Their origins were different in almost every case. Some had
been the result of the deliberate effort of a single king. Others
had happened by chance. Still others had been the result of
favourable natural geographic boundaries. But once they had
been founded, they had all of them tried to strengthen their
internal administration and to exert the greatest possible influence
upon foreign affairs. All this of course had cost a great
deal of money. The mediaeval state with its lack of centralised
power did not depend upon a rich treasury. The king got his
revenues from the crown domains and his civil service paid for
itself. The modern centralised state was a more complicated
affair. The old knights disappeared and hired government
officials or bureaucrats took their place. Army, navy, and
internal administration demanded millions. The question then
became where was this money to be found?
Gold and silver had been a rare commodity in the middle
ages. The average man, as I have told you, never saw a gold
piece as long as he lived. Only the inhabitants of the large
cities were familiar with silver coin. The discovery of America
and the exploitation of the Peruvian mines changed all this.
The centre of trade was transferred from the Mediterranean to
the Atlantic seaboard. The old ``commercial cities'' of Italy lost
their financial importance.
Pages:
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347