ABSTRACT
The Flemish counts' diplomatic position was inevitably linked to foreign trade. The English rulers understandably considered the Flemish counts after Baldwin IX French puppets. As long as English relations with France were smooth, Flemish traders in England did not suffer. With the capture of Normandy, Flanders became the major goal of French diplomacy. The important land routes from the Rhineland all came over Ghent, which came to dominate the German trade of Flanders. Some English and German merchants were allowed to import Flemish cloth to England, even if it did not conform to the assize, in violation of the embargo. There are shifts in the geography of the Flemish textile industry during the thirteenth century. Shifts within the Flemish economy during the thirteenth century are also reflected in patterns of trade at the English fairs. The balance of economic power shifted northward away from the Walloon cities.
