Routledge The English Woollen Industry c.1200-c.1560 - Routledge

This comprehensive historical study traces the rise of England's woollen industry from the medieval period through the mid-sixteenth century, documenting how English traders transformed their economy from raw wool export to high-value woollen cloth production. The book provides the first detailed account of this pivotal commercial shift, examining how rural clothiers achieved consistent quality broadcloth at competitive costs whilst Merchant Adventurers secured lucrative trade monopolies with the Low Countries. Through comparative analysis of English and continental draperies, the author weighs the strategic advantages of urban versus rural manufacturing centres and explores both premium and coarse cloth production. This Routledge Research in Early Modern History volume offers scholars, students and history enthusiasts an authoritative examination of international medieval commerce, industrial innovation and the economic forces that established English textile dominance across European markets.