This book analyzes the ways in which Amsterdam, Antwerp and Hamburg developed dual identities as 'communities of commerce' and republics.

Mary Lindemann is Professor of History and Chair of the Department of History at the University of Miami. She is the author of four books and of numerous articles. She has also been the recipient of several major grants and awards, among them the John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities; the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health; the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study in the Social Sciences and the Humanities; the Flemish Institute for Advanced Study; and the Shelby Cullom Davis Center, Princeton University, New Jersey.

Introduction: a tale of three cities; 1. A topographical perspective; 2. Political dynamics and dilemmas; 3. Discord; 4. Merchants and republicans; 5. Virtuous commerce; 6. Virtue bankrupt; Conclusion.