This historical episode is one of a profound transformation of this trade sector that between the end of the 17th century and the middle of the following one, namely the emergence and strengthening of the position of the British merchants in detriment to the competitive position of the merchants...

The author of this paper intends to compare two industrial territories from western France: Chateau-Renault and Surgères. Chateau-Renault is a tanning center, and the city of Surgères houses a vast dairy. The industries of both areas deal with products of animal origins deriving from...

During the early modern period the European Monarchies were expanding geographically and politically. Despite the importance of the military campaigns the challenge was, however, not in conquering independent polities but in keeping them. For that reason the mobilization of resources to maintain...

Research on the practices of the moneylender, a permanent yet shadowy fixture of society, has focused on England in the early modern period. This paper, however, examines the business operations of Costantino Bogdano, a Greek moneylender active in Venice (c. 1800-44). At a time of transition in...

In this paper we investigate the relation between population, wages and urban population in the Italian economy. During the period examined, 1320-1870, the prevailing conditions were those of a poor, mainly agricultural economy with limited human capital and rudimentary technology. However,...

The following paper presents original tithe series for the province of Guadalajara in New Castile. The series include the four main grains, wheat, barley, rye and oats and their evolution during the eighteenth century. The series complete previous estimations of grain production for New Castile...

In this text we analyze the main economic activities that were developed in the city of Alicante in the mid 19th century promoted by dynamic elite of aristocrats and middle classes. The economy was moderately diversified, the main weight falling on trade and commercial farming. Following this we...

This article makes use of Lee’s ‘dynamic synthesis’, which aims to combine the views of Malthus and Boserup, to provide a new interpretation of population dynamics in Northern Italy from about 1450 to 1800. The article analyzes Lee’s theory and suggests that, even if it is difficult to...

This paper explores a key implication of Richard Smith's work on agrarian societies: the need to be attentive both to rural people's decisions as economic agents and to the constraints on their choices. It begins by examining evidence of goal-maximizing behaviour by rural people – not...

In this paper we introduce a new source of data to economic history: palynological data, i.e. information about pollen grains which are preserved in bottom sediments of various water basins. We discuss how this data is collected and how it should be interpreted; develop new methods for aggregating...