This is a collection of additional documents—beyond sales, leasing, insurance, and manumission contracts—relating to enslaved men and women enacted in the late medieval and early modern Mediterranean.
This contract is the ratification of a sale of an enslaved baptized Muslim child named Caterina, who is apprimately 14 years of age, by the slaveholder named Girolamo Doria, to a certain Antonio Rebuffo. Giacomo was absent during the transaction and was represented by a certain Pietro Pinelli, who served as his procurator. The spouse of Girolamo named Barbagina Doria, provides letters from Seville that authorize the sale.
The slaveholder and priest named Girolamo de Camulio, who is the Archbishop of Chios, cedes the rights of a formerly enslaved Jewish child, now baptized, named Simona, who is between 13 and 14 years of age, to a silk merchant named Giovanni Battista Pichenotto, for 15 Genoese ducats. The formerly enslaved Simona had been redeemed three years early from the slaveholder named Matteo de Montenegro for 16½ ducats. The contract mentions that Simona had been enslaved along with her brother and father and that she was formerly Jewish and now a Christian. Giovanni Battista was absent during the transaction and was represented by his son Lazzaro Pichenotto. It also mentions that Girolamo had tended to her care through a period of illness and that he had to leave the city of Genoa. The contract was extracted.
The formerly enslaved Greek woman named Elena enters into the service a certain Francesco Lomellini for a term of ten years. The enslaved Elena had previously been manumitted by a certain Niccolò Piccaluga with an agreement that she serve a certain Antonio de Natino for a term of fifteen years (in a contract enacted on 26 February of the same year) as a condition of manumission. This contract represents an instance of a sublease, for which Niccolò and Antonio are present and give their consent, and for which Francesco pays Antonio the sum of 71 Genoese lire. The remaining five years on the contract are remitted in favour of Elena. Elena is present during the enactment and is represented by the enacting notary Antonio Pistarino.
The slaveholder named Tommaso de Franchi receives restitution in income from shares in the Casa di San Giorgio valued at 300 Genoese lire from a certain Cristiano Promontorio for the purchase of the enslaved Ottoman woman named Maddalena, whom he had recieved from Cristiano one month earlier. The earlier sale contained a condition that allowed Tommaso to return to the enslaved Maddalena within two months of the transaction if her service was unacceptable to him or his family.
This contract states that the sale enacted immediately before of an enslaved woman named Caterina by the slaveholder Federico Cicala to a man from Biscay named Pedro de Deva, for 150 Genoese lire, is a ficitonal sale and that the enslaved Caterina has been consigned by Federico to Pedro to sell outside of Genoa. Pedro promises to pay Federico the price obtained by the future sale of the enslaved Caterina, minus any expenses.
The formerly enslaved Maria, who had been held by a certain Accellino Spinola, agrees to work as a household servant for a certain Valerano Cattaneo for a term of 6 years and for a salary of 60 Genoese lire. The salary is paid by both Valerano and Accellino. The contract takes the form and title of the contract for the lease of enslaved persons, illustrating the close links between the two forms.
The slaveholder and silk merchant named Lodisio Paxerio promises to assume any financial obligations related to the manumission tax on an enslaved Tatar woman named Brigida, whom he had just leased with a promise of manumission to the Milanese merchants Biaggio and Melchiorre de Gradis.
The slaveholder and merchant from Milan named Matteo de Nigris manumits an enslaved Russian woman named Maddaleana, who is approximately 24 years of age. The contract notes that Maddalena was already required to serve Gherardo de Brevei for a period six years, beginning 1 April of the current year, by a lease contract enacted on 20 May 1452. Matteo retains the right of patronage. The contract was extracted.
The slaveholder named Ambrogio Garretto manumits an enslaved Russian woman named Maddalena, who is approximately 24 years of age. The enslaved Maddalena had been leased to the earlier the same day to a certain Domenigina de Finario, for a term of 7 years and a total payment of 90 Genoese lire. The manumission is granted once the seven year term is complete. The contract was twice extracted.
The Officium mercantie, on the advice of the physicians Andrea Torre and Francesco Costaccio, declares that an enslaved Circassian woman named Caterina, who had been sold by the notary Giovanni de Clavaro on behalf of the slaveholder Pantaleone de Dona, to the notary Giovanni Brignole, must be returned because of health issues. The enslaved Caterina slave was suffering from a tapeworm (tiniam) and a lack of menstruation.
This describes a debt of 25 Venetian ducats that Giorgio Rovello and Exportuno de Rocha owe to Frederico Grimaldi for the partial payment related to the manumission of an enslaved man named Giacomo, who had been manumitted in November 1460 by Napoleone Lomellini.
The slaveholder and bishop of Chios named Antonio Pallavicini manumits an enslaved Tatar man named Martino under the condition that he serves the bishop for an additional term of one year. Antonio retains the right of patronage.
