This is a collection of additional documents—beyond sales, leasing, insurance, and manumission contracts—relating to enslaved men and women enacted in the late medieval and early modern Mediterranean.
The contract is a ratification of the sale conducted on 24 March 1485 by the slaveholder Cristoforo Cattaneo of an enslaved Bosnian woman named Elena, who is approximatetly 25 years of age, to the brothers Pietro and Giorgio de Podio, for 270 Genoese lire. Cristoforo is absent during the transaction and is represented by Benedetto Lomellini. Giorgio is also absent and represented by his brother Pietro.
The slaveholder named Gabriele Casanova promises to manumit an enslaved Bosnian woman named Anna, who is approximately 26 years of age, within the next five years. Gabriele is represented in the transaction by Girolamo Casanova who serves as his procurator by a power of attorney issued in Chios in 1488. The contract notes that the enslaved Anna is currently under the service of a butcher named Francesco Pipo and that Francesco agrees to pay 40 Genoese lire for the manumission within the next six months. The contract also mandates that should Girolamo choose to lease the services of Anna to another third party, that this must be for a period not exceeding four years. Anna is present but silent during the manumission and is represented by the enacting notary Tommaso Duracino. The contract was extracted.
The slaveholders and brothers named Manfredo, Giovanni Battista, Giorgio, and Stefano de Clavaro manumit an enslaved Hungarian woman named Caterina, who is approximately 40 years of age. They had received the enslaved Caterina as an item of inheritance from the testament of their deceased father Pietro de Clavaro. As a condition of the manumission Caterina promises to work as a household servant for Manfredo and his family for three years without pay. At the end of the term of service Manfredo must provide Caterina all her clothing and goods and formally deliver them to her via the notary. Manfredo and his brothers retain the right of patronage. Caterina is present but silent and is represented by the enacting notary Tommaso Duracino. The contract was extracted.
This contract declares that the sale made earlier on the same day by the merchant named Giacomo Maruffo of an enslaved Tatar woman named Marta to the merchant from Biscay named Pascual de Soldis is nullified (it was essentially a fictional sale). Instead, the enslaved Marta will be consigned by Giacomo to Pascual to be sold later in Sicily.
This is a cancellation of the sale made earlier the same day by the slaveholder named Egidio de Carmandino to the merchant from Biscay named Pedro Ochoa. The sale was a fictional sale, and in actuality an enslaved child named Rolandino, who is approximately 17 years of age, is consigned to Pedro in order to be sold later in Mallorca.
The slaveholder and leather worker named Gabriele Rissotto returns an enslaved Tatar woman named Maria, who is approximately 26 years of age and described as being lame, to a gold-beater named Giacomo Marchesio. The enslaved Maria had been sold to Gabriele by Angelo Marchesio, the nephew of Giacomo, in a contract enacted by Tommaso Duracino on 22 December 1458. However, the rights over Maria were held by Giacomo and not Angelo, and he did not have permission to make the sale. As such, she was returned to Giacomo and the sum of 100 Genoese lire returned to Gabriele.
The slaveholder named Isolta Pallavicini donates an enslaved Russian woman named Maddalena, who is approximately 35 years of age, to her son-in-law named Pietro Giovanni Frugone, as a deposit for the dowry of her daughter Bianca Tarigo. The value of the gift is indicated as 100 Genoese lire.
The merchant from Valencia and inhabitant of Genoa named Francisco de Ibiza, who was named as the buyer of an enslaved Circassian woman named Caterina, who is approximately 24 years of age, from the merchant named Giovanni de Abbatibus in the sales contract recorded on 7 March of the same year, declares that he was acting as the procurator for the Catalan merchant named Gil Rois.
The merchant named Francesco Giumello promises to pay the sum of 3 Genoese lire to the baker and slaveholder named Gregorio de Camuliano so that he can obtain insurance against the risk of death from childbirth for an enslaved Bosnian woman named Caterina, whose is approximately 21 years of age and about five months pregnant. Frencesco is absent during the transaction and is represented by the payee Gregorio de Camuliano.
The noblemen and slaveholders named Luciano, Marco and Ambrogio Lomellini give an enslaved boy named Venturino, who is approximately eight years of age and born of two enslaved persons held by their late brother Cristoforo Lomellini, named Elena and Giorgio, to the barrel maker from Albenga named Lazaro Valerio, who promises to raise Venturino as his own son. Ambrogio also serves as the procurator for his brother Napoleone, who is not present at the enactment of the contract, and with the consent of Francisca Grillo, the wife of Napoleone as denoted in an earlier contract enacted in 1457 by the notary Gherardo de Brevei.
The slaveholder named Maria Lomellini manumits an enslaved Ruthenian woman named Marta, who is approximately 38 years of age. Maria retains the right of patronage and Marta agrees to serve in the house of Maria for three additional years without salary. The contract is enacted with the consent of Giovanni and Andrea de Marini, the sons of Maria. The contract was extracted.
The slaveholder named Girolamo Grimaldi acknowledges a debt of 170 Genoese lire to the slaveholder and notary named Luca de Mezano for an enslaved Tatar woman named Margarita, who is approximately 32 years of age. Luca agrees to transfer ownership over Margarita, once she has given birth and is able to serve as a wet nurse, to Girolamo. The contract was extracted.
This document is an agreement of service. A certain Giannetto de Lacu agrees to work in the workshop of the woolworker named Battista de Ianello for a period of six years in order to learn the art of wool working. Battista is fourteen years of age and is represented in the contract by his brother Lanfranco de Lacu. Battista agrees to house, clothe, and provide food for Giannetto during the term of the contract.
The slaveholder named Taddeo de Marini confesses to receiving the sum of 100 Genoese lire from a certain Lodisio Cattaneo. For this sum he cedes the rights over an enslaved Circassian woman named Maddalena, who is approximately 29 years of age, to a certain Lodisio de Castiliono. Maddalena had been leased to Taddeo by the cheesemaker Michele de Turrilia in December of 1462 for a term of one year and this transaction reflects a form of sub-lease.
The ratification of an earlier sale by Accellino Spinola where the slaveholder named Bianca Salvago sold an enslaved Circassian woman named Anna, who is approximately 28 years of age, to a certain Selvagia Grillo, for 200 Genoese lire. Anna had been held by Accellino the spouse of Bianca Salvago, and the contract notes that the sale was recorded in the account register of the commercial broker Tommsaso Frugone.
