Before European Hegemony - Successful Trade Towns

Janet L. Abu-Lughod's Before Western Hegemony started with a very long intro into the world trade systems A.D. 1250-1350. Part 1 is dedicated to the European subsystem. It then goes into detail the factors needed to make a trade town successful. First it needs to connect several regions with a motive to exchange with each other together. Secondly, the site must be accessible to traders and incur low transport costs. This type of trading worked especially well for luxury items, which were usually smaller and easier to travel with rather than bulkier and less profitable items. Luxury items include, spices, silk, porcelain, brocades and damascene blades. I found the part detailing Champagne's treaty very interesting. Champagne guarantees safety to traders body and thier goods from the moment they set foot in the territory of the fair. I thought this was a very smart idea for the town. It encouraged traders to come to their fair instead of other towns because of the protection they receive at Champagne. Another factor contributing to Champagne's success was its ability to promote order and justice through a system of guards named "Guards of the Fair". These men "policed the large number of people gathered on the fairgrounds, heard complaints, enforced contract promises, and collected fines to punish cheating". There were also notables who "constituted a tribunal of justice, hearing cases, adjudicating conflicts, and imposing penalties"(59). I also liked the reference to Robin Hood as well. Traders carried valuables from town to town and in order to safeguard themselves and their goods, caravans were created. One other interesting part was how towns so favorable for trading were soon left behind. One aspect was due to the increasing popularity of water transporting. And secondly was the ability of ships to traverse the Atlantic Ocean, which allowed them to bypass routes that were becoming less favorable due to political and hostile reasons. I thought it was truly fascinating that such a complex sysytem of trade existed so long ago. I was curious as to how the "money changers" knew what each currency was worth compared to others? What other items were traded during this time? Also what was the atmosphere like during these fairs?

Kayla O