Els Esclaus islamics a Barcelona: Blanc, Negres Llors i Turcs: De l'Esclavitut a la llibertat (s. XIV)

Abstract

Els Esclaus islamics a Barcelona: Blanc, Negres Llors i Turcs: De l'Esclavitut a la llibertat (s. XIV), by Josep Hernando (Barcelona: C.S.I.C., 2003; pp. 787. N.p.). This is a formidable addition to the literature on medieval Catalan slavery. Dr Hernando brings both a great experience of the notarial archives and extensive knowledge both of the law and of Christian apologetic against Islam, and his extensive introduction makes use of these assets. His trawl is sufficiently near to being comprehensive to justify his extensive tabulation of the evidence assembled; any notarial based investigation has a warning sign on it, but this one comes near the global totals reported in the fifteenth-century insurance schemes; the density of surviving documentation appears to be rising sharply at the end of Dr Hernando's period and, while he includes women, he deliberately excludes the substantial number of slaves from Christian peoples. On his chosen ground,...