El procés de sedentarització dels mercaders barcelonins al segle XV. La delegació de la feina comercial i els perills de la navegació

Abstract

The market personality of Barcelona merchants by the end of the Middle Ages is greatly determined by the cohesion of this socioprofessional group. The analysis of the idea of their own work helps to understand better the identity of this social group as well as its role in Barcelona's society during the Low Middle Ages. Resting on the notarial documents as a cultural source, this article seeks to deepen into some of the most characteristic aspects of the professional mentality of Barcelona merchants in the fifteenth century. Among these aspects, the trend towards sedentarism of the commercial work and the investment diversification stand out. The possibility of delegating some commercial tasks, the increase in navigation risks -due to piracy and technical boundaries- and the predominance of organizational tasks -attested by the generous presence of escriptoris in commercial places- are some of the factors contributing decisively to this progressive sedentarism of Barcelona merchants. The study of these kind of attitudes, to which historians have not paid yet much attention regarding Catalunya of the Low Middle Ages, can provide decisive data for the integral comprehension of this period.