Game Info
A 
Great Person Great Person specialized in commerce. Appears once enough 
Great Merchant Great Merchant points are earned (can be rushed with Gold or Faith through Patronage)
Great Merchants
| Name | Era | Bonus |
|---|---|---|
| Colaeus | Classical | Gain 100  Faith Faith. Grant 1 free copy of the Luxury resource on this tile to your  Capital Capital city.
|
| Marcus Licinius Crassus | Classical | Gain 60  Gold Gold. Your nearest city annexes this tile into its territory.
|
| Zhang Qian | Classical | Increases  Trade Route Trade Route capacity by 1. Foreign Trade Route Trade Route to this city provide +2 Gold Gold to both cities.
|
| Irene of Athens | Medieval | Increase Trade Route Trade Route capacity by 1. Grants 1 free copy of the Luxury resource on this tile to your capital city
|
| Marco Polo | Medieval | Grants a free Trader unit in this city, and increases Trade Route Trade Route capacity by 1. Foreign Trade Route Trade Routes to this city provides +2 Gold Gold to both cities.
|
| Piero de Bardi | Medieval | Gain 200 Gold Gold and 1  Envoy Envoy
|
| Giovanni de Medici | Renaissance | Instantly builds a Market and a Bank in a Commercial district. The Bank gains 2 Great Work slots which can be filled by anything except  Relics
|
| Jakob Fugger | Renaissance | Gain 350 Gold Gold and 2 Envoy Envoys
|
| Raja Todar Mal | Renaissance | Domestic Trade Route Trade Routes gain +0.5 Gold Gold per district at the destination, gain an Envoy Envoy
|
| Adam Smith | Industrial | Adds +1  Economic Policy slot to your government
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| John Jacob Astor | Industrial | Gain 500 Gold Gold. Gain 2 Envoy Envoys.
|
| John Spilsbury | Industrial | Creates one Toy, which provides +4  Amenities Amenities.
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| John Rockefeller | Modern | Grants 1 Oil, your Trade Route Trade Routes gain +2 Gold Gold for each Strategic resource improved by the destination city
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| Sarah Breedlove | Modern | +25%  Tourism Tourism rate towards other civilizations you have a Trade Route Trade Route to.
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| Mary Katherine Goddard | Modern | Gain +1 Diplomatic visibility with other civs. |
| Helena Rubenstein | Atomic | Provides 2 copies of Cosmetics, which provide 4 Amenities Amenities each.
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| Levi Strauss | Atomic | Provides +2 Jeans, which provides +4 Amenities Amenities.
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| Melitta Bentz | Atomic | Increases Trade Route Trade Route capacity by 1. +25% Tourism Tourism to other civilizations you have a trade route to.
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| Estée Lauder | Information | Provides 2 copies of Perfume, which provide 4 Amenities Amenities each.
|
| Jamseth Tata | Information | Campuses provide +10 Tourism Tourism
|
| Masaru Ibuka | Information | Industrial Zone districts provide +10 Tourism Tourism
|
Strategy
Historical Context
Of the four things that determine the course of civilization, greed is probably the most pervasive. Once folk settled and started farming and mining, there was always someone who found that others wanted what they had in plenty, and were willing to pay for it. And so merchants fanned out across the globe, trading in everything from grain to gold, hemp to human beings. The most adventurous among these were always seeking new markets, and hence were explorers who brought back knowledge of distant peoples and customs. Some of the greatest discoveries were the product of the greed of these adventurers. Their travels also enriched their nations in more material ways, for the taxes and profits from their trips funded great works of engineering, education, colonization, art, and war. Without the great merchants, civilization would have been much poorer.