Original scientific paper
Credit-Trade Connections between Dubrovnik and Foca in the Middle Ages
Pavo Živković
; Department of History, University of Zadar, Zadar, Croatia
Abstract
The paper deals with the depiction of Foca as a trade and caravan center in the Middle Ages, particularly through the rich, recorded in the sources of Dubrovnik's notary, and beyond. The crucial importance of Foca's development was the fact that the place was situated on a very important road which led from Dubrovnik inside the country, or the spot where the roadways were separating for Bosnia and Serbia through Drina valley, or to central Bosnia, where were rich mines and important squares.
Foca, although it wasn't a mining center, had a great number of traders of different profiles, which were primarily upon thanks to Dubrovnik and it' s credit-trade connections with Bosnia and Foca. In archival sources were mentioned about 80 different persons involved in transactions. Some of the most commercial families are: Crijepovic, Dubijevic, Narticic, Tvrdisalic, Miomanovic, Brajkovic, Novakovic, Radmilovic, Miroskovic, Veselkovic Gojcic and many others.
In a special way is important a role of the people who took the place in a trade business, but also, in the same time, were performing an important diplomatic jobs for family Kosaca. Some of Foca's traders, thanks to mediatory roles for Dubrovnik and house of Kosaca, especially during the negotiations over the sale of Konavle and during the Konavle's war, gained a great reputation and merits in Dubrovnik. Also, sometimes they were elected for Dubrovnik citizens, and even a piece of land in purchased Konavle sometimes was allocated for them. It's not a rare case that some of local people from Foca were decorated with relevant degrees, such as: knight, squire, duke, protovestijar and similar. One part of them was literate and that fact made easier business contacts with Dubrovnik to them. Some of them were a tax collectors who could on that way become even better involved in the credit-trading business with Dubrovnik, and further with dealers overseas Italian cities. Through them in Foca penetrate more coastal, western European influences, whether it comes to clothing, housing, daily life or business
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
105174
URI
Publication date:
8.7.2013.
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