Sailing through Troubled Times: The Salvadori Firm of Trento during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, 1790-1815

The Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars are well-known for having severely disrupted the economy, and especially all trading activities. Drawing on first-hand documents, this essay seeks to cast light on the Revolutionary-Napoleonic period from a micro perspective: that is, from the viewpoint of a single economic agent, the Salvadori firm of Trento, which was a leading merchant house specialized in the manufacture and trade of silk. By providing direct evidence on the firm's strategies and performance, the Salvadori case can help us determine to what extent the changes in the economic and institutional environment actually altered the framework of opportunities for and constraints on business activities, and to what extent it was possible for the merchants to react to the crises that punctuated the period under investigation.