Jewish Immigrant Entrepreneurs in Late Renaissance Italy

This chapter sheds light on the historical dimensions of immigrant entrepreneurship by exploring Jewish immigrant entrepreneurs in late Renaissance Italy during the long-durée sixteenth century. Two chronological case studies are studied for this purpose. The first includes Jewish immigrants from Germany (Ashkenazi) who settled in North Italy and internal Italian Jewish immigrants from central Italy who established networks of small- to medium-scale Jewish banks in the Duchy of Milan during the Cinquecento. The second case study is that of Jewish immigrants (primarily Iberian exiles) who settled mainly in Tuscany. The 1591 and 1593 Letters of Patent known as the Livornina provided the conditions for the development of the new port of Livorno (Leghorn), thus encouraging these immigrants to participate in long-distance trade, which was integral to early capitalist development. Discussing the entrepreneurial patterns of the various Jewish immigrant sectors, this chapter contends that Italian city-states fostered Jewish immigration in much the same way as modern nation-states promote multinational investment. This approach was undoubtedly successful, as the cultural resources that Jewish immigrants brought with them enabled them to become catalysts of economic development in late Renaissance Italy.