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Nov 2019
45m 23s

Medieval Merchants

Wondery / Patrick Wyman
About this episode
The medieval economy underwent a profound transformation, becoming ever more commercialized and monetized. Merchants helped drive that change, moving goods from place to place and profiting on the returns. Today, we meet some of them: an Italian named Francesco Datini, one of the richest men in Europe, and the Cely family of English wool merchants. Suppo ... Show More
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