Merchants: The Community That Shaped England's Trade and Empire, 1550-1650
A new history of English trade and empire—revealing how a tightly woven community of merchants was the true origin of globalized Britain

In the century following Elizabeth I’s rise to the throne, English trade blossomed as thousands of merchants launched ventures across the globe. Through the efforts of these "mere merchants," England developed from a peripheral power on the fringes of Europe to a country at the center of a global commercial web, with interests stretching from Virginia to Ahmadabad and Arkhangelsk to Benin.
 
Edmond Smith traces the lives of English merchants from their earliest steps into business to the heights of their successes. Smith unpicks their behavior, relationships, and experiences, from exporting wool to Russia, importing exotic luxuries from India, and building plantations in America. He reveals that the origins of "global" Britain are found in the stories of these men whose livelihoods depended on their skills, entrepreneurship, and ability to work together to compete in cutthroat international markets. As a community, their efforts would come to revolutionize Britain’s relationship with the world.
1139169420
Merchants: The Community That Shaped England's Trade and Empire, 1550-1650
A new history of English trade and empire—revealing how a tightly woven community of merchants was the true origin of globalized Britain

In the century following Elizabeth I’s rise to the throne, English trade blossomed as thousands of merchants launched ventures across the globe. Through the efforts of these "mere merchants," England developed from a peripheral power on the fringes of Europe to a country at the center of a global commercial web, with interests stretching from Virginia to Ahmadabad and Arkhangelsk to Benin.
 
Edmond Smith traces the lives of English merchants from their earliest steps into business to the heights of their successes. Smith unpicks their behavior, relationships, and experiences, from exporting wool to Russia, importing exotic luxuries from India, and building plantations in America. He reveals that the origins of "global" Britain are found in the stories of these men whose livelihoods depended on their skills, entrepreneurship, and ability to work together to compete in cutthroat international markets. As a community, their efforts would come to revolutionize Britain’s relationship with the world.
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Merchants: The Community That Shaped England's Trade and Empire, 1550-1650

Merchants: The Community That Shaped England's Trade and Empire, 1550-1650

by Edmond Smith
Merchants: The Community That Shaped England's Trade and Empire, 1550-1650

Merchants: The Community That Shaped England's Trade and Empire, 1550-1650

by Edmond Smith

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Overview

A new history of English trade and empire—revealing how a tightly woven community of merchants was the true origin of globalized Britain

In the century following Elizabeth I’s rise to the throne, English trade blossomed as thousands of merchants launched ventures across the globe. Through the efforts of these "mere merchants," England developed from a peripheral power on the fringes of Europe to a country at the center of a global commercial web, with interests stretching from Virginia to Ahmadabad and Arkhangelsk to Benin.
 
Edmond Smith traces the lives of English merchants from their earliest steps into business to the heights of their successes. Smith unpicks their behavior, relationships, and experiences, from exporting wool to Russia, importing exotic luxuries from India, and building plantations in America. He reveals that the origins of "global" Britain are found in the stories of these men whose livelihoods depended on their skills, entrepreneurship, and ability to work together to compete in cutthroat international markets. As a community, their efforts would come to revolutionize Britain’s relationship with the world.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780300264494
Publisher: Yale University Press
Publication date: 10/26/2021
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 376
File size: 3 MB

About the Author

Edmond Smith is a Presidential Fellow in Economic Cultures at the University of Manchester. Formerly a capital markets research manager, Smith now specializes in the histories of capitalism and globalization, having completed his PhD at Cambridge in 2016.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations vi

Acknowledgements viii

Introduction: In the Footsteps of William Turner 1

1 The Art of Merchandising 14

2 Many Bodies Corporate 57

3 Living Together, Working Together 96

4 Monopolists and Interlopers 130

5 The City and the Court 173

Conclusion: The Business of Empire 207

Notes 229

Bibliography 314

Index 341

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