The course takes into consideration the period which goes from 1100 to 1500 and analyses the central role of Florence in international commerce, in the currency system and the birth of the banking system.

During the course, the students will analyse the main events in the internal political transformation. These range from the aristocratic period to the corporation of the arts and the workers to the internal power battles and the constant expansion of power from the city in the surrounding areas.

The participants will also examine the main activities of the large commercial international companies, looking into their financial activity, transportation, administration and banking, all of which played a vital role in the birth of the international capitalist system.