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Jews as Building Factor of Adriatic and Mediterranean Worlds in the 18th Century

This paper is the result of the cooperation between Zrinka Podhraški Čizmek, who researches Croatian maritime documents from the 18th century, and Naida-Mihal Brandl, who specializes in Jewish history. Based on the analysis of 16, 000 maritime documents of the Hrvatski pomorski regesti – Osamnaesto stoljeće / Regesti Marittimi Croati – Settecento, Nikola Čolak, Padova 1985 and 1993 (12, 000 published and 4, 000 still unpublished), we identified very interesting networks of maritime trade involving Jewish merchants, agents, owners of goods and ships in the Adriatic within the Mediterranean context. The result of research on the documents from different collections of the Archivio di Stato di Venezia, Archivio di Stato di Ancona and Archivio di Stato di Fano are over 500 “bills of lading” where Jews were the main actors. From these documents it is possible to map out not only the routes of different merchandise, but to analyze all the types of goods and their provenance, especially from the hinterland. This research shows a picture of connections between the Republic of Venice, the Austrian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, the Republic of Dubrovnik, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, the Papal State, the Kingdom of Naples, and many others. Through these documents it is possible to achieve a completely new insight not only about the goods from the Americas that were imported through London, Amsterdam, Livorno, Ancona, Venice to the Eastern Adriatic coast, but also the export from the East through the Ottoman Empire (Levant and the Balkans), Dalmatian cities toward other European centers. These commercial connections were very intense, bringing not only wealth in goods, but also impulses from different cultures, religions and beliefs in the creation of one communio through the sea without frontiers where differences did not necessarily disappear – but rather they were welcomed. Surprisingly, we found old Jewish family names in new areas, and in new contexts: the Coen and Morpurgo, Jacur, Vitali, Baraffael, Consolo, Amadio, Baroni, Uziel, Bemporad, Cagli, Mondolfo, Sonino, Vivante, and many others, which give us a real picture of the daily life of these families in so many different aspects. They were merchants, agents, captains, owners and parcenevoli, who brought their inventiveness and skills, spiritual life and religion, working and family ethics with them, giving a particular coloring to the Adriatic and the Mediterranean world of the eighteenth century.

Jews, Maritime documents, 18th century, Adriatic, Mediterranean

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