The Political State Of The Country,
Indeed, Was Very Unfavourable To Commerce During This Period; There Are,
Consequently, Few Particulars Of Its Commerce Worth Recording.
About the
beginning of the fourteenth century, Montpelier seems to have had a
considerable trade; and they even sent ships with various articles of
merchandize to London.
Mention of Bourdeaux occurs about the same time, as
having sent out, in one year, 1350 vessels, laden with 13,429 tuns of wine;
this gives nearly 100 tuns in each vessel on an average. But Bourdeaux was
in fact an English possession at this time. That commerce between France
and England would have flourished and extended considerably, had it not
been interrupted by the frequent and bitter wars between these countries,
is evident from the consequences which followed the truce which was
concluded between their monarchs in 1384. The French, and particularly the
Normans, taking immediate advantage of this truce, imported into England an
immense quantity of wine, fruits, spiceries, and fish; gold and silver
alone were given in exchange. The Normans appear to have traded very
extensively in spiceries; but it is uncertain, whether they brought them
directly from the Mediterranean: they likewise traded to the east country
or Baltic countries. About a century afterwards, that is in 1453, France
could boast of her wealthy merchant, as well as Florence and England. His
name was Jacques Coeur: he is said to have employed 300 factors, and to
have traded with the Turks and Persians; his exports were chiefly woollen
cloth, linen, and paper; and his imports consisted of silks, spiceries,
gold, silver, &c.
In all our preceding accounts of the trade of Europe, the Italian and
Flemish merchants make a conspicuous figure. Flanders was celebrated for
its woollen manufactures, as well as for containing the central depots of
the trade between the south and north of Europe. Holland, which afterwards
rose to such commercial importance, does not appear in the annals of
commerce till the beginning of the fifteenth century. At this period, many
of the manufacturers of Brabant and Flanders settled in Holland; and about
the same time the Hollanders engaged in maritime commerce; but there are no
particulars respecting it, that fall within the limits of the present
chapter.
It remains to notice Spain. The commerce of Barcelona in its earliest stage
has been already noticed. The Catalans, in the thirteenth century, engaged
very extensively in the commerce of the Mediterranean, to almost every port
of which they traded. The earliest navigation act known was passed by the
count of Barcelona about this time; and laws were also framed, containing
rules for the owners and commanders of vessels, and the clerks employed to
keep their accounts; for loading and discharging the cargo; for the mutual
assistance to be given by vessels, &c. These laws, and others, to extend
and improve commerce, were passed during the reign of James I., king of
Arragon, who was also count of Barcelona. The manufactures and commerce of
this part of Spain continued to flourish from this time till the union of
the crowns of Castile and Arragon, which event depressed the latter
kingdom.
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