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Richard A. Goldthwaite, a leading economic historian of the Italian Renaissance, has spent his career studying the Florentine economy. In this magisterial work, Goldthwaite brings together a lifetime of research and insight on the subject, clarifying and explaining the complex workings of Florence's commercial, banking, and artisan sectors. Florence was one of the most industrialized cities in medieval Europe, thanks to its thriving textile industries. The importation of raw materials and the exportation of finished cloth necessitated the creation of commercial and banking practices that extended far beyond Florence's boundaries. Part I situates Florence within this wider international context and describes the commercial and banking networks through which the city's merchant-bankers operated. Part II focuses on the urban economy of Florence itself, including various industries, merchants, artisans, and investors. It also evaluates the role of government in the economy, the relationship of the urban economy to the region, and the distribution of wealth throughout the society. While political, social, and cultural histories of Florence abound, none focuses solely on the economic history of the city. The Economy of Renaissance Florence offers both a systematic description of the city's major economic activities and a comprehensive overview of its economic development from the late Middle Ages through the Renaissance to 1600

Intro -- Contents -- List of Tables, Figures, and Maps -- Preface -- Introduction: The Commercial Revolution -- Economic Growth and Development in Italy to 1300 -- Trade with the Levant -- Links to the North -- The Tuscan Towns -- Florence -- Rise to Predominance -- The Dynamics of Growth -- PART I: INTERNATIONAL MERCHANT BANKING -- 1 The Network -- Performance -- Structures -- The Center -- 2 The Shifting Geography of Commerce -- Northwestern Europe -- Naples and Southern Italy -- The Western Mediterranean -- Central Italy and Rome -- Venice, the Adriatic, and the Levant -- Central Europe -- 3 Banking and Finance -- Banking -- The International Exchange Market -- Government Finance -- PART II: THE URBAN ECONOMY -- 4 The Textile Industries -- General Performance -- Business Organization -- Production -- Recapitulation: Wool, Silk, and the Economy -- 5 Artisans, Shopkeepers, Workers -- The Work Force -- Performance of the Artisan Sector -- 6 Banking and Credit -- Banking Institutions through the Fifteenth Century -- Performance of the Banking Sector -- Banking outside of Banks -- New Directions in the Sixteenth Century -- 7 Contexts -- Government and the Economy -- The Region and the City -- Private Wealth -- Conclusion -- Economic Culture -- Attitudes and Behavior -- Notions about the Economy -- Performance -- The Economy in the Short Run -- A Final Judgment -- Appendix: Changing Values of the Florin -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- Q -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- X -- Y -- Z.

This article explores cultural aspects of the unique archival patrimony of private account books that survive for Florence from the fourteenth to the early seventeenth century, a period corresponding to the city's greatness as a center of both Renaissance culture and early capitalism. The discussion first surveys the diffusion and the standardization of accounting practice throughout the society, the educational process behind this development, and the emergence of the professional accountant. It then analyzes double entry in its application to both business (including industrial) and domestic accounts in the attempt to extend our knowledge of the accounting reality in this pre-modern capitalist economy beyond the traditional view derived from manuals and theoretical notions. The conclusion examines the cultural functions of Florentine accounting practice ranging from the so-called spirit of capitalism in the business world to some particular characteristics that disposed Florentines in general toward this kind of record keeping.