Il commercio fra lo Stato di Milano e i Paesi tedeschi nel Settecento

This essay focuses on the trade between the State of Milan and the German states during the 18th century. In order to gain a more profound understanding of this still understudied epoch and segment of transalpine trade, it is divided into two parts. The first focuses on the trades between the two areas in the 17th century in order to understand with what mentality the Milanese business elites entered the Age of Enlightenment. It can be shown in detail how intense the trading relations of Milan were especially with the German-speaking territories north of the Alps and how much these were defended by the Milanese elites against initiatives in other directions from their Habsburg rulers. The second part focuses on the commercial reforms of the eighteenth century before Henry Mylius arrived in Milan around 1790. These reforms were necessary when, after the middle of the century, the strong competition with the Piedmontese state for transalpine trade made itself ever more present. The reforms which achieved a solidification of the pre-eminence of Milan as a hub for most transalpine trade via Switzerland were in line with the traditional Lombard commercial tradition: the capital of a state, which was aware of not being able to enjoy the advantages of a port city where it was necessary that local and foreign goods and merchants had to stop. It was a city and a state that was therefore always ready to facilitate international trade and foreign economic operators.