------------ EH.NET BOOK REVIEW --------------  
Published by EH.NET (April 2006)  
  
James M. Murray, _Bruges: Cradle of Capitalism, 1280-1390_.   
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005. xii + 409 pp. $110   
(hardcover), ISBN: 0-521-81921-0.  
  
Reviewed for EH.NET by Erin Jordan, Department of History, University   
of Northern Colorado.  
  
  
In _Bruges: Cradle of Capitalism_, James M. Murray explores the   
various threads (political, demographic, social and cultural) that,   
weaved together over the course of over a century, combined to   
produce one of the most economically vibrant cities in late medieval   
Europe. In tracing the factors that contributed to such change,   
Murray casts his net widely. He examines in impressive detail the   
complex politics of the region, the importance of topography and   
internal reclamation, the configuration of urban space and the   
importance of waterways, the evolution of more complex systems of   
banking and commerce, and the individuals who served as the primary   
engine of change. Murray argues that the people of Bruges were   
instrumental in harnessing the various forces necessary for   
capitalism, making a case study of the city and its inhabitants an   
ideal way to explore the characteristics and criteria necessary for   
this type of economy to develop. In many ways, it is these   
individuals who dominate his study, adding an element of the personal   
to a much wider narrative of economic change. From merchants to   
hostellers, bankers to beggars, Murray punctuates his narrative with   
sketches of individuals drawn from the rich archival sources.   
Building upon his previous work and benefiting from his familiarity   
with both primary and secondary material, Murray aims to show that   
"by 1350, Bruges had become a city unlike any other in northern   
Europe and was blazing a path that in future both Antwerp and   
Amsterdam in turn would follow" (p. 21).  
  
In chapter 1, Murray provides a brief outline of the political   
background of Bruges. He positions the city firmly at the center of a   
complex set of competing political interests, ranging from local   
officials to the count to the king of France. In particular, he   
assesses the impact of such forces on the city's leaders, its   
economy, and its emerging identity as a commercial hub of northern   
Europe. Chapter 2 focuses on the development of the city and its   
infrastructure, emphasizing in particular the unique relationship of   
Bruges to water. While canals facilitated internal transport of   
goods, topographic change provided access to a sizeable body of water   
and made external transport possible. The remainder of this chapter   
is devoted to an innovative examination of urban space and its   
relationship to the burgeoning economy of the city, including the   
criss-cross of roads and streets and the positioning of squares and   
markets. It is Murray's argument that "the layout of streets,   
bridges, and buildings reflects, albeit indirectly, the planning and   
priorities of both public and private enterprise' (p. 84).  
  
In chapter 3, Murray turns his attention to the human component of   
the city, exploring questions about demography, population and   
economic identity. In particular, he explores the role of mendicants   
and merchants, both native and foreign, in advancing the economy of   
Bruges. Extrapolating from extremely terse documents, Murray breathes   
life into the records, fleshing out personal experience and tracing   
individual actions where possible. Chapters 4 and 5 focus on the role   
of money as a medium of exchange, and the evolution of sophisticated   
economic institutions like the Bourse that provided the   
infrastructure and means necessary for such "cradle capitalism" to   
emerge. This discussion is continued in chapter 6, "Bruges as Node   
and Network." focusing on the evolution of the merchant community   
that would dominate the city's trade and the banking network that   
emerged in tandem. Chapter 7, "Wool, Cloth and Gold," examines the   
diverse economic sectors of the Bruges economy, tracing connections,   
patterns of consumption and ultimately change.  
  
In chapter 8, "Women in the Market and the Market in Women," Murray   
addresses the position of women in the economy of Bruges, as   
producers, consumers and as products themselves in the form of   
prostitutes. Murray's own conclusion that "women were visible and   
involved in almost every sector of the Bruges economy" (p. 326), does   
make one wonder why their actions and activities were not integrated   
throughout the narrative, but rather reserved for a separate chapter   
towards the end of the book. While the decision to include women is   
to be applauded, and the discussion of their activities is both   
interesting and informative, the presentation leaves something to be   
desired. However, this is one minor complaint of an otherwise   
extremely impressive work. Chapter 9 presents the conclusion of his   
investigation, as Bruges came firmly under Burgundian control,   
signaling the shift from a medieval to an early modern economy.   
Murray identifies the tensions, both internal and external, that   
resulted from such change, and the impact of these new competing   
political interests on the city's economy.  
  
While the reader is immediately struck by Murray's deft prose and   
ability to animate dense and potentially dry material, what is most   
impressive about his study is his mastery of the sources, both   
primary and secondary. In spite of its importance in the high and   
late medieval period, the county of Flanders and the many urban   
centers that dominated it remain somewhat underappreciated by modern   
scholars, who tend to focus their energies on its larger, and   
arguably more powerful, neighbors. Such marginalization is   
undoubtedly due in no small part to the language difference. The work   
of many Flemish scholars in particular remains unfamiliar to many   
western scholars. To his credit, Murray incorporates much of this   
work into his own study, bringing it to the attention of his   
English-speaking audience. One can only hope that one result of his   
work will be a more open dialogue between Flemish and American   
scholars, facilitating intellectual exchange and a sharing of   
expertise.  
  
In addition to his exhaustive use of secondary sources in English,   
French, Flemish and German, Murray also mines an incredibly rich set   
of primary sources. Evidence from the city and state archives of   
Bruges in particular appears frequently throughout the work. While   
the massive number of extant documents makes Bruges particularly   
attractive to historians, the linguistic challenges (as the documents   
are written in Latin, French, and with increasing frequency over the   
period, in Flemish) and the sheer number of available documents might   
prove daunting to a less accomplished scholar. However, Murray's   
familiarity with these archives and the documents they contain is   
apparent in his ability to trace personal connections across   
seemingly unrelated records, bringing into clear relief the network   
of individuals most instrumental in the transformation of Bruges'   
economy.  
  
In exploring the evolution of Bruges into a thriving commercial   
center, Murray simultaneously provides a glimpse into the cultural   
life of the city. Through careful examination of the various factions   
within the city and their struggle with count and king, Murray   
reveals the myriad of social and economic currents that animated the   
region, often erupting in military hostilities. However, in spite of   
the occasional violence, the story is ultimately one of steady   
progress and growth, as disparate groups worked towards the   
transformation of Bruges, demographically, socially, politically, and   
economically. Murray identifies the changes that, while perhaps   
appearing earlier in the dense urban centers of Flanders, would   
ultimately affect all of Europe. In tracing the shift from an   
agricultural-based, predominately rural society to one centered more   
firmly on commerce, trade and sophisticated mechanisms of exchange,   
Murray traces the shift from a medieval to an early-modern economy.  
  
  
Erin Jordan's publications include "Shared Rule, Separate Practice:   
Assessing Benedictine Economic Activities in Northern Europe during   
the Thirteenth Century," _Revue Benedictine_ 115 (2005): 187-204 and   
_Women, Power and Religious Patronage in the Middle Ages_, New York:   
Palgrave, 2006.  
  
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