The Corsairs of Saint-Malo - (Middle Range) by Henning Hillmann (Paperback)

About the Book

"Western Europe rose in global power during the early modern period as overseas expansion opened new trade routes. At the same time, intense rivalries pitted European states against one another in recurrent wars. Henning Hillmann examines the merchant community of Saint-Malo, Brittany, a key port in the French Atlantic economy, to shed light on the local networks that linked commerce and conflict in early modern Europe. Hillmann traces the development of Saint-Malo and the social structure of its merchant elite from the 1680s through the onset of the French Revolution. He pinpoints the role of privateering, showing how it enabled local merchant communities to secure their hold on established trades, seize new opportunities, and withstand the threats of armed conflict. In wartime, rulers commissioned ship-owning traders to fit out vessels as corsairs to raid enemy shipping. Within a mercantilist worldview, this state-sanctioned private war at sea aligned the interests of local elites and the royal government. Locally, within Saint-Malo, the partnerships that merchant elites formed in their privateering ventures gave rise to a cohesive network that held their community together amid outside conflicts. Combining rich descriptions of privateering campaigns with quantitative network analysis of partnership ties over more than a century, The Corsairs of Saint-Malo offers a new understanding of the local organizational foundations of early modern capitalist development"--

Book Synopsis

Western Europe rose in global power during the early modern period as overseas expansion opened new trade routes. At the same time, intense rivalries pitted European states against one another in recurrent wars. Henning Hillmann examines the merchant community of Saint-Malo, Brittany, a key port in the French Atlantic economy, to shed light on the local networks that linked commerce and conflict in early modern Europe.

Hillmann traces the development of Saint-Malo and the social structure of its merchant elite from the 1680s through the onset of the French Revolution. He pinpoints the role of privateering, showing how it enabled local merchant communities to secure their hold on established trades, seize new opportunities, and withstand the threats of armed conflict. In wartime, rulers commissioned ship-owning traders to fit out vessels as corsairs to raid enemy shipping. Within a mercantilist worldview, this state-sanctioned private war at sea aligned the interests of local elites and the royal government. Locally, within Saint-Malo, the partnerships that merchant elites formed in their privateering ventures gave rise to a cohesive network that held their community together amid outside conflicts. Combining rich descriptions of privateering campaigns with quantitative network analysis of partnership ties over more than a century, The Corsairs of Saint-Malo offers a new understanding of the local organizational foundations of early modern capitalist development.

Review Quotes

I can definitely recommend adding it to your reading list. Hillman offers a captivating sociological take on over 100 years of conflict, trade, and personal fortune with this enjoyable study.-- "East India Blogging Co."

This book was a pleasure to read. It tells the fascinting story of French privateers (corsaires, in French) who were legaly sanctioned by the French government during wartime.-- "Economic Growth in History"

In this multilayered book, Hillmann combines a rollicking tale of colorful privateers plying the high seas with detailed evidence revealing temporal overlaps in trade networks. It's a great read, filled with deep sociological insights about the relational basis of elite cohesion and social mobility.--Katherine Stovel, University of Washington

Hillmann's book is a fascinating analysis of the networks of merchants and investors who traded overseas and launched privateering expeditions from the bustling Atlantic port of Saint-Malo. Based on extensive archival research, it is historical sociology at its best and will appeal to readers from history to economics and beyond.--Philip T. Hoffman, Axline Professor of Business Economics and History, California Institute of Technology

With his unique combination of mastery of detailed historical material, rigorous network analysis, and a compelling theoretical vision, Hillmann offers us a remarkable view of the nexus of economic, social, and political relations in the early modern period. A landmark in historical sociology.--John Levi Martin, author of Social Structures

This is a terrific book. Full of historical detail about an interesting hybrid form of commercial-military 'market'--the early modern French privateers. Plus network analysis of the evolution of voyage partnership networks over one hundred years. The dynamic duality of market and city elite is thereby highlighted.--John F. Padgett, coauthor of The Emergence of Organizations and Markets

About the Author

Henning Hillmann is professor of economic and organizational sociology at the University of Mannheim.