La centralità dei nomadi nel commercio della Caucasia settentrionale. Rapporti diplomatici fra i Mongoli e Venezia sul Mar d’Azov nel XIV secolo

Abstract

This paper examines the significant role of nomadic populations in shaping trade networks in Northern Caucasia in the 14th century. Focusing on the diplomatic relations between the Mongol elite of the Ulus Jochi (Golden Horde) and the Venetian authorities, the paper explores how nomads’ idea of juridical spaces and attitude towards commerce dictated the pace of European presence in the Northern Black Sea basin, sometimes favoring, sometimes halting mobility, economic practices, and cultural exchanges in the region. By analyzing historical sources and accounts, this study aims to show the active role of the Mongols in regulating the European commercial expansion in Northern Caucasia during the difficult 14th century.