In the beginning of the book we see how the Muslim world dominates world trade. The early international trade in Europe begins with trade fairs in the Champagne areas because there is little involvement by rulers and taxes. These fairs were slowly abandoned when certain traders were no longer guaranteed safe passage and even barred from being a participant in the fair. Due to the improvement in oversea shipping the Flanders region becomes more dominant in trade until the port silt up and they are no longer able to accept deep draft ships. Particularly the city of Ghent was heavily involved in the textile industry. During this time we see the early signs of capitalism, the rise of banking systems and credit. The Black Death exacts a terrible tool on trading. The 2 port cities of Genoa and Venice battle for trade with the east. The Mongols eventually start to create problems with trade to the far east and nearly sack Europe.
I find it interesting how the Islamic world of commerce was so vibrant while the Europeans where stuck in the dark ages. Also, the word that we have for bank comes from the Italian word banco which meant board that they would have set out the money on to be counted. The fact that the Italians still were trading during the dark ages.
Some points of discussion would be the authors assertion that the crusades were more than likely conducted because of financial gain than religious reasons. Although there were some atrocities committed by everyone, the one battle where the crusaders actually resorted to cannibalism, that’s such a taboo thing that it seems hard to believe.
Lou Coban
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ReplyDeleteI agree that it is interesting that the Europeans were still stuck in the dark ages in terms of the world of commerce during these centuries! I also agree that it seems hard to believe about the cannibalism, but there are so many things societies did that seem so unbelievable (like having picnics while watching a lynching, to cheering on beheadings during the tudor period). Though I see what you mean because the crazy things I listed were considered normal during that time period...cannibalism is viewed as a taboo currently and was viewed as taboo in certain parts of the world.
ReplyDeleteAs hard as cannibalism is hard to believe, i think that slavery, witch hunting and their prosecution, the holocaust, and other horrible things of that nature is all hard to believe. Yet, it happened. So, i agree with Lolia, especially because cannibalism is not something that is nonexistent today.
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