In the 14th century, Florence’s economy took off. Director & Professor at Vanderbilt University, Dr. William Caferro, joins the show to explore what happened.
Some topics explored
- Florence, Tuscany’s governance structure at the time
- Dante in politics in this period
- Was Florence democratic or oligarchic during this period
- Guilds in Florence
- Why Florence’s economy took off in the 14th century
- The merchant classes influence over Florence
- Florence as a commune
- The concept of Dante living both in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance
- Banks and wool manufacturing developing in the 13th century
- The pope of the time using Florence’s banks
- Lending money and what constituted usury
- Thomas Aquinas’ on usury
- Currency that was used by Florence
- Regulatory bodies that existed
- How disputes were settled between governments (i.e., Venice and Florence)
- Where Florence sourced its gold for its coinage
- The middle class in Florence being to purchase higher end clothing
Listen to the episode
The episode can be streamed below and is available on major podcast apps: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music.
Show Notes
- Dr. Caferro is author of the monograph Petrarch’s War: Florence and the Black Death in Context (Cambridge University Press, 2020)
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