Treasure of the Land of Darkness: The Fur Trade and its Significance for Medieval Russia - Softcover

Martin, Janet

Softcover

ISBN 10: 052154811X ISBN 13: 9780521548113

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2004

Synopsis

Treasure of the Land of Darkness traces the traffic in fur from the lands of the north, through the major trade centres of medieval Russia to the consumer markets of the world, stretching from western Europe to China. Professor Martin reconstructs the fur-trade network of each centre (including Kiev, Novgorod and Moscow) and examines the changes they experienced. She shows how aggressive principalities enhanced their political authority through manipulation of such factors as fur resources and trade routes: thus the mid-sixteenth-century supremacy of Muscovy was based upon both political advantage and monopolisation of the networks of the fur trade. Quantitative analysis of the available data substantiates this conclusion: control over the trade of those 'lands of darkness' mentioned in contemporary Islamic texts was of fundamental importance to the political development of medieval Russia.

About this title

Book Description:

Professor Martin traces the traffic in fur from the lands of the north, through the major trade centres of medieval Russia to the consumer markets of the world, stretching from western Europe to China. He shows how Muscovite supremacy was based on both political advantage and monopolisation of the fur trade networks.

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 052154811X
• ISBN 13: 9780521548113
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288