which were developed and build by Drebbel.
  • 1626-27  At the mandate of the English marine and the initiative of Buckingham, Drebbel constructs special weaponry, such as torpedo’s, firebombs to be used to liberate  the Huguenots, entrenched in La Rochelle; defending  themselves against the army of the catholic king of France. Drebbel’s machines have no result. According to the English, because they do not work, according to Drebbel because the English didn’t dare to get close enough to the French. 
  • 1629 Cornelius Drible Engeneere gets involved in a project to undertake a generall drayning of the Fennes.
  • 1632 Antonie van Leeuwenhoek born. Benedictus de Spinoza, born in Amsterdam; the Enlightenment is coming.  Does Anthony van Dyck paint Drebbel’s portrait in London?
  • 1633  In his final years, Drebbel is Chief Engineer at the court. He and his family run an Alehouse at the quay of the Thames near The Tower.
  • November 7, 1633, Cornelis Drebbel passes away. He is buried at the Trinity Minories at the eastern borders of the City of London; within the Liberties of the Tower of London.
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