European and Islamic Trade in the Early Ottoman State: The Merchants of Genoa and Turkey.

• Author: Floor, Willem
• Position: Reviews of Books

European and Islamic Trade in the Early Ottoman State: The Merchants of Genoa and Turkey. By KATE FLEET. Cambridge: CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS, 1999. Pp. 204. $59.95.

This book deals with a quite special aspect of trade with Turchia, i.e., trade between the Turks and the Genoese. It aims to concentrate on commodities and their importance and to consider whether the Genoese contributed to the early development and success of the Ottoman state. Following a historical outline, the author discusses the following items: money, commodities, slaves, grain, wine, alum, cloth, and metals. A final chapter deals with Ottoman-Genoese relations after 1453, and in a conclusion, the Latin contribution to the early Ottoman economy. The book is further enriched by a number of appendices on prices and "exchange rates," a glossary, place names, select bibliography, and index.

The historical outline sets the scene in which trade took place, while the chapter on money covers mainly the problems dealing with currencies and the methods of exchange employed. Apart from cash, barter and bills of exchange were used. Since the remaining chapters, in fact the entire book, treat the subject of commodities, I found it odd that the third chapter is specifically called "Commodities," under which label the author discusses basically all other trade goods (soap, hides, timber, pepper, etc.) that are not discussed in the separate chapters.

Slaves were a profitable commodity for merchants of whatever origin. The trade in slaves and its characteristics are detailed as well as prices and what influenced them. Other issues include ransom and aiding runaways. Grain was one of the most important commodities and the Genoese dominated this market. In the eastern Mediterranean, Turchia was one of the main sources for it, and its importance fluctuated with the ups-and-downs of political developments in the area. Some of these matters are discussed, such as taxes and export bans, as well the impact of either on prices. Wine was another important trade good, a commodity also imbibed by the Turkish rulers. Turchia was both an importer and exporter of wine and grapes. This trade was a significant source of fiscal revenue and in some beyliks it was under strict government control. Alum, which was used as a dye in the European cloth industry, was also a major trade item. This line of trade (including its extraction) was dominated by the Genoese, who mined alum in Anatolia. Details about...