This is an amendment to the manumission contract enacted on 11 October 1450 in which Antonio Pallavicini specifies that patronage rights related to the formerly enslaved Martino are also held by his brothers Francesco and Niccolò Pallavicini, as well as his mother Chiara.
The enslaved Elena agrees to serve the slaveholder and paper-maker Basilio Axinela for a term of eight years. Basilio promises to manumit Elena after the term of service. The enslaved Elena also promises not to work as a servant for Girolamo Lercari or his household.
The slaveholder and paper-maker named Basilio Axinello transfers an enslaved woman named Elena to a certain Girolamo Lercari as the satisfaction for a debt of 150 Genoese lire which Basilio owes Girolamo and which was recorded in a debt instrument enacted on 10 October 1430. The contract states that the enslaved Elena would be restored to Basilio upon repayment of the sum and that Girolamo would have the right to purchase Elena for the same amount within one year after she was returned. If Basilio refused the resale then Girolamo is bound to immediately manumit the enslaved Elena.
The slavedholder Lionetta de Marini purchases an enslaved Abkhazan woman named Maddalena, who is approximately 25 years of age, through a public auction for 180 Genoese lire. The enslaved Maddalena was sold as part of the estate of the deceased Raffaele Lomellini, the spouse of Lionetta. Lionetta was absent at the auction and represented by Ambrogio Lomellini, who served as her procurator, and it seems that she wanted to retain the service of Maddalena.
This contract is the ratification of the sale of an enslaved Tatar child named Giorgino, who is approximately 15 years of age, to a laywer named Andrea de Benigassio, for 96 Genoese lire. The enslaved Giorgino had been held by the deceased Giacomo de Rocha and was part of his goods, which were curated and held by a certain Cristoforo de Gambaro, and subsequently sold at a public auction on 12 November 1440, which was overseen by a certain Agostino de Anfonellis. Antonio de Rocha and the notary Niccolò Garumbero act as guarantors for the transaction. Antonio de Rocha is also named the curator of the heirs of Bannina de Oliva, the deceased wife of Giacomo de Rocha, who problably have an arrangement to receive the proceeds of the sale.
The slaveholder named Bartolomeo Portinario manumits and enslaved Abkhazan woman named Lucia, who is approximately 30 years of age, with the condition that she works as a household servant for Bartolomeo for the subsequent eight years. Lucia was absent during the manumission and was represented by the enacting notary Branca Bagnara. The contract was extracted.
The slaveholder from Mallorca named Guillermo de Puris returns an enslaved Russian woman named Maddalena, who is approximately 30 years of age, to a certain Violante Calcine and receives back the 110 Genoese lire he had paid Violante. The contract refers to the earlier sale that allowed the buyer to return the enslaved Maddalena within 24 hours should she be discovered as suffering from any infirmity. The buyer claims that Maddalena was not healthy but provides not additional details.
This contract represents the ratification of the sale of an enslaved Circassian woman named Agenese, who is approximately 35 years of age, made by Merualdo Vivaldi to a certain Luca Gentile, for 125 Genoese lire, in a contract enacted of 1 February of the same year. Merualdo acknowledges having received 125 Genoese lire from Luca in several payments.
The slaveholder named Lodisio Antonio Cattaneo acknowledges the receipt of 8 Genoese lire to cover the expsenses of the impregnation of an enslaved woman named Lucia, who was serving in his household, by a merchant named Giovanni Asterio. The sum of 8 lire includes 3 lire to pay for insurance against the risk of death through childbirth with the remaining 5 lire to pay for the expected costs of childbirth. Giovanni is absent during the transaction and is represented by a cooper from Albenga named Bartolomeo de Varcio who makes the payment of 8 lire. Bartolomeo also agrees to take the child into his care upon birth, covering all expenses related to the child's upbringing and ensuring Lodisius does not incur any costs.
The cloth-weaver named Bernardo de Albino promises to never again have sexual relations with an enslaved woman named Agnexia, who is being held by the silk merchant named Girolamo Bestagno. Bernardo acknowledges that he had previously twice impregnated Agnexia. The contract stipulates that he must pay a fine of 25 Genoese lire to Girolamo should he break the promise.
This contract relates the escape of an enslaved Russian named Giorgio, who is approximately 22 years of age, from the slaveholder Giuliano Colombano, and who had taken refuge with the bishop of Tortosa.
An inventory of goods of the slaveholder named Francesco Adorno which lists an enslaved Tatar woman named Margarita, who is approximately 27 years of age.
The enslaved Tatar woman named Cristiana acknowledges the breach of her conditional manumission. She had agreed to serve the slaveholder Raimondo Bisaccia and his son for a term of eight years as described in a contract enacted by Gregorio de Labaino. The enslaved Cristiana confessed before the Genoese magistrate to sexual activity ('inhonesta') with a certain Giuliano de Insula from whom she had became pregnant. This was considred a breach of the conditional manumission period and as such, Cristiana renounced the manumision and entered back into the status of an enslaved person.
