Bruges, cradle of capitalism, 1280-1390 / James M. Murray.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Murray, James M., 1954-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Bruges (Belgium)--Commerce--History.

Bruges (Belgium).

Bruges (Belgium)--Economic conditions.

Bruges (Belgium)--Politics and government.

Physical Description:

xii, 409 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, UK ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2005.

Summary:

Teeming with merchants from all over Europe, medieval Bruges provides an early model of a great capitalist city. Bruges established a sophisticated money market and elaborate network of agents and brokers. Moreover, it promoted co-operation between merchants of various nations. In this work James Murray explores how Bruges became the commercial capital of Northern Europe in the late fourteenth century. He argues that a combination of fortuitous changes, such as the shift to sea-borne commerce and the extraordinary efforts of the city's population, served to shape a great commercial centre. Areas explored include the political history of Bruges, its position as a node and network, the wool, cloth and gold trade, and the role of women in the market. The work serves not only as a case-study in medieval economic history, but also as a social and cultural history of medieval Bruges.

Contents:

1 Political background 1

2 Navigating a commercial city 22

3 The measure of humanity 84

4 Money and its discontents 119

5 La Bourse et la vie 178

6 Bruges as node and network 216

7 Wool, cloth, and gold 259

8 Women in the market and the market in women 300

9 Towards a Burgundian Bruges 344.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 373-392) and index.

ISBN:

0521819210

OCLC:

54691892

Online:

Publisher description