What Lessons for Economic Development Can We Draw from the Champagne Fairs?



Table 1:

Total Yield of the Taxes Levied at the Champagne Fairs, c. 1275-1341 (in livres tournois)

Date

St Jean
(‘hot’) fair in
Troyes_______

St Remy
(‘cold’) fair
in Troyes

St Ayoul fair
in Provins

May fair in
Provins

Fair of
Lagny-sur-
Marne

Fair of Bar-
sur-Aube

Total for five
fairsa

1212                ~~

-

-

-

-

-

1000

-

c. 1275_____________________

13∞~

700

1000b~

800

-

________2000

5800

1285____________________

-

-

-

__________810

-

_________1680

-

1287____________________

800~

550~

925

-

-

-

-

1288

_________790

_________480

-

990

-

-

-

1296d                 ~~

_________1376

_________1386e

1554

1926r

181^4^

2141^g~

8380

1298-9___________________

_________760

_________620

100

_________640

-

_________1200

________3320

c. 1310____________________

_________300

___________60

450h~

_________250

-

_________700

_________1760

1320____________________

_________250

_________290

-

___________218i

-

-

-

1323_____________________

-

-

-

-

-

700

-

1340-1___________________

180^

177k^

155~

Γ
-

360

________280m

1152~

unspecified date before tax
innovations of 1292-6n

800-900

160

1000-1100

800-900

-

1600-1800

4360-4860

Source: Bourquelot (1867), II: 199 with note 1, except Provins May fair 1320. Lefèvre (1858), 446, reports slightly different figures (see notes).

Notes

a For 1275, 1296, 1298-9, 1310, and unknown date before tax rise, excluded fair is Lagny; for 1340-1 it is Provins May fair.

b Lefèvre (1858), 446, reports 1000-1053.

c Lefèvre (1858), 446, reports 1084.

d Figures for this year have been rounded to the nearest full livre.

e Lefèvre (1858), 446, reports 1368.

f Lefèvre (1858), 446, reports 1225.

g Lefèvre (1858), 446, reports 1140.

h Lefèvre (1858), 446, reports 400.

i Terrasse (2005), 256 n. 407.

j Lefèvre (1858), 446, reports 517, probably by including sealing-fees.

k Lefèvre (1858), 446, reports 480, probably by including sealing-fees.

l Lefèvre (1858), 446, reports 360, as does Alengry (1915), 86.

m Lefèvre (1858), 446, reports 596, probably by including sealing-fees.

n Source is document written c. 1310 comparing fair yield in that year with unknown previous period ‘before merchants repairing to the fairs of Champagne heard anyone
speak of the denier in the livre, or the quarter-denier of brokerage, or the maletouste’. These new taxes were introduced in 1292-6 (see Bourquelot (1865), II: 192-3).

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