Which of the following statements concerning the merchant class of the Byzantine Empire is the most accurate?
a. Byzantine merchants, because of their wealth, rapidly became the most powerful force in the government of Constantinople and the empire
b. because of its lack of export products, Byzantine commerce was controlled completely by foreign merchants
c. there was a large and wealthy merchant class in the Byzantine Empire, but it never gained significant political power because of the elaborate network of governmental controls
d. by comparison to western Europe, the merchant class was relatively small but was very influential in Byzantine political circles
e. the Byzantine merchant class never recovered from the loss of territories to the Muslims and was not a significant factor within the empire
Answer: C