Customer Reviews

Genoa and the Sea: Policy and Power in an Early Modern Maritime Republic, 1559-1684 (The Johns Hopkins University Studies in Historical and Political Science)

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There are many histories of Florence and Venice, but far fewer of Genoa. Genoa And The Sea: Policy And Power In An Early Modern Maritime Republic 1559-1684 is the story of one of Italy's great cities along the Mediterranean coast, and its transformation from a maritime republic into one of Europe's most crucial financial centers. When Spanish prosperity began to wane, Genoa, whose trade and prosperity had been closely linked with Spain, had to reinvent itself to continue its prosperity. A critical key to Genoa's success was a free-port policy that spurred trade and made it especially inviting to merchants. A thoroughly researched, scholarly scrutiny of a changing economic era as reflected in a bustling and complex metropolis.

This is a very well researched book using the rich Genoese archives as well as material from other Italian collections. The subject, policy and power in Genoa, provides a good comparison with the more fully covered Venetian republic. It is a good contribution to the complex world of the Mediterranean in the Early Modern period.