🌍 2. The Early Modern Period: Emergence of Proto-Global Finance
Hundreds of local lords, bishops, and independent cities minted their own coins. This mirrors the modern crypto landscape filled with thousands of alternative coins (altcoins). 🌍 2
Medieval exchequers used split wooden tally sticks to record debts. This was a physical, decentralized ledger. Both parties held a matching half, ensuring that neither could forge a transaction without the other. This functions as a primitive precursor to blockchain technology. 🌍 2