As a place of production, knowledge, and creativity, Leiden attracted people from near and far in the premodern era (c. 1200-1800). The result was a diverse population in a rapidly growing city. The contributions to this volume, written by specialists, trace key moments and developments in Leiden’s history. The authors show how different groups of city dwellers experienced and shaped socio-economic and cultural events and processes. Through its thematic focus and engagement with current debates in urban history, this volume reveals how the inhabitants of a premodern European city produced and negotiated political, socio-economic, and spatial inequalities.