Els Jueus de Barcelona i el comerç marítim amb la Mediterrània oriental

The Jews of Barcelona in the maritime trade with the eastern Mediterranean

The 13th century was the golden age of the Jews who lived in the Christian
kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. Apart from their far-reaching philosopical
and scientific creations, which are not the aim of the present article, it should
be pointed out that their involvement in the economic life of those kingdoms
was of vast proportions. In lending, in tax-collecting, in home and foreign
trade, Jews showed a strength that aroused wonderment and envy.

Towards the close of the 13th century, a remarkable increase in these activities
took place in Catalonia, sparking off the opposition of the new urban class
that dominated Barcelona's Consell de Cent (Council of One Hundred). Even
though some steps were taken with the intention of hindering the activities of
Jewish lenders, their activity continued for a long time, as it was beneficial to a
society that was always in need of ready money. Jews met with success wherever
and whenever the Christian authorities and society required their services and
made a profit on their trading activities. Moreover, they contributed a huge
revenue to the royal treasury.

Further proof that the economic activities of the Jews were only possible if
Christian authorities and societies allowed it is found in the participation of the
Jews in the maritime trade with the eastern Mediterranean. Towards the end of
the 13th and the beginning of the 14th century, Catalan Jewish merchants
tried to win a share in the trade that was being carried out between Barcelona
and Alexandria. This trade developed as the Crown of Catalonia-Aragon expanded
its political and commercial power throughout the Mediterranean basin.
The attempt had a fair chance of being successful. Jews had the capital, the
contacts, the skill and the will to succeed in their endeavours. But the enterprise
failed. One of the main obstacles that the Jewish initiative ran up against
was the emergence of a new middle class that viewed maritime trade as an allimportant
way to develop and to strengthen its social status. This early middle
class, typical of Catalonia, was probably an essential factor in the creation of the
infrastructure necessary for the growth of commercial activities that ran parallel
to, or rather sustained, the political expansion of the country. Catalan merchants
established commercial settlements (called Consulats de mar, Sea Consulates')
in the main towns of the Levant, both in Moslem and in Christian countries Egypt, Cyprus, Greece, Syria, and even the Crimean Peninsula.
There was no reason why they should share with the Jews the profit they expected
to make on that ramified trade... Town councils repeatedly voiced their
hostility towards these Jewish merchants, because they were seen as dangerous
competitors.

The article gives an overall picture of the Catalan politico-commercial expansion
towards the eastern Mediterranean, the role played by the Jews in the
development of that maritime trade, the commercial methods prevailing in the
13th century, the sea-lanes to the Levant, the difficulties put in the way of the
Jews in this sector, the financing and capitalization systems, the taxes, the
goods that were the object of the trade, and the various kinds of trading companies
that were in existence at that time.

From this chapter of the history of the Jews in the Crown of Catalonia-
Aragon, one cannot but draw a conclusion of considerable historical scope. In
spite of the fact that Jews were always harshly criticized as moneylenders and
subjected to many restrictions, they filled a gap and therefore their activities
never stopped. Christians did not succeed in creating a substitute for the Jewish
moneylender.

However, what happened in the maritime trade with Moslem countries was
quite the contrary. Thanks to the skills of the Jews and to their being wellconnected
merchants, their participation in such a trade was initially possible.
But as soon as Christians became aware of the possibility of holding sway over
that trade without having to resort to the Jewish merchants and without having
to share the profits with them, that participation was not only curbed but
stopped altogether.