Trade contacts between Prague Jews and Northern Italy and their engagement in the Italian commodity trade in the 16th and early 17th centuries.
Abstract
This paper is focused on the topic of contacts between Prague Jews and trade centres in Northern Italy and on the involvement of Jewish merchants in the trade of Italian grocery goods in the 16th and early 17th centuries. The topic is examined on the basis of broader economic factors that were important for long-distance trade between Northern Italy and Central Europe at that time.
In addition, the historical roots of the contacts between Prague Jews and the Italian milieu are explained in the context of several waves of expulsion suffered by European Jews during the 15th century, and also against the backdrop of the political situation in Northern Italy through the 16th century. The study provides information on the various forms of mutual trade.
The latter was conducted in Italian centres, such as Venice and Verona and at the annual markets in Bolzano, where Prague Jewish merchants travelled directly. Mediterranean goods, however, were also made available to people in Prague through the mediation of Italian and Upper German firms, which sold them in Nuremberg and Linz or sent them directly to Prague.
The study also maps the activities of several prominent Jewish entrepreneurs in Prague who participated in this commercial exchange.