Medieval Economic Thought

An introduction to medieval economic thought from the twelfth to the fifteenth centuries.

Diana Wood (Author)

9780521458931, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 17 October 2002

274 pages
19.5 x 18 x 1.8 cm, 0.39 kg

'… well written, very rich of information and really enjoyable for the many references to historical facts about economic policy, mercantile life, customs, etc. It is a good reading for those willing to go deeper in the medieval economic culture, either as an amateur or as a researcher.' History of Economic Ideas

This book is an introduction to medieval economic thought, mainly from the twelfth to the fifteenth centuries, as it emerges from the works of academic theologians and lawyers and other sources - from Italian merchants' writings to vernacular poetry, Parliamentary legislation, and manorial court rolls. It raises a number of questions based on the Aristotelian idea of the mean, the balance and harmony underlying justice, as applied by medieval thinkers to the changing economy. How could private ownership of property be reconciled with God's gift of the earth to all in common? How could charity balance resources between rich and poor? What was money? What were the just price and the just wage? How was a balance to be achieved between lender and borrower and how did the idea of usury change to reflect this? The answers emerge from a wide variety of ecclesiastical and secular sources.

Preface
Introduction: problems, evidence, and background
1. Private property versus communal rights: the conflict of two laws
2. Wealth, beggary and sufficiency
3. What is money?
4. Sovereign concerns: weights, measures and coinage
5. The mercantile system
6. The just price and the just wage
7. The nature of usury: the usurer as winner
8. The theory of interest: the usurer as loser
Conclusion
Appendix: notes on the main writers and anonymous works used in the text
Glossary
Bibliography.

Subject Areas: Economic history [KCZ], History of ideas [JFCX], Christian theology [HRCM], Western philosophy: Medieval & Renaissance, c 500 to c 1600 [HPCB], Early history: c 500 to c 1450/1500 [HBLC], European history [HBJD]