Duke Philip of Burgundy granted the Marktveld to Delft

Date: 
June 30, 1436

Duke Philip of Burgundy (Philip the Good) granted the Marktveld to Delft on account of the "good service" that the city had rendered him, no doubt in the form of taxes.

Some secondary sources say that Delft got the rights to its own courts at the same time. Others say that Philip encouraged the merchants to build the city wall and improve the harbor and navigable waterways.

The document, charter no. 5019, mentions only the area owned by the Duke that became Delft's Marktplein, market square, and, two centuries later, the neighborhood where Leeuwenhoek lived and worked.

Document: 

OAD Inv. 119, charter no. 5019

Sources