Practica della mercatura
Quick Summary
The Pratica della mercatura, compiled by Francesco Balducci Pegolotti between 1335 and 1343, is a medieval trade manual offering insights into 14th-century commerce. It functions as a practical guide for merchants, detailing foreign trade terms, taxes, and markets across Europe and beyond.1
The manual describes key trade routes, important commercial regions, and their import/export customs. It also provides comparative values for currencies, weights, and measures used by Italian merchants. This work is a valuable resource for understanding the business practices and economic landscape of the late Middle Ages, reflecting the principles of the law merchant that governed mercantile transactions across Europe.12
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