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Debbie asked this question about The Devil and the Dark Water:
What or who is Gentlemen 17?
Jason The Gentlemen 17 (or Heeren XVII in Dutch) were the leaders of the historical Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie, or VOC).

Th…moreThe Gentlemen 17 (or Heeren XVII in Dutch) were the leaders of the historical Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie, or VOC).

The VOC consisted of six Chambers (Kamers) in port cities: Amsterdam, Delft, Rotterdam, Enkhuizen, Middelburg and Hoorn. Delegates of these chambers convened as the Heeren XVII (the Lords Seventeen). They were selected from the bewindhebber-class of shareholders.

Of the Heeren XVII, eight delegates were from the Chamber of Amsterdam (one short of a majority on its own), four from the Chamber of Zeeland, and one from each of the smaller Chambers, while the seventeenth seat was alternatively from the Chamber of Middelburg-Zeeland or rotated among the five small Chambers. Amsterdam had thereby the decisive voice. (Info borrowed from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_E...)

The Heeren XVII effectively ran the VOC, and since the VOC was the largest and most important company in the world at the time (itself more powerful than most nations), those who ran it were extremely rich and powerful.(less)
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The Devil and the Dark Water
by Stuart Turton (Goodreads Author)
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