Acceso usuarios
This study, conducted on English archival material, covers the period between 1272 and 1294, when Edward I of England received sizeable and regular loans from a dozen Tuscan merchant-banking companies, headed and coordinated by the Ricciardi of Lucca. Essentially wool merchants, acting as a genuine branch of government, they ensured a constant flow of cash to the Crown. In return, they received the guarantee of newly established customs revenues and some direct taxes, and the offer of trade privileges. The so-called ‘Ricciardi system’ worked brilliantly for over twenty years and allowed the King to carry out an ambitious and expensive foreign policy, conquering Wales and fighting against the Scots. But the sudden outbreak of war against France over the possession of Gascony abruptly increased the King’s needs for money and caught the Ricciardi unprepared. This led to the breakdown of relations with the Crown and to the bankruptcy of the Ricciardi.
