The Crusades, the Genoese and the Latin East - DSpace at ...

commerce in Bougie as well as Alexandria. 42 In 1201, Guglielmo Nepitella sent
from Alexandria
with Simono Streiaporco seven coras of pepper to Rosso della Volta and to Enrico Nepitella who
were in Genoa at the time. 343 Furthermore, the cartulary of Giovanni di Guiberto contains several
contracts that were registered in 1203 by Buonovassallo and Enrico Nepitella. They were
involved in the export of money and gold to Alexandria. Enrico alone travelled to Alexandria
with more than £300 344 Finally, in 1213, there is evidence that Oglerio, son of Enrico Nepitella,
was in Alexandria on business too. The family's commerce in Egypt which commenced in the
twelfth century had thus survived the fall of the first kingdom of Jerusalem. At the beginning of
the thirteenth century the commercial web of the family had expanded. It then included more
members of the family and the measure of investment was consequently extended too.
Alexandria had often been a second destination in the commercial route of Genoese
merchants. For example, a merchant named Thomas de Vedereto made a contract in which lie
promised to sail from Genoa to Ceuta and then he planned to continue to Alexandria and return to
Genoa via Ceuta 345 Other merchants went to Alexandria from the Latin East. 346 In the case of
competing markets such as Alexandria and Acre or Ceuta and Bougie the number of ships that
reached each port was especially important. From the cartulary of Bonvillano it seems that in
1198, when four ships went to Alexandria, only two Genoese ships were contracted to sail to
Ultramare. These were the Dianna and the Gazella. 347 This is another indication of the intensity
of the relationship between Genoa and Alexandria.
Jacoby concluded his article on the Italians in Egypt by claiming that the establishment of
the Italian commercial institutions in Egypt was not achieved in order to create permanent
colonies. 348
Nonetheless,
there is no doubt that the Italians invested much time and ample effort in
gaining various privileges and in utilizing to the full extent those which were granted to them.
The unequivocal importance of Alexandria as a trade centre in the eyes of the merchants is
attested by diplomatic and commercial sources alike. It is significant that the race for privileges
reached its highest level during the sultanate of al-'Adil, and especially between 1208 and 1215.
342
The unpublished cartularies of Guglielmo di Sori (cart. 3/11), and mainly cart. 4, which is attributed to
Oberto Scriba, both from 1200, contain many contracts that were registered by the Nepitella brothers. See
for example Cart 3/II, p. 124 V and cart 4. pp. 158,162,239-240,257.
343 OS, 1201, cart 4, P. 85, R2
344 GG, 672-4; 678-9. Buonovasallo invested in the venture to Alexandria, but his own venture was to
Sicily and then other undecided destinations: GG, 781,803,805,807. Guglielmo Nepitella and Jacomo
Nepitella made similar contracts too. The three of them carried over £550 between them.
345
Bonvillano, nos. 135-6.
346
There are several examples in the contracts from 1184,1186 and from 1200 to 1203. See OS, 1184, cart.
2, p. 138V-139R; OS, 1186, no. 32; OS, 1200, cart. 4, p. 258R-V; Guglielmo di Sori, MS 102, p. 192V;
GG, 1203, no. 768.
34' Bonvillano, nos. 56,65,82,88.
348David
Jacoby, `les Italiens en $gypte', p. 89.
100