Monetisation and Commercialisation in the Baltic Sea, 1050-1450 (Studies in Medieval History and Culture)

__Monetisation and Commercialisation in the Baltic Sea, 1050–1450__ explores the varied uses of silver and gold in the Baltic Sea zone during the medieval period. Ten original contributions examine coins and currencies, trade, economy, and power, taking care to avoid an out-of-date approach to economic history which assumes a progression from ‘primitive’ forms to ‘developed’ structures. Combining a variety of methodological approaches, and drawing on written sources, archaeological and numismatic evidence, and anthropological perspectives, the book considers the various ways in which silver and gold were used as monetary currency, fiscal instruments of power, and gifts in the High and Late Medieval societies of the Baltic Sea. This book will appeal to scholars and students of medieval European history, as well as those interested in economic history, and the history of trade and commerce. Cover Half Title Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents List of Figures List of Tables Notes on the Contributors Introduction Notes Bibliography Primary sources Secondary literature Chapter 1: Money, gift or instrument of power? Hybrid (political) economies in the post-Viking age around the Baltic Sea Silver as money (but where?) Precious metals as gifts Silver as instrument of power and fiscalism Summary: A plea for non-linear research and methods Notes Bibliography Primary sources Secondary literature Chapter 2: Coin circulation in Poland under the rule of Bolesław III Wrymouth (1102–1138) Dispersion and coin finds categories Structure of finds and coin circulation Notes Bibliography Primary sources Secondary literature Chapter 3: Two stages of monetisation: Periodic recoinages and coin debasement in the Czech lands Notes Bibliography Primary sources Secondary literature Chapter 4: The trade between Slesvig/Lübeck and Novgorod c. 1050 until c. 1450 Notes Bibliography Primary sources Secondary literature Chapter 5: Limited use of money in late-medieval commerce: Economic considerations on the viability of Hanseatic “reciprocal trade” Late-medieval Baltic Sea trade and the Hansards’ limited use of money Avoidance of money use – Hanseatic “reciprocal trade” Why was “reciprocal trade” a viable institution? Path dependence and “lock-in” – long-term effects of not using money Concluding remarks Notes Bibliography Primary sources Secondary literature Chapter 6: Monetisation and economic inequality among peasants in medieval Poland Introduction The first stage of monetisation (tenth–twelfth centuries) The second stage of monetisation – the model of German colonisation and its consequences (thirteenth–fifteenth centuries) Economic inequality among peasants in the late Middle Ages Conclusion Notes Bibliography Primary sources Unprinted sources Printed sources Secondary literature Chapter 7: Toruń’s burghers and silver/gold in the first half of the fifteenth century Notes Bibliography Primary sources Unprinted sources Printed sources Secondary literature Chapter 8: The use of gold and silver in the praxis of a merchant in late medieval Gdańsk The merchant and his network The merchant book and the bookkeeping The currencies “Paying with the closed wallet” – advanced means of payments Barter Summary Notes Bibliography Primary sources Secondary literature Chapter 9: City and money during a war: Gdańsk debt during the Thirteen Years’ War Notes Bibliography Primary sources Unprinted sources Printed Sources Secondary literature Index "Monetisation and Commercialisation in the Baltic Sea, 1050-1450 explores the varied uses of silver and gold in the Baltic Sea zone during the medieval period. Ten original contributions examine coins and currencies, trade, economy, and power, taking care to avoid an out-of-date approach to economic history which assumes a progression from 'primitive' forms to 'developed' structures. Combining a variety of methodological approaches, and drawing on written sources, archaeological and numismatic evidence, and anthropological perspectives, the book considers the various ways in which silver and gold were used as monetary currency, fiscal instruments of power, and gifts in the High and Late Medieval societies of the Baltic Sea. This book will appeal to scholars and students of medieval European history, as well as those interested in economic history, and the history of trade and commerce"-- Provided by publisher