Prima del Fiorino. Le origini del decollo economico di Firenze tra 1150 e 1252

The minting of the gold florin in 1252 is commonly considered to herald the beginning of Florence’s economic boom. Indeed, the power of its coin made this city one of the major centres of the commercial revolution that marked the late Mediaeval period. However, Florence could not have been in a position to mint such a strong currency without a long history of successful commerce. The Florin, therefore, must have arrived when the Florentine economy was already flourishing, but how long had it been so strong, and where did this wealth come from?