David Jacoby

L'expansion occidentale dans le Levant: Les Vénitiens á acre dans la seconde moitié du treiziéme siécle

This case-study is the first attempt to examine a commercial outpost in the Crusader Levant within the context of the commercial and colonial expansion of its mother-city and in direct relation to its particular features. The Venetian quarter in Acre in the second half of the thirteenth century provided the physical setting for the exercise of authority by the state and a solid base for the expansion of its dominion. The Venetian administration there implemented the strict regulation of commerce and shipping enacted in Venice in this period, including several rules stemming from the particular needs of Acre. Various families of settlers from Venice, nobles as well as popolani, can be traced for several generations; the grant of Venetian status to natives of the Latin kingdom of Jerusalem, Latins oriental Christians, and Jews, enlarged the size of the Venetian population in Acre. The fate of the refugees who escaped from the city in 1291 is the last topic to be examined.

The chrysobull of Alexius I Comnenus to the Venetians: the date and the debate

This article forms a rejoinder to the article on the chrysobull of Alexius I Comnenus published by Thomas F. Madden in the Journal of Medieval History, 28, No. 1 (2002), and discusses problems in the dating of the chrysobull arising out of the textual and palaeographic evidence.

Marco Polo, His Close Relatives, and His Travel Account: Some New Insights

The reliability of Marco Polos famous travel account has been challenged time and again. It is all the more important, therefore, to submit the sparse documentary sources offering direct and incontrovertible evidence about him and his close relatives to a thorough examination. Once these documents are inserted within their contemporary context, they enable a partial reconstruction of the economic activities conducted by two generations of the Polo family before, after, and in connection with the journeys of their members in Asia. They also shed new light upon Marco Polos personality, lifestyle, wealth, and place in Venetian society, and substantially enhance the authenticity of his travel account.

Le sucre: production, commercialisation et usages dans la Méditerranée médiévale

history in their full political, economic and intellectual context. Moreover, while this volume, varied as it is, remains squarely within the confines of the ‘Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies’ discipline, one might have hoped that such a synthesis would also have referred to various world-history themes relevant to the Seljuqs, such as environmental history, conversion, or the nature of Seljuq imperial rule. Lastly, a purely technical reservation: a good bibliography is a must in any ‘state-of-the-art’ compilation, yet the volume contains no such thing, and even the separate chapters, alas, include only notes, not bibliographical references. Despite these quibbles, the book is a welcome and important addition to the growing scholarly literature on the pivotal Seljuq dynasty, and will surely benefit scholars and advanced students alike.