Fanuensis ergo mercator ou le petit monde d'un homme d'affaires génois, le juge Guarnerius (1210–1221)

Bibliographic Data

ID11892058
AuthorsGeorges Jehel (corresponding author)
Year1978
Volume4
Issue3
Pages243-266
Publication date1978-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Medieval History (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0304-4181 • E-ISSN: 1873-1279
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1016/0304-4181(78)90048-9
OpenAlexW1990267634
LanguageFR
References cited10

Analysis of thirteenth-century Genoese minute-books frequently offers precise details about Genoese society and the economy of Genoa at that time. By re-grouping the entries relating to a single personage, the judge Guarnerius, one realises that the famous dictum Januensis ergo mercator, “Genoese therefore merchant”, needs reconsideration in the light of the fact that, though all the Genoese were effectively involved in commercial transactions, some were much more engaged than others. Thus Guarnerius, because of the scale of his investments and the role played around him by members of his family or household, appears in the years 1212–1220 as an early example of the Genoese professional merchant. The question arises whether, from the start of the thirteenth century, there was not already at Genoa a group of specialised businessmen from which a truly professional class of merchants was about to evolve. If such a hypothesis is confirmed, some reflections on the origins of Genoese capitalism are called for

Art · Humanities · European Political History Analysis · Historical Economic and Social Studies · Medieval and Early Modern Justice

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