Podcast Series Impressive Women with Nina Lamal
Listen to the episode about Magdalena Platin, a life torn apart by religious unrest in the 16th century. With Nina Lamal from the Huygens Institute. Nina Lamal is a historian and expert in the field of news and communication in the early modern period (1500-1800).
Woman in the 16th Century
What was it like to be a woman in Antwerp 400 years ago? Not easy to be sure, according to the Belgian podcast series Impressive Women, about the daughters of printer Christoffel Plantijn and Jeanne Rivière.
Episode 4 focuses on their daughter Magdalena Plantijn: six months pregnant with her ninth child, she had to write letters begging her father for money because she was poor and starving. He refused to help. In a time of war, Magdalena Platijn found herself in a perfect storm.
Where to listen
Dutch spoken. Produced by De Standaard. Available on most podcast apps.
Exhibition
Linked to the exhibition Women’s Business/Businesswomen, on display from Saturday 13 September 2025 to Sunday 11 January 2026 at the Plantin-Moretus Museum (Antwerp).
Portrait of Magdalena Plantin.
