Merchants and Royal Loans in the mid-16th Century England According to the Projects of Thomas Gresham
This article analyses the projects of the famous 16 th-century financier Thomas Gresham that seek to launch the mechanism of the English crown's borrowing from English merchants. Some historians regarded these attempts as trying to secure mariage de convenance between the crown and the English merchants, based on market terms, which would be quite innovative for the period. However, the investigation of his suggestions and recommendations to the crown shows that some of his advanced ideas, such as legalization of usurious interest on loans, can be found side by side with quite traditional views. The analysis of the scope of his views allows to trace some social change in the period under consideration.