The thirteenth century was an era of bold constitutional experiments in Europe. During this age, for the first time in history, fiscal constitutions, i.e., limits on the fiscal prerogatives of the state, emerged. In Portugal, this manifested itself as a monetary constitution that prevented the...

This edited collection demonstrates how economic history can be analysed using both quantitative and qualitative methods, connecting statistical research with the social, cultural and psychological aspects of history. With their focus on the time between the end of the commercial revolution and...

"The eleven articles in this volume examine controversial subjects of central importance to medieval economic historians. Topics include the relative roles played by money and credit in financing the economy, whether credit could compensate for shortages of coin, and whether it could counteract...

Introduction -- The importance of warfare -- Europe's urban rise -- Evaluating the safe harbor effect -- Evaluating the warfare-to-wealth effect -- Warfare to wealth in comparative perspective -- Epilogue

1 Handelsstraßen und Flüsse. Die Verkehrsverhältnisse am Niederrhein zur Hansezeit -- 1.1 Der Niederrhein als Verkehrslandschaft -- 1.2 Der Rhein als Verkehrs- und Handelsweg -- Natürliche Bedingungen -- Rheinbaumaßnahmen -- 1.3 Nebenflüsse und Kanäle als Verkehrswege -- Nebenflüsse --...

In this paper, we study how the birth of the first universities in Italy affected the emergence of the Italian free cities-states (the commune) in the period 1000-1300 a.d. Exploiting a panel dataset of 121 cities, we show that after the foundation of a new university the distance between each...

Property rights -- Jews in the market for land -- Lords of the land?: Jews as rentiers and cultivators -- Dowries, wills and gifts: property and the tranifer of wealth -- The link between credit and land -- The economic case for property: asset choices, risk and return -- Credit and property in...