The fourteenth century was a tumultuous period. Europe was disrupted by frequent uprisings. Historians attribute these events to rising inequality. Conversely, the impact of medieval revolts on inequality has remained understudied due to lack of sources. To address this, the chapter maps the differences in fiscal wealth for the top one per cent in Bruges, a major commercial hub in Northwestern Europe. Remarkably, it shows a stable trajectory thanks to the open character of the elite in terms of wealth, occupation, lineages, and office holding. I argue that gradual social transformations and frequent uprisings explain this. In both evolutions, craftsmen took centre stage. They seized new opportunities in the market and the government probably to the detriment of the lower classes.
University of Antwerp, Belgium - ORCID: 0000-0001-9758-3182
Chapter Title
Financing a rebellious city. Social change, revolts, and inequality among the fiscal elite in fourteenth-century Bruges
Authors
Sam Geens
Language
English
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0705-8.05
Peer Reviewed
Publication Year
2025
Copyright Information
© 2025 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Book Title
Socio-Economic Inequalities during the Conjuncture of the Fourteenth Century
Book Subtitle
Sources and Methods, Dynamics and Representations (Italy and Europe, c. 1270 - c. 1350)
Editors
Davide Cristoferi
Peer Reviewed
Number of Pages
458
Publication Year
2025
Copyright Information
© 2025 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Publisher Name
Firenze University Press
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0705-8
ISBN Print
979-12-215-0699-0
eISBN (pdf)
979-12-215-0705-8
eISBN (xml)
979-12-215-0707-2
Series Title
Reti Medievali E-Book
Series ISSN
2704-6362
Series E-ISSN
2704-6079