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

high fee. For Antioch, Genoa requested 80 bezants, which is less than £30. Conspicuously, the
lords of Gibelet were required to pay approximately £100 to the commune of Genoa. One must be
cautious in the interpretation of these figures. It is tempting to conclude that Acre may have not
been a lucrative source of income in the twelfth century, while in fact there were other
considerations involved in the decision only to charge the Embriaci £50. The contract for Gibelet
included 280 bezants and symbolic donations of one altar-cloth (pallium) that cost 10 bezants for
the altar of the cathedral church of St Lawrence in Genoa. This donation was considered `pro
censu. ' In addition, the lords of Gibelet had to deposit four silk banners (vexillum quatuor
cendatorum) which were pro investitutione. These banners were to be kept by the commune and
eventually given back in exchange for E100.41 1 These feudal symbols of pallium and vexillum
were probably supposed to ensure that the Embriaco family in Gibelet respected the authority of
Genoa and its ownership of this territory. It must have been a reaction to the problems concerning
the payment for Gibelet in the 1140s. How should these figures be interpreted? It is hard to
imagine that Gibelet was twice as profitable as Acre. Was this fee a penalty for their disloyalty
too? Another reason for the low charge for Acre was implied in the contract
itself. Apparently,
the Embriaco brothers of Genoa had offered a voluntary payment of £100 in 1154 as an advance
payment. The reason for this voluntary payment was that the commune was in magna
necessitate. 412 In exchange for their pre-payment the consuls of the commune decided that the
next payment would not be collected from the brothers for another four years. In this manner they
received a 50% reduction on the payment due in the first four years. Importantly, the Embriaco
brothers thus managed to gain control of Acre for a very low price. The question of the Genoese
administration of Acre will be further discussed in this chapter and Chapter Five. There is no
doubt, however, that in addition to the element of punishment and the desire to control the
residents of Gibelet, there must have been expectations that Gibelet would become a highly
profitable possession.
The archaeological remains of Gibelet have not received enough attention in the research
and historiography of the crusader states. Most of the excavations in Gibelet were carried out in
the hill above the harbour, where the ancient town of Byblos was located (Figures 6 and 7). The
medieval town, however, which was located to the north of ancient Byblos has not been
excavated. The location of the medieval town can be identified between the crusader castle and a
road which still marks the location of the medieval walls of the sea-port town. These points of
reference are marked on the aerial photograph below (Figure 7). Most of what has been written
4111
Libri lurium, vol. 1/1, no, 164, p. 240.
4121
Libri lurium, vol. 1/1, no, 165, p. 241.
118