Cities of commerce: the institutional foundations of international trade in the Low Countries, 1250-1650

Illustrations ix Acknowledgments xi Chapter 1 Introduction 1 Chapter 2 Commercial Cities 19 Chapter 3 The Organization of Exchange 42 Chapter 4 Crossing Borders 76 Chapter 5 Conflict Resolution 102 Chapter 6 The Protection of Trade 141 Chapter 7 Dealing with Losses 169 Chapter 8 Conclusion 198 Appendix A: The Incidence of Violence against Foreign Merchants in the Low Countries, 1250-1650 211 Appendix B: The Motivation, Organization, and Outcome of Collective Action by Merchants of the German Hanse in Bruges, 1250-1500 227 Abbreviations 233 Bibliography 235 Index 277