Gli operatori commerciali e finanziari stranieri a Genova (1450-1720)

This chapter focuses on foreign traders—such as Lombard, Catalan, Jewish, German, Flemish, French, and English people—in Genoa from 1450 to 1720s. While for the late fifteenth and the early sixteenth centuries notarial deeds are the only available sources, for later centuries consular letters provide a broader perspective on the groups as a community (natio). Sources from the early eighteenth century show that foreign merchants often integrated Genoese businessmen into their activities. This may be the key to understanding the success of foreign businesses in Genoa also in earlier periods. Usually, scholarship has focused only on European merchants. A shift in focus could bring more information on enslaved people from North Africa who dealt in small business activities, as some research suggests. The chapter also shows the importance of finance and financial knowledge along with trade in traditional commodities.