What Actually Happened to a Merchant Who Went Bankrupt?

What actually happened to a merchant who went bankrupt? The word still carries the answer. Bankrupt comes from banca rotta, the broken bench of a money changer who could no longer pay. Failure was almost never only financial. Italian and Hanseatic records describe expulsion from the guild, imprisonment for debt, the seizure of household goods and a reputation that clung to the family long after the debts were settled. In many cities a bankrupt merchant lost the legal right to trade for the rest of his life. This documentary explores debtors prison, guild expulsion, creditor claims, household seizure, merchant reputation and the origins of bankruptcy law. You will also see how some merchants rebuilt, who was allowed a second chance and who never was. From the broken benches of Italy to the courts of northern Europe, discover what ruin really cost. #TradeHistory #EconomicHistory #MedievalHistory #BusinessHistory #History