Martin della Faille (1544–1620) was a merchant of Antwerp who by the end of the sixteenth century had become one of the richest men in Europe.
[1] Martin was born in Antwerp, the son of Jean della Faille, one of the leading merchants of the day.
[1] In 1587 he was captured by Dutch freebooters and sold to the English, who released him after payment of a massive ransom.
In 1596 Della Faille entered government service as a member of the Admiralty Council, and from 1600 was loaning money to the Brussels court.
He was involved in the negotiations that led to the 1604 Treaty of London, and received a patent of nobility and the title of baron in 1614.