Simón Ruiz

Timeline

1. 1550–1570Medina del Campo · Medina del CampoSettled in Medina del Campo around 1550, wholesaling Breton linen, Aragonese goods and imported wares at the city's spring and autumn fairs, rapidly accumulating capital that laid the groundwork for his later turn to finance.
2. 1571–1585Medina del Campo · Medina del CampoFrom the 1570s he dealt mainly in bills of exchange and credit, lending to Philip II's court and the nobility; he corresponded frequently with Antwerp, Cologne and elsewhere, exporting wool, olive oil and spices and importing Flemish textiles, tapestries and books, and in 1585 partnered with his nephew Cosme Ruiz to expand Low Countries business.
3. 1591–1597Medina del Campo · Medina del CampoEstablished a hospital trust in 1591, funding a large hospital as the core of his charitable work; he died on 1 March 1597, leaving an archive of over 50,000 business letters and 184 account books, listed in UNESCO's Memory of the World Register.