From the Genoese to the Perots: The Genoese Community in Byzantine/Ottoman Constantinople (14th–15th C.)

Abstract

This article focuses on the presence of the Genoese in the Eastern Mediterranean, their settlement in Constantinople and their diplomatic and commercial relations with the Byzantines and the Ottomans in the context of the changes and transformations that occurred during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Establishing a semi-autonomous rule in Pera/Constantinople during the late Byzantine period, the Genoese became important settlers of the imperial city connecting it with the Black Sea and the Mediterranean through their trading networks and colonies. Although the conquest of Constantinople by the Ottomans in 1453 changed the status of the Genoese community, most of the Genoese families continued to stay in this city and adapted themselves to the newly emerging conditions. This article will dwell on the experiences of the Genoese under the Byzantine and Ottoman rules and examine how they handled co-existing with a society of differing faith, language and culture. It will also discuss how the Genoese sought to keep their commercial interests and maintain their order in the vibrant and cosmopolitan setting of Ottoman Constantinople.