Leiden was one of the first cities to shake off the Spanish Catholic yoke. As a consequence, the first university of the Protestant Netherlands was established here. This chapel was modified to render the building suitable for academic purposes. An upper storey was constructed, whose presence is still discernible from the way the windows are divided in two.
In the 16th century the Austrian ambassador to the Turkish court returned home with a tulip bulb. In Vienna he passed it to Carolus Clusius, prefect of the imperial medicinal garden. In 1593 Clusius took up an appointment at the University of Leiden. He planted these bulbs in the botanical garden of the university.

The tulip became much sought-after by collectors. Ultimately, the tulip market got completely out of hands: bulbs changed hands for astronomic prices. Tulip-mania reached its peak in 1636-37, after which the market collapsed and many traders went bankrupt.