Author Description

Cover -- The Silver Empire: How Germany Created Its First Common Currency -- Copyright -- Preface -- Contents -- List Of Tables -- List Of Abbreviations -- List Of Figures -- List Of Maps -- List Of Plates -- Introduction -- 1: Diversity Becomes A Problem -- Trade In Coinage -- Augsburg's Currency Under Pressure -- Mecklenburg Exploits Its Neighbour -- Money Traders And Their Profits -- The Empire In Theory And Practice -- 'roman' And 'holy' -- Land-based Politics And Decentralization -- Talks, Negotiations, And Consensus Building -- Confusion And Disorder -- Money Without Borders Early Currency Unions -- A New Way Of Counting Money -- 2: People And Politics -- The Common Man -- Ideas, Rumours, Public Opinion -- The Common Man And What He Thought About Money -- Public Opinion And Monetary Policies -- Politics And Trade -- Hostility To Trade -- Merchants And Monetary Diversity -- Experimenting With Solutions -- Taking Control Of One's Borders -- From Defensive To Competitive Debasements -- A Solution That Worked-and Why Some Rejected It -- 3: Making Politics In The Empire -- Procedures And Ceremonies -- Rules Mattered -- Procedures And Rituals -- Selective Incentives The 'public Enemy No. 1' -- Overcoming Distance -- The Best Place To Hold A Diet -- The Costs Of Making Politics -- Behind The Scenes And In The Open -- The Arrival -- Informal Talks -- Colleges, Hierarchies, Power, And Influence -- 4: The Age Of Silver -- The Mining Boom -- Bullion Mining And Its Importance -- Buying Stocks And Granting Loans -- New World Silver -- The Talks Are Stalling -- The Price Of Silver -- Discord Among The Bergherren -- The Estates Without Mines Of Their Own -- At The Turning Point -- A Paradigm Shift -- The Power Of Charles V -- 5. The Rhine Gold Caravans And Caravels -- Through The Sahara And Over The Ocean -- Trade In Gold, Trade In Silver -- The Lure Of Silver -- Bimetallism -- Golden Fetters -- How To Pay Your Debts -- The Gold Of The Electors -- Opposition And Obstruction