Who Decided Who Was Allowed to Trade at All?

Who decided who was allowed to trade at all? Not the market. Trade was a privilege granted by guilds, cities and rulers, and it could be taken away. Guild membership set who could sell a finished product. City citizenship decided who could buy at the best price. Royal charters handed whole branches of commerce to a single company. Staple rights forced goods to be unloaded and offered for sale in a particular town. Foreign merchants in Venice and in Hanseatic trading posts lived under rules that dictated where they slept and who they dealt with. This documentary explores guilds, charters, staple rights, citizenship, foreign merchant quarters, trade monopolies and commercial regulation. You will also see how outsiders got in anyway, and what it cost them. From the guild halls of northern Europe to the merchant quarters of Venice, discover who held the gate. #TradeHistory #EconomicHistory #MedievalHistory #BusinessHistory #History