Merchant Families, Banking And Money In Medieval Lucca (Variorum Collected Studies)

This volume brings together a series of studies by Professor Blomquist on the evolution of banking in Lucca from the 12th and 13th centuries. They describe how the leading bankers operated, how they invested, and how they pursued their family interests. In particular, they trace the transformation of money changers, or campsores, into deposit and transfer bankers, who deployed their capital in trading ventures as well as in banking. Moreover, the author shows how Lucchese merchant-bankers expanded their operations from Italy, first to the fairs of Champagne and ultimately to all of Europe's major commercial centres. Special attention is given to the use of the exchange contract, or cambium, as an instrument of credit and of transfer. Problems of coinage and foreign exchange are also treated extensively, including the origins of the Tuscan grossi and the Lucchese gold groat. The collection concludes with a study of the cloth trade and another concerning the first consuls in Lucca. I. The Castracani Family Of Thirteenth-century Lucca -- Ii. Lineage, Land And Business, In The Thirteenth Century : The Guidiccioni Family Of Lucaa -- Iii. Lineage, Land And Business, In The Thirteenth Century : The Guidiccioni Family Of Lucca -- Iv. La Famiglia E Gli Affari : Le Compagnie Internazionali Lucchesi Al Tempo Di Castruccio Castracani -- V. City And Country In Medieval Tuscany : The Ricciardi Family And Rural Investment In Thirteenth-century Lucca -- Vi. The Drapers Of Lucca And The Marketing Of Cloth In The Mid-thirteenth Century -- Vii. The First Consuls At Lucca : 10 July 1119 / Thomas W. Blomquist And Duane J. Osheim -- Viii. Commercial Association In Thirteenth-century Lucca. Thomas W. Blomquist. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.