Hello everyone! I'm very interested in the history of the United Provinces, and especially the history of the Dutch East India Company. However, the deeper I delved into this history, the more I began to wonder about the beginnings of transcontinental trade, its evolution, and its culmination in the United Provinces. Therefore, I'd like to ask for a recommendation for a book (or several books) that attempt to explain this. I'd particularly like to focus on books describing the Champagne fairs and the financial institutions and practices that arose there, as I see these as the origins of long-distance trade in Europe, as well as the dominance of the Italian republics of Genoa, Venice, and Florence and their innovations in banking and commerce.
by Szo_n_n