The production of linen, in particular, allows us to identify regions that were enormously industrially productive before the Industrial Revolution of 1780. The surplus from the linen industry enabled the emergence of a linen trade that extended far beyond the region. The example of the Zellweger merchants of Trogen demonstrates how, after the Thirty Years' War, the linen trade from Eastern Switzerland shifted from the city to the countryside. Unbound by urban restrictions, it developed considerable potential in this new environment for approximately 150 years – based on traditional institutions such as the linen show at home and periodically held trade fairs abroad. Each of the seventeen Zellweger trading companies had to build its own network, as evidenced by the analysis of their letter-copying books. The long-term success of the Zellweger merchants in the volatile textile trade was attributable to principles such as patience and utmost caution.
Tabularia, Switzerland
Chapter Title
“Chi va piano va faro”. Risk Management of the linen merchants Zellweger from Trogen in the trading triangle Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Lyon and Genoa, 1750 to 1820
Authors
Maya Zellweger
Language
English
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0963-2.25
Peer Reviewed
Publication Year
2026
Copyright Information
© 2026 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Book Title
Gestione del rischio, insolvenza e bancarotta nel mondo premoderno (secc. XIII-XVIII) / Risk management, insolvency, and bankruptcy in the pre-modern world (13th-18th centuries)
Editors
Angela Orlandi
Peer Reviewed
Number of Pages
568
Publication Year
2026
Copyright Information
© 2026 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Publisher Name
Firenze University Press
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0963-2
ISBN Print
979-12-215-0962-5
eISBN (pdf)
979-12-215-0963-2
eISBN (xml)
979-12-215-0964-9
Series Title
Datini Studies in Economic History
Series ISSN
2975-1241
Series E-ISSN
2975-1195