Includes bibliographical references and index.

Richard A. Goldthwaite, a leading economic historian of the Italian Renaissance, has spent his career studying the Florentine economy. In t his magisterial work, Goldthwaite brings together a lifetime of researc h and insight on the subject, clarifying and explaining the complex wor kings of Florence’s commercial, banking, and artisan sectors. Florenc e was one of the most industrialized cities in medieval Europe, thanks to its thriving textile industries. The importation of raw materials an d the exportation of finished cloth necessitated the creation of commer cial and banking practices that extended far beyond Florence’s bounda ries. Part I situates Florence within this wider international context and describes the commercial and banking networks through which the cit y’s merchant-bankers operated. Part II focuses on the urban economy o f Florence itself, including various industries, merchants, artisans, a nd investors. It also evaluates the role of government in the economy, the relationship of the urban economy to the region, and the distributi on of wealth throughout the society. While political, social, and cultu ral histories of Florence abound, none focuses solely on the economic h istory of the city. The Economy of Renaissance Florence offers both a s ystematic description of the city’s major economic activities and a c omprehensive overview of its economic development from the late Middle Ages through the Renaissance to 1600.

Electronic text and image data. Ann Arbor, Mich. : University of Michigan, Michigan Publishing, 2013. Includes both TIFF files and keyword searchable text. ([ACLS Humanities E-Book]) Mode of a ccess: Intranet.