MEDIEVAL FAMAGUSTA: SOCIO-ECONOMIC and SOCIO- CULTURAL DYNAMICS (13Th to 15Th Centuries)
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
MEDIEVAL FAMAGUSTA: SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND SOCIO- CULTURAL DYNAMICS (13th to 15th Centuries) by SEYIT ÖZKUTLU A thesis submitted to The University of Birmingham for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Centre for Byzantine, Ottoman and Modern Greek Studies Institute of Archaeology and Antiquity College of Arts and Law The University of Birmingham October 2014 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. ABSTRACT This dissertation examines the socio-economic and socio-cultural dynamics of medieval Famagusta from the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries. Contrary to the traditional historiography suggesting that Famagusta enjoyed commercial privilege after the fall of Acre in 1291 and lost its importance with the Genoese occupation of the city in 1374, this work offers more detailed analysis of economic and social dynamics of the late medieval Famagusta by examining wide-range of archival evidence and argues that Famagusta maintained its commercial importance until the late fifteenth century. In late medieval ages, Famagusta enjoyed economic prosperity due to its crucial role in Levant trade as a supplier and distributor of agricultural and luxury merchandise. It hosted nearly all prominent Genoese, Venetian, and Tuscan merchant companies and become one of the most important part of the Levantine trade policy of Venice and Genoa. Moreover, beside the economic growth Famagusta also witnessed social and cultural prosperity which enabled it to bear the title ‘emporium’. People from almost every nation lived, visited, co-operated, and enjoyed the cultural wealth where the cultural differences were far from being social disintegration factor. By analysing notarial, fiscal, ecclesiastical and visual evidence from the period under examination, the main elements that are necessary to understand the evolution of medieval ‘emporium’, such as economic, social, cultural, administrative and urban dynamics, are scrutinized in order to draw more consistent conclusions. Regarding the lack of any monograph on this subject, this dissertation provides the first comprehensive analysis of economic and socio-cultural dynamics of late medieval Famagusta. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT My deepest gratitude goes to my supervisor Dr. Archie Dunn, who accomplished the difficult task of guiding, supporting and believing in me while giving me full freedom to choose my own intellectual path. This dissertation would not have been possible without the expert guidance of him, without whom there is no telling how much longer this project would have taken. His commitment to helping me finish showed in countless meetings in various locations and his editing (even when he was extremely busy) help with many, many drafts. I am grateful to Dr. Luca Zavagno, a great friend, for his extraordinary efforts to encourage me studying abroad. There are no words that can explain how much I owe him. I reserve special thanks for Dr. Nicholas Coureas, great scholar and vibrant mind. From advising me on my conceptual framework and sending me all the books and articles necessary, his commitment is much beyond the concept of ‘‘help’’ can explain. I also appreciate his efforts supporting and guiding new generation of scholars who are interested in medieval Cyprus. Also, this wonderful experience I have had in Birmingham is the result of combined efforts of some wonderful people I met at University of Birmingham. I feel obliged to thank each and every one of them: Hasan Colak and Aysegul Keskin Colak for being a brother and sister to me. They were always there to help in times of desperation. Also special thanks go to Onur Usta for being great housemate and friend. He was always available when I needed to chat, play computer games, drink or laugh. I am very grateful to Selcuk Yurukogullari and Ahmet Usta, brothers beyond blood, with whom I shared thousands of memories and wonderful moments. Deep gratitude goes to my housemates, Mate and Alessandro, who let me finish their coffee stocks and helped me editing photos necessary for my thesis. I am grateful to Maria Petropoulou, Rebecca Darley, Gemma Mason, Valentina Grazian, Betty Sydney and Tom Hughes for their friendly smile and help when needed. I would like to acknowledge the major debts I have accumulated to my girlfriend Esen Hanac for her support and love. This thesis required sacrifice and sleepless nights and without her unfailing support this work would not have been possible. I was very fortunate to meet and fall in love with her. I thank her for her support, unconditional love, and for making me part of her life. Finally, I will always be indebted to my family for their help and generosity. Their support at times of self-doubt and despair and their love have all meant the world to me. A million thanks to them. Table of Contents Chapter 1 1.1 Introduction ………………………………………………………………………….