Topics / Forgotten Fortunes
Sovereign Debt & Defaults
State borrowing, bond defaults, foreign debt commissions, and the geopolitical struggles between creditors and sovereign nations.
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The 1765 Treaty of Allahabad: How the East India Company Became Bengal’s Tax State
The Treaty of Allahabad in 1765 granted the East India Company revenue rights in Bengal, transforming trade income into colonial taxation.
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From Elizabeth I’s 1600 EIC Charter and Thomas Mun to the 1698 £2 Million Loan
The 1600 EIC Charter launched England’s East India Company. Its evolving shares and a 1698 state loan linked commerce to debt.
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The Medici Bank Holding Structure, the 1425 Monte delle Doti, and Florence’s 1495 Monte di Pieta
The Medici Bank, Florence’s dowry fund and charitable lending show how Renaissance families financed risk and opportunity.
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The 1343–1346 Collapse of the Bardi and Peruzzi and the Birth of Florence’s Monte Comune
Bardi and Peruzzi collapsed amid lending losses and turmoil in Florence. Historians debate the role of royal defaults.
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Sea Shares, Redeemable Land Deeds, and the 1263 Public Fields Seizure in Southern Song China
Southern Song maritime syndicates pooled trade capital while redeemable land deeds supplied credit.
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The Green Sprouts Act of 1069: Wang Anshi’s State Microcredit Experiment in Song China
The Green Sprouts Act of 1069 lent state funds to Song farmers. Interest rates and debt collection fueled bitter disputes.
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Taming India’s Fiscal State: Chelliah Tax Reforms, Ad-Hoc T-Bills, FRBM, and 2017 GST
Ad-hoc Treasury Bills once financed India’s deficits automatically. Follow Chelliah’s tax reforms, the FRBM Act and the creation of GST.
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154 Billion Marks for 15.4 Pfennigs: Erzberger, Hyperinflation, and Weimar Shadow Debt
Erzberger’s tax reforms centralized German revenues, while hyperinflation destroyed debt values.
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Gold Napoléons, the TVA, and the Circuit du Trésor: France’s Postwar Fiscal Revolution
The 1952 Emprunt Pinay linked French bonds to gold. See how VAT and the Circuit du Trésor changed France’s postwar finances.
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Augustus’s Provincial Census, the Fiscus, and the 6 CE Aerarium Militare
Augustus paired provincial administration with new revenue sources to meet the growing cost of veterans’ pensions.
