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Gresham's Law by J. A. Guy
£12.99
Available
Product Ref. (e.g. ISBN, SKU)
9781788162371
Published:
02 Jul 2020
Format:
Paperback
Number of pages:
320 pages
Dimensions:
196x128x26mm
Weight:
0.223kgs
Author:
In this biography of Sir Thomas Gresham, John Guy draws on hitherto overlooked primary sources to give a fuller picture of one of the men who made London the financial centre of the planet. He reveals a flawed, ambitious man who was constantly obsessed with his status, a canny operator, who overcharged his clients and succeeded as much through luck and blackmail as any real insight into the market, and a philanderer who left his widow saddled with his debts. This fascinating biography takes a second look at the founder of the Royal Exchange. A man who thought he had the respect of his foremost client, Queen Elizabeth I when, in reality, she viewed him as a necessary evil.
Thomas Gresham was arguably the first true wizard of global finance. He rose through the mercantile worlds of London and Antwerp to become the hidden power behind three out of the five Tudor monarchs. Today his name is remembered in economic doctrines, in the institutions he founded and in the City of London's position at the economic centre of the earth.
Without Gresham, England truly might have become a vassal state. His manoeuvring released Elizabeth from a crushing burden of debt and allowed for vital military preparations during the wars of religion that set Europe ablaze. Yet his deepest loyalties have remained enigmatic, until now.
Drawing on vast new research and several startling discoveries, the great Tudor historian John Guy recreates Gresham's life and singular personality with astonishing intimacy. He reveals a calculating survivor, flexible enough to do business with merchants and potentates no matter their religious or ideological convictions. Yet his personal relationships were disturbingly transactional. He was a figure of cold unsentimentality even to members of his own family.
Elizabeth I found herself at odds with Gresham's ambitions. In their collisions and wary accommodations, we see our own conflicts between national sovereignty and global capital foreshadowed. A story of adventure and jeopardy, greed and cunning, loyalties divided, mistaken or betrayed, this is a biography fit for a merchant prince.
About the Author: John Guy is a Fellow of Clare College, University of Cambridge, and also teaches on the Yale in London programme at the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art. He has held academic positions in Britain and the United States throughout his career, specializing mainly in the Tudor period. He is recognised as one of Britain's most exciting historical biographers, has written several bestselling books, and is a regular presenter of both TV and Radio programs for the BBC.
| Number of pages | 320 |
|---|
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| Rest of the World | £45.00 | £60.00 |
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