Networks of slaveholding and enslavement in the Genoese Mediterranean, 1348–1528 · Litterarum 1427–1431, fol. 14v · Networks of slaveholding and enslavement in the Genoese Mediterranean, 1348

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Litterarum 1427–1431, fol. 14v

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Domino regi Tunicis

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diplomatic letters

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24 May 1427

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This letter from Giacomo Isolani, the governor of Genoa, and the council of elders elected to secure peace with Tunis, to Abu Faris Abd al-Aziz II, the Caliph of Tunis, was sent to address numerous diplomatic issues. First, it notes that Genoa had sent six bales of cloth (measured at 365 canne) to Tunis as part of a 16000-doubloon ransom for the redemption of all current Genoese captives, but the cloths were seized by Tunisian customs officials without notifying the Genoese representatives Ambrogio Spinola and Gherardo Gentile. The Tunisian authorities claimed that the cloths measured only 350 canne, and later informed the Genoese agent named Cristoforo Marruffo that the Caliph had already sold them. The Genoese calculate a remaining debt of 400 doubloons, based on a previously agreed price of 5.5 doubloons per canna, and asks that this be paid to Gherardo Gentile. Second, the Genoese government denounces the seizure of 17 of their subjects from Bonifacio, Calvi, and Cap Corse by the Tunisian fleet, the sinking of their vessels, and their subsequent public sale of the captives in Tunis. The letter notes that some of these captives were formerly enslaved persons who had been manumitted in Tunis before being taken back into custody, a violation of the manumission. The Genoese authorities demand the immediate release of all Genoese captives and call for Tunisian ships to abstain from future attacks. Third, the letter requests that peace be confirmed in writing to avoid future misunderstandings, using a prior treaty by Federico Lecavello and amended by Cristoforo Marruffo as a model. Fourth, the Genoese authorities dispute a customs claim that they owes 2000 more doubloons and request for an accurate and equitable calculation.

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