24. I feel modern scholars discount the importance of the stars in ancient lives because we cannot see them through our own light pollution.

what if the Melle mines hadn't run out and they had as much silver as the Merovingians?

There was plenty of innovation in the Middle Ages, we just don’t notice many of it and a lot of it was societal and economic and not purely technological.

but were they "pretty cool and often very capable"?

So many interesting questions about the monetary revolutions of the 12th-13th c!

Silver declared at toll stations on the way? Other letters or evidence? I've read Spufford and know about Roman provisini but I'm wondering if these were brought to Rome by pilgrims or if they were brought everywhere and just reminted in Genoa etc.

If you've seen any evidence for Italians at the fairs pre 1180s or for them carting silver home from the fairs would appreciate you sharing!

#medievalsky #history #econsky

My thesis is the Italians were drawn to the fairs for silver, and they carted it back to Italy (at least until ~1250s). Possibly this only makes sense once the Freiberg silver mines opened in ~1160s and started flooding into Champagne.

Looking for more clues!

Best I can tell the Italians start frequenting the fairs by like ~1180s. What brought them there? Any relation with the Templars? Any evidence for Italians in Champagne pre 1180?

It seems by mid 12th century they were running long-distance credit/transfer operations.

Could they have been responsible for popularizing the fairs more broadly, and ultimately attracting the Italians?

They got their legitimacy at the Council of Troyes in 1129 (just after the fair there?). A few years earlier the Count of Champagne pledged himself to the Templars.

They were granted tolls for Troyes/Provins.

They were responsible for guarding and maintaining the weights used at the fairs

Alternatively, just read my thread :) x.com/buchmanster/...

Reminds of the this homie from the back of "English Fairs and Markets"

From: Farrell, The Irish and the economy of plantation Ulster

not to mention it was almost immediately annulled and followed by civil war ...