ABSTRACT
The epilogue brings together the main conclusions of the book. Instead of seeing Domenico Grillo’s career as an example of a successful Mediterranean entrepreneur in the global world of the 17th century, which was by then increasingly dominated by northern European merchants and their empires, these pages suggest a different perspective. The story that this book presents shows that the world was more complex than that, and this complexity has for very long remained unnoticed by historians. Grillo’s story highlights a thread that connects two apparently unrelated processes, such as the wane of the “Age of the Genoese” and the rise of trans-imperial intra-Caribbean slave trade in the Atlantic world. In addition to unveiling hitherto unknown historical connections, the story told in this book also brings forth factors that allow us to rethink traditional topics from a new perspective. By highlighting the transformative role played by these entrepreneurs, we become aware of the existence of alternative itineraries in a crucial period for early globalisation. The entangled worlds that Domenico Grillo inhabited and the way they were connected also reveal multiple ways of doing business and agents different from those which have generally been branded as the precursors of “modern” capitalism.
