Between Carinthia and Venice: transport, manufacture and commerce of iron goods in the Patriarchate of Aquileia (1300s-1400s)

This paper aims to reassess the role of Friuli within the interregional commercialization of iron as an area specialized in iron production and trade. The ruling class and the most enterprising individuals from Venzone and Gemona managed to gain control of the trade flows that run through the region exploiting jurisdictional fragmentation. Venzone’s advantage came from its condition of Carinthian and Habsburg enclave within the Patriarchate of Aquileia, while Gemona exploited the opportunities provided by the Niederlech privilege. In the late Middle Ages control over iron trade pushed for a more solid merchant presence in the main market towns and for the creation of specialized areas that were functional to the trade flows that linked the north and south side of the Alps