Money and Finance in Central Europe during the Later Middle Ages (Palgrave Studies in the History of Finance)

The wealth of the Central European archives, particularly in urban records, has not been fully realised by Western European historians. However, the records are not always straightforward to use and many studies tackle the methodological problems inherent in gathering and analysing medieval sources. This book presents an original review of past and present research of national historiographies on medieval financial history from Central Europe. Covering material ranging from the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, it explores the eastern regions of the Holy Roman Empire, including Bohemia, Silesia, Austria and Germany, and extending to Poland and Hungary. The authors firstly discuss the monetary policy of the Holy Roman emperors during the Middle Ages, before moving on to wider aspects of state finance, including credit mechanisms used by rulers. The book then investigates civic records and what they reveal about urban life and trade. It lastly investigates the financial activities of the church, from papacy to the cathedral chapters in Prague. Using numismatic and documentary evidence, Money and Finance in Central Europe during the Later Middle Ages provides an invaluable point of comparison with the financial conditions in Western Europe during the Middle Ages. Front Matter....Pages i-xviii Introduction: Medieval Finance in Central European Historiography....Pages 1-22 Front Matter....Pages 23-23 A New Perspective on the Imperial Coinage....Pages 25-31 The Reception of Imperial Monetary Reforms in 16th-century Northern Germany....Pages 32-41 The Kremnica Town Book of Accounts: The Economy of a Mining and Mint Town in the Kingdom of Hungary....Pages 42-56 Front Matter....Pages 57-57 Financiers to the Blind King: Funding the Court of John the Blind (1310–1346)....Pages 59-75 The Financial Dimension of the Pledge Policy of King Sigismund of Luxembourg in Bohemia (1419–1437)....Pages 76-86 The Pledge Policy of King Sigismund of Luxembourg in Hungary (1387–1437)....Pages 87-109 The Economic Background to and the Financial Politics of Queen Barbara of Cilli in Hungary (1406–1438)....Pages 110-128 The Courtly Accounts of Prince Sigismund Jagiello (Late 15th to Early 16th Centuries) and Their Historical Context....Pages 129-151 Front Matter....Pages 153-153 Accounting Records of the Town Offices in Bohemia and Moravia: Methodology and Application....Pages 155-168 Remnants and Traces: In Search of Wrocław’s Accounting Books (Late 14th to Early 16th Centuries)....Pages 169-180 Financial Obligations of the City of Gdańsk to King Casimir IV Jagiellon and His Successors in the Light of the 1468–1516 Ledger Book....Pages 181-191 Old Interpretations and New Approaches: The 1457–1458 Thirtieth Customs Register of Bratislava....Pages 192-201 Front Matter....Pages 203-203 Financing a Legation: Papal Legates and Money in the Later Middle Ages....Pages 205-221 St Vitus Building Accounts (1372–1378): The Economic Aspects of Building the Cathedral....Pages 222-246 ‘De mandato dominorum divisorum ... ’: Finances in the Life of Prague’s Metropolitan Chapter....Pages 247-263 Back Matter....Pages 265-269 Cover 1 Half-Title 2 Title 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Contents 8 List of Figures 10 List of Tables 11 Preface 12 Acknowledgements 16 Notes on Contributors 17 Introduction: Medieval Finance in Central European Historiography 20 Part I Money and Minting 42 1 A New Perspective on the Imperial Coinage 43 2 The Reception of Imperial Monetary Reforms in 16th-century Northern Germany 50 3 The Kremnica Town Book of Accounts: The Economy of a Mining and Mint Town in the Kingdom of Hungary 60 Part II Medieval Court Funding 75 4 Financiers to the Blind King: Funding the Court of John the Blind (1310–1346) 76 5 The Financial Dimension of the Pledge Policy of King Sigismund of Luxembourg in Bohemia (1419–1437) 93 6 The Pledge Policy of King Sigismund of Luxembourg in Hungary (1387–1437) 104 7 The Economic Background to and the Financial Politics of Queen Barbara of Cilli in Hungary (1406–1438) 127 8 The Courtly Accounts of Prince Sigismund Jagiello (Late 15th to Early 16th Centuries) and Their Historical Context 146 Part III Trade and Towns 169 9 Accounting Records of the Town Offices in Bohemia and Moravia: Methodology and Application 170 10 Remnants and Traces: In Search of Wrocław’s Accounting Books (Late 14th to Early 16th Centuries) 184 11 Financial Obligations of the City of Gdańsk to King Casimir IV Jagiellon and His Successors in the Light of the 1468–1516 Ledger Book 196 12 Old Interpretations and New Approaches: The 1457–1458 Thirtieth Customs Register of Bratislava 207 Part IV Church and Money 217 13 Financing a Legation: Papal Legates and Money in the Later Middle Ages 218 14 St Vitus Building Accounts (1372–1378): The Economic Aspects of Building the Cathedral 235 15 ‘De mandato dominorum divisorum ... ’ : Finances in the Life of Prague’s Metropolitan Chapter 260 Index 277 "The wealth of the Central European archives, particularly in urban records, has perhaps not been fully realised by western European historians. However, these records are not always straightforward to use and these studies also tackle the methodological problems inherent in gathering and analysing medieval sources. This book presents an original review of past and present research of national historiographies on medieval financial history from Central Europe. Covering material ranging from the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, it explores the eastern regions of the Holy Roman Empire, including Bohemia, Silesia, Austria and Germany, and extends to Poland and Hungary. The authors firstly discuss the monetary policy of the Holy Roman emperors during the Middle Ages, before moving on to the wider aspects of state finance, including credit mechanisms used by rulers. The book then investigates civic records and what they reveal about urban life and trade. The book lastly investigates the financial activities of the church, from papacy to the cathedral chapters in Prague. Using numismatic and documentary evidence, this book provides an invaluable point of comparison with the financial conditions in Western Europe during the Middle Ages"-- Provided by publisher