Author : Quentin van Doosselaere
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1139479210
Total Pages : 263 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (394 download)
Book Synopsis Commercial Agreements and Social Dynamics in Medieval Genoa by : Quentin van Doosselaere
Download or read book Commercial Agreements and Social Dynamics in Medieval Genoa written by Quentin van Doosselaere and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2009-04-27 with total page 263 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Commercial Agreements and Social Dynamics in Medieval Genoa is an empirical study of medieval long-distance trade agreements and the surrounding social dynamics that transformed the feudal organization of men-of-arms into the world of Renaissance merchants. Drawing on 20,000 notarial records, the book traces the commercial partnerships of thousands of people in Genoa from 1150 to 1435 and reports social activity on a scale that is unprecedented for such an early period of history. In combining a detailed historical reading with network modeling to analyze the change in the long-distance trade relationships, Quentin van Doosselaere challenges the prevailing western-centric view of development. He demonstrates that the history of the three main medieval economic frameworks that brought about European capitalism - equity, credit, and insurance - was not driven by strategic merchants' economic optimizations but rather by a change in partners' selections that reflected the dynamic of the social structure as a whole.