Usury

Explore the complexities of Florentine finance during the 13th century, including forced loans, usury, and compensation for compulsory investments.

The rise of the Medici family from 15th-century Florence's outcast banking dynasty to revered patrons of art and finance.

Explore the history of loan sharking, its causes, and consequences in various economic contexts, highlighting the role of financial exclusion, usury, and intimidation.

Explore the history of high-interest lending in Britain from ancient times to modern-day issues.

Explore the history of loan sharking in Glasgow's Hillington district through the life of Gerard Law, a notorious loan shark who preyed on vulnerable individuals with high-interest loans.

Explore the history of loan sharks, how they emerged as a response to poverty and unemployment, and the consequences of relying on them.

Explore the world of 16th century Venetian lending practices, where complex relationships between lenders, debtors, and law courts shaped credit markets and influenced social dynamics.

Explore how medieval Christians viewed lending money at interest as a sin, with significant consequences for merchants and traders.

Explore the historical context of The Merchant of Venice, examining the economic role of Jewish moneylenders in 16th-century Venice and their relationships with Christian merchants.

Explore how Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice reflects 14th-century societal attitudes towards Jews, moneylending, and cultural exchange between Italy and England.

Explore how cultural obstacles hindered the emergence of European banking in the late Middle Ages, despite significant economic and social changes.