Abstract

The Eastern Mediterranean (Levant) was at the heart of the medieval commercial network, and the slave trade was one of the most significant aspects of that trade in the thirteenth century CE (seventh century AH). This study discusses the formation of slave-trade networks in the region, the effects of the Fourth Crusade (1204 CE), Mongol invasion, the Mamluk Sultanate in Egypt and the trading activities of the Italian maritime city-states. The research is conducted by a historical-analytical method, aimed at tracing the changes in the political and economic situation that affected the trade networks in the region based on primary and secondary historical sources. The results of the study suggest that Mongol expansion, Mamluk consolidation and Italian business interests made the slave trade into a major economic enterprise, that shaped the Mediterranean commerce, the course of the Crusades, and the political and trade relations between the city-states of Italy and the Islamic world. Its significance for the economic and political history of the Eastern Mediterranean in the thirteenth century is stressed.

Keywords

Crusades Levant Mediterranean Mongols Slavery