English Wool Export System

Timeline

1. 1275–1300English east coast ports · EnglandThe kingdom levied tariffs on raw wool exports and regulated merchant guild activities; exported goods mostly traveled from east coast ports to the Flemish textile centers, forming an early framework intertwining state finances with local merchant interests.
2. 1331–1340England–Flanders trade route · EnglandTo prepare for war with France, Edward III relied heavily on wool tariffs and export license revenue; the kingdom strengthened oversight of bulk exports, with Italian and Hanseatic merchants purchasing English wool through the Low Countries, keeping cross-Channel trade volumes high in the 1330s.
3. 1340–1347Calais (French border of Flanders) · CalaisKingdom policy tended to concentrate wool exports at a single entrepôt such as Calais to strengthen control over prices and tax revenue; in 1347 the Calais wool Staple system was established, marking the system's entry into a new phase.