Maarten Etienne van Velden

Birth or Baptism date: 
December 27, 1667
Death or Burial date: 
November 13, 1724

Professor and "primus" of the University in Louvain. Defended the Copernican system.

1690 visited Huygens, who supported his position on Copernicus.

With Letter L-252 of 2 May 1695, Van Velden, a professor at the university in Louvain, initiated an exchange of letters by sending Leeuwenhoek two printed works and a box of flies. Over the following two years, Leeuwenhoek wrote four letters to Van Velden. Letter L-255 of 23 May 1695 and Letter L-261 of 12 July 1695 discuss flies and caterpillars. Letter L-306 of 26 October 1696 is a cover letter for a copy of Sesde Vervolg der Brieven, and Letter L-314 of 12 February 1697 is a letter of support for Van Velden’s controversial position on Copernicus’s ideas about the solar system.

In addition Letter L-252, Van Velden wrote two others in return, Letter L-256 of 30 May 1695 and Letter L-313 of 4 February 1697.