Merchant Capital, Taxation and Urbanisation. The City of Ani in the Global Long Thirteenth Century

Ani, once a bustling commercial hub on the Silk Road, experienced rapid deurbanization by the mid-fourteenth century due to the combined impact of merchant capital dominance and drastically increased taxation under Mongol rule. The study reveals that Ani's urban development was deeply intertwined with its mercantile and rentier regime, which flourished from interregional and intercontinental commerce. Using Ibn Khaldūn’s theories on (de)urbanization, the research traces Ani's trajectory from a thriving city under Georgian rule to its decline under Mongol hegemony, highlighting the contradictory symbiosis of taxation and capital in urbanization processes. This case study offers crucial insights into the Armenian merchant bourgeoisie's transition from medieval commerce to capitalist modernity.

Matheou, N. S. M. (2021). Merchant Capital, Taxation and Urbanisation. The City of Ani in the Global Long Thirteenth Century. Medieval Worlds, medieval worlds(Volume 14. 2021), 75–116. https://doi.org/10.1553/medievalworlds_no14_2021s75