Minorías extranjeras y competencia mercantil

Franceses y malteses en el comercio valenciano del siglo XVIII

Abstract

The hegemony on Valencian trade acquired by French merchants in the 18th century was challenged by the growth of a local silk bourgeoisie from the second half of the century. The French trade was also harmful to the local manufactures, which generated frequent conflicts and fed the popular hostility towards that minority. Their control of the retail trade was also threatened by the settlement of Maltese traders, despite the obstacles that were put in place for their incorporation in the guild of “mercaderes de vara”. The tensions generated by these disputes came to the surface in the antifrench riots of 1793, which significantly weakened the French merchants’ networks. However, the French later recuperated much of their earlier hegemony, which they finally lost after the outbreak of the War of Independence.