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The Genoan Cities World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Vol:4, No:6, 2010 A Type of Urban Genesis in Romanian Outer-Carpathian Area: the Genoan Cities Denis Căprăroiu, Gica Pehoiu unhindered contact with the Mamluk Egypt (rival of the Abstract—The Mongol expansion in the West and the political Mongol Ilkhans, who mastered the important trade point of and commercial interests arising from antagonisms between the Tabriz), and the cooperation with the Mediterranean Golden Horde and the Persian Ilkhanate determined the thalassocracy. In addition, geographic reasons made transformation of the Black Sea into an international trade turntable Constantinople, the master of the Straits, an indispensable beginning with the last third of the XIIIth century. As the Volga Khanate attracted the maritime power of Genoa in the pillar supporting the whole project imagined at Sarai. transcontinental project of deviating the Silk Road to its own benefit, Accordingly, immediate interests of the parties determined the latter took full advantage of the new historical conjuncture, to the the quick drawing of an understanding: the Golden Horde and detriment of its rival, Venice. As a consequence, Genoa settled the Mamluk state issued a political alliance, while the important urban centers on the Pontic shores, having mainly a Emperor Michael the VIIIth, the newly restorer of the commercial role. In the Romanian outer-Carpathian area, Vicina, Byzantine rule over the Constantinople, ensured opening the Cetatea Albă, and Chilia are notable, representing distinct, important types of cities within the broader context of the Romanian medieval Straits for trading slaves. urban genesis typology. Besides the political aspects of the Cairo agreement, one should also emphasize the enrollment in the service of the axis Keywords—Black Sea, Vicina, Cetatea Albă, Chilia. of the maritime power of Genoa, the only one able to commercially and diplomatically ensure the relationship I. INTRODUCTION between the two allied Muslim states [1]. After supporting the OLLOWING the fulminate Mongolian expansion towards Byzantine restoration, Genoa was rewarded through the Fthe West (1239-1261), the formation of the Golden Horde Treaty of Nymphaion (1261) with preeminence in the Pontic and the Iranian Ilkhanate generated insurmountable area, to the detriment of its rival power, Venice. antagonisms between the two state formations, caused by the need to control the main trade routes, which brought II. MAIN GENOAN LOCATIONS IN THE ROMANIAN OUTER-CARPATHIAN AREA consistent incomes. This was the context in which the complex system of Therefore, special historical and geographical alliances emerged, which characterized for a long time the circumstances have led the Golden Horde to stubbornly try to international relations within the Mediterranean-Pontic space, link the Black Sea to the great network of the Euro-Asian displaying a paramount importance for the destiny of the trade; the context propelled the Genoans as main characters of geopolitical area represented by the Black Sea. The “the script” written in Sarai, in the middle of the XIIIth appearance in the second half of XIIIth century of the triangle century. of Sarai-Cairo-Tabriz forces created a political projection of As a result, enjoying an exceptional regime in the Black the 'eternal' antagonism mentioned above. In addition, the Sea, guaranteed by the terms of the treaty mentioned above, overwhelmingly important stakes attracted in the gravitational their colony was permanently installed in Pera (1267), a field of these conflicts the Byzantines, Genoans or Seljuk district of Constantinople, developing its activities to such a Turks, secondary actors of a monumental play. degree that it soon overcame the very Byzantine metropolis Meanwhile, the Golden Horde continued to promote its [2]. political and commercial interests, especially insisting in Later, Genoa ensured its dominance in the Crimea, as finding an alternative and countervailing trade route, attested to Soldaia/Sudak (1274), before the Pisans or independent of the one controlled by the Ilkhans and capable Venetians. Anyway, the reconquest of Constantinople and the International Science Index, Humanities and Social Sciences Vol:4, No:6, 2010 waset.org/Publication/3927 of activating exclusively for Sarai’s benefit. end of the Latin Empire (1261) had led to the loss of the Opening the new trade route has actually implied a privileged position Venice enjoyed for 57 years in the Straits deviation of the itinerary of the traditional Silk Road on an and the Black Sea, and its repeated attempts to return to the alignment that had the Far East, the Central Asia and Crimea Pontic policy met the prompt reactions of its Ligurian rival as landmarks. The deep and immediate objectives of this huge [3]. undertaking were the establishment of a permanent and Genoa’s full success was achieved by activating the Caffa colony, attested since 1281 [4], the center of the Ligurian Both authors are with “Valahia” University of Târgovişte, Dâmboviţa commercial policy in the