This collection of merchant documents is essential reading for any student of economic developments in the Middle Ages who wishes to go beyond the level of textbook summaries. Different aspects of economic life in the Mediterranean world are delineated in the light of a rich variety of articles and other contemporary writings, drawn from Muslim and Christian sources. From commercial contracts, promissory notes, and judicial acts to working manuals of practical geography and philology, this volume of documents provides an unparalleled portrait of the world of medieval commerce.

Foreword	p. xiii
Introduction	p. 3
Note on Coinage, Weights, and Other Technical Terms	p. 10
At the Origins of the Commercial Revolution
Commerce in the Byzantine Empire, the Muslim East, and the Catholic West	p. 19
Commercial Gilds and Control of Trade in Constantinople	p. 19
Merchants and Commerce in Muslim Syria	p. 23
The Flow of Merchandise to the Heart of the Muslim World	p. 27
The Jewish Role in World Trade	p. 29
The Meeting of East and West in Southern Italy	p. 33
Traces of International Trade in Southern France	p. 35
Merchants, Passports, and Customs in the Lombard Hinterland	p. 36
Commercial Investments and Real Estate of a Venetian Doge	p. 38
Private Documents of Lombard Italy	p. 41
Markets, Merchants, Merchandise, and Means of Exchange During the Commercial Revolution
The Development of Markets	p. 51
Towns in North Africa and Southern Italy in the Tenth Century	p. 51
The Permanent Market in Milan in the Tenth Century	p. 54
Trade in Lombardy Before the Rise of the Communes	p. 56
The Final Product of the Commercial Revolution: Milan in 1288	p. 60
Florence, a Masterpiece of the Commercial Revolution	p. 69
A North African City at Its Medieval Zenith	p. 74
Rural Markets and Urban Shopping Centers	p. 75
Markets and Peddlers in Underdeveloped Areas	p. 77
Mediterranean Merchants at the International Fairs	p. 79
Special Buildings for Foreign Traders	p. 84
The Growth of the Merchant Class	p. 87
War Spoils and New Types of Traders	p. 87
The Increasing Importance of the Itinerant Merchant	p. 89
Commercial Investments of Noblemen	p. 92
Merchants in Frontier Towns	p. 95
The Church and the Merchants	p. 101
Jews and Christians in Trade and Money Lending	p. 103
The Diversification of Merchandise	p. 108
Two Hundred and Eighty-eight 'Spices'	p. 108
Buying and Selling Works of Art	p. 114
Slave Trade	p. 115
Trade in Foodstuffs and Its Impact on Agriculture	p. 116
Raw Materials	p. 119
Trade in Manufactured Goods	p. 123
Monopolies and Cartels	p. 126
The Flow of Merchandise to a Trading City	p. 130
Statistical Data on the Flow of Merchandise	p. 135
The Evolution of the Means of Exchange	p. 143
Survivals of Loans in Kind	p. 143
Spices Used to Supplement Coins	p. 145
The Return to the Gold Standard in the West	p. 145
Hard Currencies, Moneys of Account, and Credit Money	p. 147
Seasonal Fluctuations in the Money Market	p. 150
Weights and Measures	p. 152
Commercial Contracts and Commercial Investments
Loans and the Problem of Interest	p. 157
A Contract Openly Mentioning Interest	p. 158
Restitution of Interest	p. 159
Interest Driven Underground	p. 160
The Contract of Exchange and Its Double Function	p. 162
Contracts of Exchange or Loans in Disguise?	p. 164
An Exchange Transaction Posted in a Ledger	p. 165
A Standard Contract of Exchange	p. 165
'Dry Exchange' Contracts	p. 166
The Sea Loan and the Sea Exchange	p. 168
The Straight Sea Loan	p. 169
The Mating of the Sea Loan with Exchange	p. 171
