The Rise and Decline of The Medici Bank 1397–1494 (Norton Library (Paperback))

From a careful study of pertinent documents including a set of libri segreti (confidential ledgers) discovered in 1950 Professor de Roover has reconstructed the details of the banks organization and operating methods; its loan policies which reflected the Churchs doctrine on usury; its trading and industrial investments; its roles within the Florentine gild system and tax structure; and its activities as financial agent of the Church. He covers every aspect of the banks history from its early years under the management of Giovanni di Bicci de Medici to its collapse with the expulsion of the Medici from Florence.