Pontic area. Although somehow County, Romania (phone: 0040-245-206105; fax: 0040-245-206239; e-mail: confused, the beginnings of the commercial settlement, as [email protected], [email protected]). International Scholarly and Scientific Research & Innovation 4(6) 2010 787 scholar.waset.org/1307-6892/3927 World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Vol:4, No:6, 2010 well as the location itself, revealed hidden reasons of that unfortunately, no indication in the documents of the time of choice, which were confirmed by subsequent developments. the identity of the producers of these goods, most likely traded However, the relatively modest initial amount of merchant through Italian or Greek intermediaries, who sailed on the activity expanded significantly between 1285 and 1290, while Danube, to the locations where they could meet the caravans Armenia Minor was abandoned for good in the hands of coming from the inside [10]. Mamluks [5]. Although all contracts mentioned above used virtually During the same period, the Lower Danube area captures without exception the Byzantine hyperpera, historical the attention of the Genoa’s merchants, who had solid documents made an important reference helping the settlements in Maurocastro (Cetatea Albă) and Vicina. Later, estimation of Vicina’s commercial importance: the existence in a particular historical context, on which it will be of a so-called hyperpera of Vicina, or a Vicina measure, elaborated below, the same Genoans will turn Chilia into a indicating, without doubt, that like Pera, Caffa and Trebizond, prosperous settlement, with great economic potential. the city had its own measurement units and perhaps a special In order to illustrate the geographical position of the three coin, a copy of the Byzantine one. According to Brătianu, this settlements, a representative map is reproduced below. exclusivity of the imperial currency fitted some curious (Fig. 1). remarks, contained in two of the Genoan commercial contracts, which seemed to suggest that the city was at that time part of the Byzantine Empire [11]. In fact, references regarding the inclusion of the Vicina in the jurisdiction of the Byzantine territories should not surprise very much. As mentioned above, the agreement between the Golden Horde, the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt and Michael the VIIIth Palaiologos, allowed the latter the recovery from the Bulgarians of some towns located on the west coast of the Black Sea as well as the imposition of the imperial authority in the islands of the Lower Danube, directly controlled by the Tartars. Moreover, the same context is responsible for the possibility of establishing the orthodox Archdiocese of Vicina, like the one established at Sarai (1261), or the one taken under the Byzantine protectorate, at Cairo (1262). Furthermore, it seems that the establishment of the Archdiocese of Vicina, and even its attaining the rank of Metropolitan both took place Fig. 1. Vicina (Măcin), Chilia and Cetatea Albă in report with before the restoration of the Empire [12]. Bugeac (marked on the map) and Danube Delta Gates Far from being a simply local bishop, the ruler of this A. Vicina religious institution had, in 1302, not only a remarkable Thanks to the researches carried out some decades ago by annual income, but also a political authority firmly supported the historian Gh. I. Bratianu [6], among others [7], Vicina and by the Constantinople, which allowed him to negotiate the the questions related to it quickly became a part of the receiving in the Empire of a a group of 16,000 Alanians [13]. international scientific circuit, occupying one of the most Back to the economic activities attested in Vicina, the last significant places in Romanian and European historiography. entry of the XIIIth century (1294) refers to a list of damages Bratianu’s conclusions based on documents issued at Caffa claimed by the Genoan ambassador from the imperial or Pera, firsly pointed to the unexpected intensity of administration, in order to cover taxes abusively solicited from commercial relations involving Vicina. Thus, in the summer several Genoan ships. The same document mentions a vessel of 1281, one Genoan notary of Pera, Gabriel Predono, sailing to Maurocastro (Cetatea Albă), located at the gates of recorded 27 commercial agreements having Vicina as Dniester, the new commercial outlet which flourished in the destination, amounting to 3241 hyperpera, namely 20% of the following centuries, affecting, among others, Vicina’s International Science Index, Humanities and Social Sciences Vol:4, No:6, 2010 waset.org/Publication/3927 total number of the registered businesses [8]. Surprinsingly, at prosperity [14]. the time, Vicina’s trade with Pera exceeded, in value and In order to briefly describe the historical context of Vicina’s number of contracts, that of Caffa. demise, one should begin with information provided by Goods circulating through Vicina were diverse: Western Western nautical maps, provided that they are not very cloth and fabrics, oriental silk, oils, flax or even gold.
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