Liquid assets, dangerous gifts

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Valentin Groebner examines gift-giving practices in late medieval and early modern Europe, particularly in the prosperous Upper Rhine cities from 1400 to 1550. The book delves into the roles gifts—such as wine, coins, and precious metals—played in political rituals and social hierarchies. The term for gifts in German reflects their dual nature, akin to pouring liquid, highlighting their importance in an economy of information that delineated social status. While meticulously recorded and governed by social codes, the traditions of gift exchange reveal ambivalence and anxieties surrounding the practice. Groebner questions when public gift distribution transitioned from an accepted norm to something clandestine and suspect. By the late fourteenth century, references to more dangerous gifts emerged, often linked to corruption and the male body, introducing a new vocabulary in legal and polemical contexts that addressed issues like simony and usury. This language of corruption, from "greasing hands" to sexualized imagery, has persisted. The exploration of these late medieval concepts reveals how political gifts served as instruments of control and manipulation, shedding light on a phenomenon that continues to influence social dynamics today.