……1 (i) Method, Data and Organization………………………………………………..….1 (ii) A critical assessment of the scholarship on the economic history of Medieval Famagusta………………………………………………………………………...10 (iii) Political and Economic Context…………………………………………...……..18 (iv) Salamis as a key to understanding the early economic development of medieval Famagusta…………………………………………………………………….…..28 Chapter 2 Economic Development and the Role of Famagusta in Levant Trade from the late Thirteenth to the Fifteenth Centuries 2.1 Economic functionality of the Limassol and Famagusta ports before the fall of Acre (1291)………………………………………………………………………………………...32 2.2 Political and Commercial Dynamics: Famagusta and Levant Trade from the late 13th to the mid-14th Centuries………………………………………………………………………..62 2.2.1 Commercial Relations between Famagusta and the Muslim East in the Light of Notarial Registers (from 1270s to1350)…………………………………………………………….…62 2.2.2 The Role of Famagusta as a Distribution Centre of Oriental and Local Merchandise to the West (1300-1340)………………………………………………………………..…….…97 2.3 Continuity or Discontinuity? The Economy of Famagusta from 1350 to 1400………...122 2.4 Famagusta in the Fifteenth Century: Economic Dynamics and Commercial Potential……………………………………………………………………………………..151 Chapter 3 Socio-Cultural and Religious Dynamics of Late Medieval Famagusta 3.1 Cultural and Social Interaction, and Ethnic Diversity in medieval Famagusta………....173 3.2 Tolerance or Intolerance? Social Interaction and Cultural Diversity between Religious Groups in Medieval Famagusta……………………………………………………………..207 3.2.1 Historiography derived from native Chronicles……………………………………....210 3.2.2 The Economic and Political Power of Religious Institutions…………………………216 3.2.3 Social and Cultural Interactions between different Religious Groups………………222 3.2.4 The Visual Evidence: Art, Architecture and Archaeology……………………….….227 3.2.5 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………….……..232 Chapter 4 Structure, Function and Activities of the Administration 4.1 Establishment of the Latin Administration: Institutions, Jurisdiction and Personnel…..235 4.2 Establishment of A Western Commercial Quarter……………………………………...250 4.3 The Personnel of Genoese Administration in Famagusta………………………………261 Chapter 5 Conclusion: Economic, Social and Administrative Development of Famagusta in comparison with Rhodes in Late Middle Ages…………………………………………………………..269 Appendix: A) Salalamis as a key to understanding the economic development of medieval Famagusta: The case of economic ‘continuity’ and ‘discontinuity’……………………………………………………………..……….288 Numismatic Evidence (i) Interregnum (608-610 A.D.)……………………………………………………294 (ii) Reign of Heraclius (610-641 A.D.)……………………………………………..297 (iii) Reign of Constans II (641-668 A.D.)………………………………………...…300 (iv) Reign of Constantine IV (668-685 A.D.)……………………………………….304 (v) Justinian II (685-695 A.D.) to Basil II (976-1025 A.D.)………………………..308 (vi) Arab-Byzantine Coinage………………………………………………………..310 Conclusion………….............................................................................................................319 B) Translation of the Selected Notarial Acts…………………………………..……332 C) Illustrations………………………………………………………………………...357 Bibliography…………………………………………………………...…………………..378 CHAPTER 1 1.1 INTRODUCTION: (i) Method, Data and Organization This thesis examines the economic and socio-cultural dynamics of medieval Famagusta from the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries. The main aim is to investigate and comprehensively analyse the economic and commercial dynamics of medieval Famagusta. Therefore, the focus will be on three fundamental components: the role of the Famagusta in Levantine trade, the activities of the Latin merchant companies established in Famagusta and the agricultural potential of the hinterland of Famagusta. However, this study does not aim to discuss all the major economic dynamics of the Levant area. Nor does it aim to address all the political and religious dynamics of medieval Cyprus during the period under examination. The central question of this work is how important was Famagusta for the Levantine trade and what was the main role of the Famagusta port regarding the long-distance