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Medieval Serbia and the Problem of Debt Succession

Imagine yourself as the ruler of medieval Serbia, loving your people yet facing their reluctance to pay extra taxes to improve their lives. You aspire to build roads, universities, and even a proper sewage system, but the impoverished countryside residents resist. Faced with financial constraints, you turn to foreign moneylenders, such as Jews, Venetians, or the distant Dutch, who are quick to lend at exorbitant interest rates—around 20%.