Though France Possessed Excellent Ports In The Mediterranean, Particularly
Marseilles, Which, As We Have Seen, In Very Early Times Was Celebrated For
Its Commerce, Yet She, As Well As Less Favoured Ports Of Europe, Was
Principally Indebted For Her Trade To The Lombards And Other Italian
Merchants, During The Middle Ages.
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.
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