Steel and Horseflesh Trade in the Late Medieval Mediterranean

Steel and Horseflesh: Trade in the Late Medieval Mediterranean Fabrizio Ansani In the late fifteenth century, the horse farms owned by the Marquises of Mantua were considered some of the best in the entire continent, as several, grandiose stables hosted hundreds of bellicose destriers, rapid racers, and elegant amblers. To establish such a reputation, no expense was spared in developing a breeding program and thus in acquiring the most interesting and most promising specimens – mares, stallions, foals – in Sicily and in Tunisia, from Andalusia to Anatolia. But how was it possible? Based on unpublished travel accounts, this presentation will discuss the extraordinary figure of Italian horse dealers (cavalcatori), analysing their role in the Mediterranean market for elite animals, their contribution to the establishment of diplomatic relations and patronage networks, and their significance to the politics of prestige pursued by both minor and major Renaissance rulers. Pere Badia In the second half of the fourteenth century and well into the fifteenth, the city of Vic, strategically located between the Pyrenees and Barcelona, developed a specialised production of bladed weapons and other domestic utensils. These are what archival sources refer to as coltells. The great development of this sector of the local economy led to the creation of a large number of small workshops and the emergence of an economic elite that prospered until they reached the status of honoured citizens. This production, which was differentiated from the rest of Catalan cutlery in terms of its origin, became a highly valued and sought-after product, not only in the most important cities of the Crown of Aragon, but also in the main ports of the western Mediterranean and the Atlantic Peninsula. All this evidences suggests that Vic was one of the most important centres of the cutlery industry in the late Middle Ages. This webinar was recorded on 25 March 2024 For more information: https:///www.woolf.cam.ac.uk/ Upcoming events: https://www.woolf.cam.ac.uk/whats-on/... Facebook:   / woolfinstitute   X (formerly Twitter): @Woolf_Institute LinkedIn:   / the-woolf-institute