engleski

Scientific Contribution of the Holistic Concepts of Benedikt Kotruljević to the European and Global Economic Thought

After a long period of stagnation, caused by the downfall of the Ancient civilization and overall cultural barbarism, trade and economy in Europe were gradually being restored and Italy once again became its cultural and economic center. In spite of Church prohibitions, even then, many rulers and wealthier merchants were involved in usurious, deposit and credit activities. Both ecclesiastical and secular distinguished individuals, especially those from Dalmatia and the Dubrovnik Republic, also took part in commercial and financial business, as well as in the search for the Christian trade and monetary ethics throughout Croatia, among which a special place belongs to its distinguished citizen Benedikt Kotruljević. The Croat, Benedikt Kotruljević was a humanist, erudite, a merchant by profession as well as a theoretical economist, politician and a diplomat in the 15th century. He wrote books on economics, maritime affairs, flowers and the choice of wife, but his most significant work, which is also the subject matter of this project, was “ On Trade and the Perfect Merchant” or as translated nowadays “ The Art of Trading” . The purpose of this research is to study the impact of economic and business principles set in the work “ On Trade and the Perfect Merchant” written by a Croatian merchant, scientist and erudite Benedikt Kotruljević even then, in the period of mercantilism, upon the development of Croatian and global economic thought of today. In this sense, the main objective of this research is to evaluate the scientific contribution of the holistic concepts of Benedikt Kotruljević to the Croatian and global economic thought. The importance of the proposed research lies in the discovery of the exceptionally significant segment of the history of Croatian economic thought, precisely through the life and works of Benedikt Kotruljević, Croatian great author of economic thought.

Benedikt Kotruljević of Dubrovnik, On Trade and the Perfect Merchant, Codex of Business Principles 15th c., Double Entry Bookkeeping 15th c., Trade and Monetary Ethics 15th c.

5th International Conference “History: From Ancient to Modern”, Session 9: Medieval and Early Modern History, December 28-31, 2007, Athens, Greece, organized by Athens Institute for Education and Research, Atena