Christophe Plantin

Plantin was a prolific printer and prosperous entrepreneur, publishing more than 40 editions of emblem books. His most important work is considered to be the Biblia Regia (King's Bible), also known as the Plantin Polyglot. Facing increasing pressure and turmoil in the Habsburg Netherlands, Plantin needed to find a patron that would not fall victim to claims of heresy or being a Protestant sympathizer. In spite of clerical opposition, Plantin was encouraged by King Philip II of Spain, who sent him the learned Benito Arias Montano to lead the editorship. The Polyglot Bible has parallel texts in Latin, Greek, Syriac, Aramaic, and Hebrew. This venture for Plantin was very expensive, requiring him to mortgage his own business to pay for the production of this bible, in the hope that there would be a worthwhile payoff in the end. It took thirteen presses and fifty-three men to complete the task. Characters in each of the printed languages were required, with French type designer Claude Garamond providing the steel punches. With Montano's zealous help, the work was finished in four years (1568 - 1572). There were eight volumes in folio format, meaning only two pages could be printed at one time. This work earned Plantin little profit, but resulted in Philip's granting him the privilege of printing all Roman Catholic liturgical books (missals, breviaries, etc.) for the states ruled by Philip, the title "Architypographus Regii," ("chief printer of the king") which he dutifully added to the title pages of Plantin Press books, and the unwanted duty of prototypo-graphus regius, obligating him to inspect and verify the skill and dogmatic adherence of other printers.

Besides the Plantin Polyglot, Plantin published many other works of note, such as the "Dictionarium Tetraglotton" of 1562, which was a dictionary in Greek, Latin, French and Flemish, editions of St. Augustine and St. Jerome, the botanical works of Dodonaeus, Clusius and Lobelius, and the description of the Habsburg Netherlands by Guicciardini. His editions of the Bible in Hebrew, Latin and Dutch, his Corpus juris, Latin and Greek classics, and many other works are renowned for their beautiful execution and accuracy. A skillful businessman, by 1575 his printing firm comprised more than 20 presses and 73 workmen, plus various specialists who did job-work out of their homes. The vast collection of handwritten ledgers and letters of the Officina Plantiniana, as it was known, can be examined online following digitization by the Museum Plantin-Moretus and hosting by World Digital Library.

Though outwardly a faithful member of the Catholic Church, he appears to have used his resources to support several sects of heretics, sometimes known as the Family of Love or Familists. It is now proven that many of their books, published without naming the printer, came from Plantin Press.

The Plantin-Moretus family tree, including the heads of Officiana Plantiniana, later known as Plantin Press.

Christophe Plantin (1520–1589) married Joanna Riviere; they had five daughters and a son. Christophe's daughters were described as learned in reading and writing, especially Greek and Latin. One teenage daughter is said to have helped proofread the Plantin Polygot.

Margaretha Plantin married Franciscus Raphelengius, who led the Leiden branch of the house. They stayed printers in Leiden for two more generations of Van Ravelinge, until 1619. A great-granddaughter of the last Van Ravelinge printer married in 1685 Jordaen Luchtmans, founder of what would become later the still existing Brill Publishers.

Magdalena Plantin, was reported to have aided her father in proofreading the Biblia Regia in five different languages; “it was said that she could correct the script perfectly accurately, but without understanding a word of it.” Magdalen would later marry her father's Paris agent. She married Gilles Beys, who then ran the French branch of the Plantin office. This continued for one more generation under their son, Christophe Beys.

Martina Plantin, who with her sister, Catherine, helped run the family's silk shop by the age of seventeen. Martina and Catherine were efficient and well known in their silk handlings. Later, Martina married Jan Moretus (Jan or Joannes Moerentorf) (1543–1610) in 1570. They had 10 children. After her husband's death, Martina was the head of the firm until her sons took over running the business.

Balthasar I Moretus (1574–1641)

Jan II Moretus (1576–1618) married Maria De Sweert; they had 6 children

Balthasar II Moretus (1615–1674) married Anna Goos; they had 12 children

Balthazar III Moretus (1646–1696) married Anna Maria de Neuf; they had 9 children

Balthazar IV Moretus (1679–1730) married Isabella Jacoba De Mont (or De Brialmont); they had 8 children

Joannes Jacobus Moretus (1690–1757) married Theresia Mechtildis Schilder; they had 9 children

Franciscus Joannes Moretus (1717–1768) married Maria Theresia Borrekens, who led the office after Franciscus' death until her death in 1797. They had 13 children

Jacobus Paulus Josephus Moretus (1756–1808)

Ludovicus Franciscus Xaverius Moretus (1758–1820)

Josephus Hyacinthus Moretus (1762–1810) married Maria Henrica Coleta Wellens; they had 8 children

Albertus Franciscus Hyacinthus Fredericus Moretus (1795–1865)

Eduardus Josephus Hyacinthus Moretus (1804–1880). He sold the office to the city of Antwerp in 1876, after having printed the last book in 1866.

Henrica, the fifth daughter, married Pieter Moerentof, the younger brother of Jan I. Moretus.