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

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esult of various reasons including <strong>the</strong> character of <strong>the</strong> individuals involved, <strong>and</strong> should <strong>the</strong>refore<br />

not be taken as a sign of a wider p<strong>at</strong>tern or a general policy.<br />

<strong>The</strong> restrictions are very meaningful, however, in <strong>at</strong> least two cases: <strong>the</strong> boycotts on<br />

Alex<strong>and</strong>ria in 1191 <strong>and</strong> on Constantinople in 1203. No contracts were signed to <strong>the</strong>se particular<br />

destin<strong>at</strong>ions in <strong>the</strong>se respective years. <strong>The</strong> prohibition on travelling to Alex<strong>and</strong>ria is mentioned in<br />

<strong>the</strong> case of four merchants in 1190-1 <strong>and</strong> Constantinople is excluded in <strong>the</strong> records of six<br />

merchants. David Jacoby concluded from <strong>the</strong> lack of contracts to Alex<strong>and</strong>ria th<strong>at</strong> <strong>the</strong>re were no<br />

commercial ventures to Egypt between 1187 <strong>and</strong> September 1192.181 Claude Cahen <strong>and</strong> David<br />

Abulafia argued similarly th<strong>at</strong> Italian commerce with Egypt was significantly reduced <strong>and</strong> even<br />

brought to an end: `la troisieme Croisade marque un tournant decisif dans l'histoire des<br />

march<strong>and</strong>s italiens au Porche-Orient. En interrompant tout commerce avec l'Egypte, eile a <strong>at</strong>tire<br />

leur <strong>at</strong>tention sur l'utilite d'activites de substitution, et de places de securite en Orient l<strong>at</strong>in. '182<br />

Abulafia wrote th<strong>at</strong> `<strong>the</strong> Third Crusade certainly concentr<strong>at</strong>ed <strong>the</strong> <strong>at</strong>tention of <strong>the</strong> Italians on Acre<br />

in several ways. It spelled <strong>the</strong> end of <strong>the</strong> ascendancy of Alex<strong>and</strong>ria. ' 183 <strong>The</strong>se conclusions,<br />

however, are problem<strong>at</strong>ic for several reasons. <strong>The</strong>y will be fur<strong>the</strong>r examined <strong>and</strong> challenged in<br />

Chapter Three, however, it should be already asked: if none of <strong>the</strong> <strong>Genoese</strong> merchants travelled<br />

to Egypt until 1192, why was <strong>the</strong> restriction mentioned in <strong>the</strong> contracts? <strong>The</strong> reality of commerce<br />

was more complex than simply avoiding all sort of contact with Egypt. It will be argued th<strong>at</strong><br />

some <strong>Genoese</strong><br />

trading ships did approach <strong>the</strong> warring ports.<br />

<strong>The</strong> reason for <strong>the</strong> explicit prohibition was <strong>the</strong> n<strong>at</strong>ure of <strong>the</strong> travel contracts th<strong>at</strong> dict<strong>at</strong>ed<br />

such cautious st<strong>at</strong>ements. Even when contracts were written on <strong>the</strong> eve of ventures, <strong>the</strong>y were<br />

based on d<strong>at</strong>ed inform<strong>at</strong>ion. Individual merchants or groups of <strong>the</strong>m sailing on certain ships were<br />

<strong>the</strong>refore given <strong>the</strong> sort of flexibility witnessed in <strong>the</strong> contracts, which allowed <strong>the</strong>m to make <strong>the</strong>ir<br />

own judgment of <strong>the</strong> situ<strong>at</strong>ion when <strong>the</strong>y came nearer to <strong>the</strong> area of conflict. More evidence of a<br />

different n<strong>at</strong>ure supports this hypo<strong>the</strong>sis. <strong>The</strong> <strong>Genoese</strong> chronicle Regni iherosolymitani brevis<br />

historia describe <strong>the</strong> heroism of Conrad of Montferr<strong>at</strong> upon his arrival <strong>at</strong> <strong>the</strong> harbour of Acre in<br />

<strong>the</strong> summer of 1187. Everyone on board was frightened when <strong>the</strong>y realised th<strong>at</strong> <strong>the</strong> Saracens had<br />

taken Acre. Saladin sent a p<strong>at</strong>rol bo<strong>at</strong> to find out `wh<strong>at</strong> type of people <strong>the</strong>y were. ' Conrad warned<br />

<strong>the</strong> people on <strong>the</strong> ship th<strong>at</strong> nobody should speak apart from himself, <strong>and</strong> he replied:<br />

181 Jacoby, David, `Les Italiens en Egypte aux Xlle et XIIIe si8cles: du comptoir ä la colonie? ', in Michel<br />

Balard <strong>and</strong> Alain Ducellier (eds. ), Coloniser au Moyen Age (Paris, 1995), p. 80.<br />

182 Claude Cahen, Orient et occident au temps des croisades (Paris, 1983), p. 151.<br />

183 Abulafia, `Trade <strong>and</strong> Crusade', p. 17.<br />

62

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