Creditors and Debt Governance, Economy and Politics in Medieval France (1250 - 1350)

Grunddaten zu diesem Projekt

Beschreibung

The economy is embedded in society. As a result of the recent financial and economic crisis, the economy as such is the subject of current debate, and basic economic methods and objectives have been criticized as roots of the crisis. Financial and economic crises are phenomena of immense power which, through inflation, deflation or confiscation, exercise violence that can lead to individual or collective disintegration (poverty or revolt) or destruction (death or revolution). Current debates also stem from the observation that many aspects of life can only be understood in the context of globalization, and that the relationship between politics and economics is shifting in favor of the latter (economization). Against this background, a synergy of the fields of political and economic history seems worthwhile. This project aims to analyze the integration and interaction between politics and economy in the Middle Ages. The main focus is on the activities of Italian merchants and trading companies in France between 1250 and 1350, a period characterized by an expansion of the use of money, of credits and debts on the one hand, and severe financial, economic, political, military and social crises leading to deep societal changes on the other. The project´s central assumption is that the Middle Ages saw the development of concepts of economic activity and resulting thoughts. It is likely that the society had to face problems at a new level resulting from processes of wealth redistribution. This raises the question as to how society responded to individual and collective indebtedness. Finally, it is worth asking what the reactions of the various social groups were, and whether there was any consent or opposition to these processes.