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Mattheus Smallegange

Dutch historian

Correspondence, annotated notebooks and portrait silhouettes prepared for research
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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionOct 17, 2023
Entity authorityQ2086330 ↗
Source-derived summary

Mattheus Smallegange (Goes, baptized December 29, 1624 - Goes, January 5, 1710) was a Dutch historian, lawyer, genealogist and translator.

He studied law in Utrecht (1638 - 1647). However, he probably didn't graduate.

In 1651 he traveled through France to further develop his skills in the French and Italian language. After his return, he established himself as commissioner of the militia in Goes. Around 1660 he lived in Amsterdam and began to publish. After publishing his Sinnebeeld in honor of Wilhem the III ( 1665 ) he was expelled from the city for a year.

After that time he is found again in Goes, and is also mentioned in Middelburg. In 1682 he started writing his best-known work: Nieuwe Cronyk Van Zeeland, an extensive (almost 800-page long) illustrated description of Zeeland. The Cronyk was finished in 1696, but only appeared in 1700.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Mattheus Smallegange” as dutch historian. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Mattheus, Smallegange and Dutch.

Editorial reviewA useful biographical orientation record, particularly for establishing names, roles and a first chronology. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1624, 1710, 1638, 1647—that can be checked directly. The authority record carries competing date values—1624-12, 1624-01-01—which should remain separate until their references and qualifiers are resolved. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Mattheus, Smallegange and Dutch providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Mattheus Smallegange”, the useful work is to connect “dutch historian” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Chronology provides the most reliable spine for this subject; interpretation should follow only after identities and dates are secure. The source revision retrieved here is dated Oct 17, 2023. The linked authority identifier is Q2086330. VIAF identifies the subject as 22948246. The Library of Congress control number is n83224523. 4 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1624, 1710, 1638 and 1647.

Critical limits

Public reputation and documentary evidence do not always develop together; absence from a summary is not evidence of historical absence. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.

Best used for
  • Establishing names and roles
  • Building a first chronology
  • Locating cited institutions
Verify next

Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Mattheus Smallegange”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Mattheus Smallegange primary sources, Mattheus Smallegange archive and Mattheus research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Mattheus Smallegange”?
  2. Which claims depend on a single source or contested interpretation?
  3. How has the subject’s reputation changed across later accounts?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Mattheus Smallegange” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.