Moving money

Abstract

This chapter discusses how Renaissance merchants could shift capital, both to move and sell merchandise, and to finance their own travels, over long distances. The strategic use of cash, bills of exchange, and barter systems enabled them to circumvent the prevalent issues of coin scarcity. This complex approach was particularly advantageous during long‑distance travel and when engaging with foreign markets or appointing representatives in other regions. Through such means, they ensured a continuous flow of goods and capital, sustaining their commercial activities across territorial boundaries. The different methods of payment used by Venetian merchants in the late fifteenth century in order to strengthen their firms and avoid unnecessary capital exposure are examined in this analysis, which is based on integrated information from companies’ account books and merchants’ letters. The case studies examine three ledgers from the second half of the fifteenth century and belonging to two well‑known merchant families, the Foscaris and the Michiels, as well as merchant letters written and received by Marco Bembo in the 1480s, in order to analyse the patterns characterising capital mobility and the differentiated methods of payment used in various European and Mediterranean hubs.