Money, banking and credit in mediaeval Bruges. Italian merchant-bankers, Lombards and money-changers. A study in the origins of banking

PREFACE page vii
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS page xiii
LIST OF TABLES page xv
LIST OF APPENDICES page xvii
Chapter I: INTRODUCTION page 3
PART ONE: THE ITALIAN MERCHANT-BANKERS

II. THE ITALIAN COLONIES IN FLANDERS: THEIR ESTABLISHMENT, THEIR LEGAL STATUS, AND THEIR SOCIAL LIFE page 9
III. THE ORGANIZATION OF THE ITALIAN MERCANTILE AND BANKING HOUSES WITH BRANCHES IN BRUGES page 29
IV. THE BUSINESS OF EXCHANGE AND THE MECHANISM OF THE MONEY MARKET page 48
V. THE VICISSITUDES OF THE MONEY MARKET AND THE PERILS OF INVESTMENT IN PUBLIC LOANS page 76

PART TWO: THE LOMBARDS OR 'CAHORSINS'

VI. THE LEGAL STATUS OF LICENSED USURY page 99
VII. THE PAWNBROKING OF BUSINESS page 113
VIII. THE SOCIAL PROBLEM OF CONSUMERS' CREDIT page 149
IX. THE STRUGGLE AGAINST SECRET USURY AND THE SURVIVAL OF CASUAL CREDIT page 160

PART THREE: THE MONEY-CHANGERS

X. THE LEGAL AND SOCIAL BACKGROUND page 171
XI. A GENERAL PICTURE OF THE MONEY-CHANGERS' BUSINESS page 198
XII. THE FLEMISH CURRENCY SYSTEM, THE TRADE IN BULLION AND THE MONEY MARKET page 220
XIII. BANK DEPOSITS AS MONEY page 247
XIV. LOANS AND INVESTMENTS page 293
XV. BANK FAILURES AND PUBLIC POLICY page 331
XVI. CONCLUSIONS page 345

APPENDICES page 361
BIBLIOGRAPHY page 387
INDEX page 407