1st Edition

Italian Merchant Bankers in North-Western Europe in the Late Middle Ages

By Francesco Guidi-Bruscoli Copyright 2026
296 Pages 11 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

296 Pages 11 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

Italian merchants played a pivotal role in the international trade of England and the Low Countries during the late Middle Ages. While the field is well established, the examination of a vast array of Italian business sources kept in private and public archives offers important new insights. The ten studies in this volume (two published in English for the first time) reveal previously unknown... Read more

Introduction

1. Trade and navigation between the Atlantic and Mediterranean worlds in the late Middle Ages

‘Trade and navigation between the Atlantic and Mediterranean worlds in the mid-fifteenth century’, in The World of the Newport Ship. Trade, Politics and Shipping in the Mid-Fifteenth Century, eds. E. T. Jones and R. Stone (Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 2018), pp. 229-250

2. Francesco Datini’s trade with Northern Europe (c. 1380-1410)

‘Trade with northern Europe’, in Francesco di Marco Datini. The Man the Merchant, ed. G. Nigro (Florence: Firenze University Press, 2010), pp. 395-417

3. Florentine merchant-bankers between London and Bruges in the fifteenth century

‘Mercanti-banchieri fiorentini tra Londra e Bruges nel XV secolo’, in «Mercatura è arte». Uomini d’affari toscani in Europa e nel Mediterraneo tardomedievale, eds. L. Tanzini and S. Tognetti (Rome: Viella, 2012), pp. 11-44

4. Unearthing a lost fragment: the account-book of Domenico Villani & Partners of London, 1422-24

‘Un frammento inedito di un libro di conti di Domenico Villani e compagni di Londra, 1422-24’, Storia economica, 13/3 (2010), pp. 375-409

5. A Milanese bank in London and Bruges in the 1430s: Filippo Borromei & Partners

‘The Borromei Bank Research Project’ (with J. L. Bolton), in Money, Markets and Trade in Late Medieval Europe: Essays in Honour of John H. A. Munro, eds. L. Armstrong and I. Elbl (Leiden: Brill, 2006), pp. 460-490

6. When did Antwerp replace Bruges as the commercial and financial centre of north-western Europe? The evidence of the Borromei ledger for 1438

‘When did Antwerp replace Bruges as the commercial and financial centre of north-western Europe? The evidence of the Borromei ledger for 1438’ (with J. L. Bolton), The Economic History Review, 61/2 (2008), pp. 360-379

7. John Cabot and his Italian financiers

‘John Cabot and his Italian financiers’, Historical Research, vol. 85, n. 229 (2012), pp. 372-393

8. A Chancery petition presented by two Italian merchants in c. 1490: Aldobrandino Tanagli and Francesco Cattani

‘Aldobrandino Tanagli and Francesco Cattani: Chancery petition, c. 1490’ (with M. M. Condon and E. T. Jones) http://research-information.bristol.ac.uk/en/publications/aldobrandino-tanagli-and-francesco-cattani-chancery-petition-c-1490%28b8265d65-39d6-4f67-be1e-14ac7cbac36e%29.html (August 2013)

9. Perception, Identity and Culture: The Italian Communities in Fifteenth-Century London and Southampton Revisited

‘Perception, Identity and Culture: The Italian Communities in Fifteenth-Century London and Southampton Revisited’ (with J. Lutkin), in Resident Aliens in Later Medieval England, eds. M. Ormrod, N. McDonald and C. Taylor (Turnhout: Brepols, 2017), pp. 89-104

10. London and its Merchants in the Italian Archives, 1380–1530

‘London and its Merchants in the Italian Archives, 1380–1530’, in Medieval merchants and money. Essays in honour of James L. Bolton, eds. M. Allen and M. Davies (London: University of London – Institute of Historical Research, 2016), pp. 113-135

List of Manuscript Sources

Bibliography

Biography

Francesco Guidi-Bruscoli is Associate Professor of Economic History at the University of Florence,  Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and Visiting Reader at Queen Mary University of London. He is the author of four books and of more than sixty academic articles on various aspects of the economic history of the Renaissance. In the UK, he has been a member, in various capacities, of research projects at Queen Mary University of London, the University of Bristol and the University of York. His previous publications includes Papal Banking in Renaissance Rome (2007).