SC - French toast?

[Jenn/Yana]

> Your original premise:   "I conjecture that this is directly attributable
> to
> Venice being the
> commercial center of the known world at that time."
> 
> My response:  Venice was a major commercial center of the Mediterranean
> world during the era of which we spoke, not 'the' commercial center of the
> known world.
> 
> 
> regards, Puck
> 
Pulling this a little out of context, might I inquire, "What time?"

By the 15th Century, the Hanse was in decline (although it wouldn't die for
another 150 to 200 years).  At this same time, the Venice had decisively
defeated Genoa and was only beginning to achieve it's spice monopoly through
trade with the Ottoman Empire.  Portugal became truly independent with the
end of its war with Castile and turned to exploration and exploitation of
Africa.  Spain was multiple kingdoms mired in warfare.

Through its connection to the Ottomans, Venice controlled the spice trade
and was arguably the most powerful commercial state in Europe.  During the
15th Century, the Venetians controlled the European price of imported
spices.  The Hanse did not. 

Because of its control of West Africa and its growing trade in slaves and
spices, Portugal became a major trading power and began to rival the
Venetians, who by the end of the 15th Century were having difficulties with
their expansionist trading partners, the Ottomans.  

In 1503, Portugal opened direct trade with the East Indies.  The first
trading venture imported 1,300 tons of black pepper, approximately six times
the amount of pepper imported into Europe in any prior year.  In 1504, the
Portuguese spice market broke the Venetian monopoly and prices dropped by 20
percent.

As a small aside, Augsburg was particularly important in the Portuguese
spice trade in the late 15th Century.  Jakob Fugger II was mining, refining
and selling metal all over Europe.  He became an importer of Portuguese
spices as a way to invest his profits, apparently shipping spices along the
same routes he shipped metal.  His sphere of influence in Europe was
probably as great as the Hanse, the Venetians and the Ottomans combined.

Bear 
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