'Dry' Sea Exchange	p. 172
The Commenda Contract	p. 174
The Venetian Commenda or Collegantia	p. 176
The Genoese Commenda and Societas	p. 179
Other Examples of Commenda	p. 180
Shares of a Ship Given in Commenda	p. 181
Commenda Contracts of Humble People	p. 182
Interchangeability of Investor and Traveling Party	p. 183
Partnerships and Other Contracts Used in Land Trade	p. 185
The Venetian Fraterna Compagnia	p. 187
Societates Terrae Resembling Commenda Contracts	p. 188
Intermediate Forms of Partnership	p. 190
The Compagnia Contract in Tuscany	p. 196
Depositors, Factors, and Commission Agents	p. 212
Deposit Contracts	p. 214
Factor and Commission Contracts	p. 215
Some Other Forms of Agreement	p. 221
Piracy and War Booty	p. 222
Special Contracts: Syria and Southern Germany	p. 224
Trade in Shares of the Funded Public Debt	p. 226
Informal Commercial Papers	p. 229
Bills of Exchange	p. 231
A Notarial Letter of Payment	p. 232
A Letter of Credit	p. 233
A Promissory Note	p. 234
Orders of Payment	p. 235
The Route and the Thorns Along it
Transportation by Sea	p. 239
Chartering Contracts	p. 239
A Bill of Lading	p. 245
Armed Escort for a Merchantman	p. 246
Freight Charge Canceled on Account of Shipwreck	p. 247
Transportation by Land	p. 248
Transportation on the River Po	p. 249
Land Transportation: Carriers and Invoice Letters	p. 250
A Case In Comparative Costs	p. 251
The Development of Insurance Contracts	p. 255
'Rent' Insurance and 'Loan' Insurance	p. 256
More Mature Forms of Insurance Contracts	p. 259
An Insurance Claim	p. 261
Insurance as a Regular Business	p. 263
Commercial Litigation and Sharp Business Practices	p. 266
Litigation over Transport Contracts	p. 267
Litigation over the Quality of Merchandise	p. 270
Loan Sharks at Work	p. 273
Canon Law as a Pretext for Breaking Contracts	p. 276
Protests Concerning Unpaid Debts	p. 278
A Controversy over the Accounting of a Commenda	p. 280
A Journey to Delhi and Its Legal Aftermath	p. 281
Business Failures and Their Settlement	p. 290
Procedures for Settling Bankruptcies	p. 291
Joint Liability: the Ruin of a Great Merchant Company	p. 298
International Disputes over Trade	p. 303
Strains between East and West	p. 305
Seeking Justice in Cyprus	p. 318
England: Fruitless Good Will, Efficient Bad Will	p. 322
Northern Italy Protects Foreign Merchants	p. 324
Genoa Applies Sanctions Against Persia	p. 325
Legal Restrictions of Trade	p. 327
Tools and Ideas
Manuals	p. 341
Practical Arithmetic	p. 343
Practical Geography	p. 345
Practical Philology	p. 346
Advice for Buyers	p. 348
Traveling to China	p. 355
The Progress of Accounting Methods	p. 359
Early Bookkeeping Methods	p. 361
A Final Balance Sheet	p. 370
Double-Entry Bookkeeping	p. 372
Commercial Correspondence	p. 378
Notarized Letters and Informal Notes	p. 379
Letters of Instruction	p. 380
The Lures of Exploration	p. 382
Solidarity of Muslim and Christian Merchants	p. 384
Reports from the Fairs of Champagne	p. 388
The Many Troubles of a Moneylender	p. 394
News from Genoa	p. 400
News from Bruges	p. 403
Moral Standards and Practical Advice	p. 408
Rules for Succeeding in Business	p. 410
Oath of the Money Changers	p. 418
God's Credit Entry	p. 419
Down-to-Earth Advice from Florence	p. 420
This above all ...	p. 424
List of Works Cited	p. 427
Bibliography	p. 447
Index	p. 461
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.

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Medieval Trade in the Mediterranean World

9780231096263

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