In a new article, SHOC member Janny van Doorn examines how the urban authorities of late medieval Bruges responded to food provisioning crises and social unrest surrounding the sale of venteghoedt (affordable but highly perishable fish products). Rather than reflecting divisions between merchant and craft guild representatives, Bruges' urban councils pursued remarkably similar strategies. Faced with mounting socio-economic pressures, they experimented with regulatory, financial and coercive measures to safeguard social stability. The study shows that late medieval authorities were not merely constrained by existing institutions and privileges. They acted as pragmatic agents of institutional change, invoking the common good to reshape market practices in times of crisis.
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Illustration: State Archives in Ghent. Council of Flanders. 8639. Reprochen