The first chestnuts of the season

Rouen was a transit point for goods from all over the world. As we have shown, the port played a vital role as a gateway to Paris for many agricultural products, such as lemons and oranges from Spain, barrels of wine from Bordeaux, or sugar and pepper from much further afield. But the city was an important outlet for the retail sale of goods in its own right. With a population of over 60,000 inhabitants at the end of the sixteenth century, it was a major European city bustling with activity....