Medieval and Renaissance Studies: Proceedings of the Southeastern Institute of Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Vol. 8 (1979)
Summary: Medieval merchants were far more than buyers and sellers: their need to calculate risks, communicate across borders and navigate distant markets made them some of the most knowledgeable people of their age. Commerce helped drive the spread of literacy and important developments in mathematics, accounting, law, languages and mapmaking, while the vast records merchants left behind offer unusually vivid glimpses into medieval society. Their influence also reached beyond the marketplace, as they commissioned art, collected books, wrote chronicles, governed cities and financed civic buildings. Long before the Renaissance merchant became associated with cultural patronage, medieval traders were already helping to shape Europe’s intellectual, artistic and urban worlds.
The Culture of the Medieval Merchant
By Roberto S. Lopez
Medieval and Renaissance Studies: Proceedings of the Southeastern Institute of Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Vol. 8 (1979)
Summary: Medieval merchants were far more than buyers and sellers: their need to calculate risks, communicate across borders and navigate distant markets made them some of the most knowledgeable people of their age. Commerce helped drive the spread of literacy and important developments in mathematics, accounting, law, languages and mapmaking, while the vast records merchants left behind offer unusually vivid glimpses into medieval society. Their influence also reached beyond the marketplace, as they commissioned art, collected books, wrote chronicles, governed cities and financed civic buildings. Long before the Renaissance merchant became associated with cultural patronage, medieval traders were already helping to shape Europe’s intellectual, artistic and urban worlds.
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Top Image: British Library MS Add. 27695, fol. 7v
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