Original scientific paper

Dubrovnik Tradespeople in Smederevo During the Osmanlis’ Era

Bogumil Hrabak

Abstract

Formerly Smederevo was the capital of Serbian Despotism. Having fallen into the Osmanlis' hands (1439) it became a military and administrative centre of North Serbia. After the Turks
had conquered Belgrade, Smederevo was an important traffic centre for connections with Banat, Erdelj and Vlaška. Owing to the Constantinople Road Smederevo was connected with the interior of the Balkan Peninsula. In the demographic sense as well as concerning the development of the city economy, Smederevo shows unequal growth; beside periods of progress, there were those of stagnation, too. This development was fully accompanied
by the spread of the Dubrovnik colony in the city.
The number of Dubrovnik independent tradespeople (with a firm) was as follows: in the fifties of the 15th century there were 15; in the seventies 3; in the eighties 2; in the nineties 17; 1500—1509 there were 26; in the twenties 25; in the thirties 15; in the forties 19; in the fifties 18; in the sixties 13; in the seventies 19; in the eighties 10; in the nineties 6 and 1600—1606 only 3. After 1606 there were no Dubrovnik people living in the city, but those staying in Belgrade used to have their houses in Smederevo to escape plagues and disorders in Belgrade.
Dubrovnik merchants could take merchandise on credit in their native city. This was very important for their business success in Smederevo. The author pays a particula attention to this fact. As in other Balkan centres of those times, Dubrovnik merchants were a connection between a local place from where they exported various sorts of raw skins, wax and corn and the West from where they imported various manufactured goods (woolen and silk textiles, metal products, etc.).
As a representative of commercial usurer capital, Dubrovnik commerce exploited consumers of less developed Ottoman regions through difference in prices of exported and imported products. On the other side Dubrovnik commerce stimulated the production and contributed to the economic strengthening of agricultural producers. Dubrovnik craftsmen brought into Smederevo more perfect tools and better methods of production and work organization.

Keywords

Dubrovnik; Smederevo

Hrčak ID:

244674

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/244674

Publication date:

30.6.1979.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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