Italian Merchant Bankers in North-Western Europe in the Late Middle Ages

Italian merchants played a pivotal role in the international trade of England and the Low Countries in the Late Middle Ages. The topic has long received a great deal of attention, but the careful examination of a vast array of Italian business sources kept in private and public archives offers the possibility of new findings. The ten studies in this volume (two originally in Italian) reveal the discovery of previously unknown sources and discuss in detail the role and activity of Italians in England (and partly in the Low Countries). The Italian communities in England (largely composed of merchants) are discussed not only for the role they played in the English foreign trade, but also for their model of settlement, and their relationship with the local population and institutions. Given the absence of English business records prior to 1500, this book also paves the way for potential new research, for example the activity of English merchants based on the accounts that they kept with their Italian banks.