Community, the individual, and the rise of capitalism: The organization of Finnish foreign trade in the middle ages

Abstract

Abstract The present paper is concerned with the organisation of medieval foreign trade from the point of view of Finnish urban communities. The insecurity that characterised medieval commerce in the Baltic region emphasized the importance of a well-functioning commercial organization. Mercantile shipping based on private enterprise would have been too risky for extensive trade, while the resources of the Crown were also not sufficient. As a solution the merchants had already developed, by the thirteenth century, the burgher community. Such communities had an important role to play, especially when merchants had problems in a foreign city: the council representing the burgher community could require the burghers to adhere to their agreements, which contributed significantly to trade expansion in the course of the Middle Ages.