16th Century Florentine Merchants in Portuguese Asia

Siam Society. Bangkok, Thailand. December 1, 2011. Of course I was aware of the great Portuguese age of exploration beginning in the 15^th century, as well as the influence of the Portuguese in such Asian locales as Goa, Malaysia, Singapore, and Macao. The Portuguese arrived in Thailand, in Ayutthaya, in the early 16^th century. What I had no knowledge of, was that the Portuguese were financed by the merchants and bankers of Florence, who played a vital role in supporting the Portuguese. This little known aspect of Asian-European history was the subject of Maura Rinaldi’s December 1 lecture at Bangkok’s Siam Society. Ms. Rinaldi, an Italian, is a recognized authority on the history of this period. Her interesting lecture was accompanied by a steady stream of pictures and maps. Italian Maura Rinaldi (above) lectures at Bangkok's Siam Society.