The Rise and Decline of the Medici Bank: 1397-1494 [Paperback]

Raymond de Roover (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 19, 1999

A classic history of banking and trade in the medieval period, combining superb research and analysis with graceful writing.

The Medici Bank was the most powerful banking house of the 15th century. Headquartered in Florence, Italy, it established branches in Rome, Venice, Geneva, Lyons, Bruges, London, and many other cities. The bank served as financial agent of the Church, extended credit to monarchs, and facilitated international trade in Western Europe. By their personal influence and the use of their profits, the owners and administrators of the bank contributed significantly to the development of Florence as the greatest center of the Renaissance.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The book combines superb research and analysis with graceful writing...(work) from archival material, make (this) valuable... -- Turnarounds and Workouts, October 15, 1999 Review by Susan Pannell

From the Publisher

A classic history of banking and trade in the medieval period, combining superb research and analysis with graceful writing. The Medici Bank was the most powerful banking house of the 15th century. Headquartered in Florence, Italy, it established branches in Rome, Venice, Geneva, Lyons, Bruges, London, and many other cities. The bank served as financial agent of the Church, extended credit to monarchs, and facilitated international trade in Western Europe. By their personal influence and the use of their profits, the owners and administrators of the bank contributed significantly to the development of Florence as the greatest center of the Renaissance.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 540 pages
• Publisher: Beard Books (August 19, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1893122328
• ISBN-13: 978-1893122321
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #956,231 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you think business isn't interesting, read this, June 22, 2005

By 

A. J. Sutter (Tokyo, Japan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Rise and Decline of the Medici Bank: 1397-1494 (Paperback)

This was truly a life-changing book for me when I read it 25-30 years ago. Up til then I had thought of myself as a kind of Bohemian, more interested in the arts and "higher things" than anything like business. At the time I was a penniless freelance writer, working in a library job that bored me. I was attracted to the book by the Renaissance Italy theme, but what I found was quite a revelation.
The Medici engaged in some of the same sorts of sophisticated financial transactions that people use today -- including currency arbitrage and venture capital. But since the objects of the transactions were very concrete, physical things (coins, precious stones, etc.), it's easy to get a good understanding of what they were doing. That's how I got interested in business, and ultimately into a career as a corporate lawyer and venture capitalist.

I also learned that many of the familiar masterpieces of Renaissance painting in museums around the world had been commissioned by branch managers of the Medici Bank. When the Medici found out that one of their managers had commissioned a painting, they figured his head had gotten too big, and they fired him. Very entertaining history!