Florentine Financial Networks between Venice and Hungary in the Fourteenth Century

This article aims to explore the co-development of financial institutions in Venice and Hungary, revealing the close link between diplomacy and government finance. The case study covers the period around the War of Chioggia, involving the Republic of Venice, the Republic of Genoa, and the Kingdom of Hungary. The war can be interpreted as a struggle between the various Italian trading nations, also including the Florentines, for the Adriatic trade. After the war, Vieri de’ Medici and partners played an important role in rebuilding the Venetian financial market. They succeeded in part by establishing a banking infrastructure in Hungary, which obtained concessions at the salt and precious metal chambers.