A Mamluk-Venetian Memorandum on Asian Trade, AD 1503

Abstract

This article presents and discusses a source of unique importance for our knowledge of early modern global exchanges. Produced in 1503 by the Egyptian administration and found among the records of a Venetian company with global commercial interests, the document records hitherto unknown connections between the Arabian Peninsula, the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, followed by cargo figures. By sending the Memorandum to the head office in Venice, the Company's agents in Egypt were labouring to solve the most important concern of Venice's information network, that of coordinating Indian with Mediterranean trading seasons. By analysing the document's context, namely, a company involved in the export of central European metals to Asia, this article focuses on the capacity of its agents to gather information through collaboration, networking and ultimately, friendship with Muslim partners and informers. The story of the 1503 Memorandum and its transmission raises questions about the mixed networks underpinning global exchanges, the role of information and the drive of the late Mamluk sultanate into the world of the Indian Ocean.

Venice's Economic Diplomacy: Timeless Lessons for Contemporary Global Challenges

“…Venetian merchants actively participated in trade fairs and markets in the Islamic world. This collaboration with Islamic merchants allowed for the exchange of goods, cultural influences, and economic opportunities (Apellaniz, 2022;Shehada, 2020). The city had economic ties with the Hanseatic League, a powerful commercial and defensive confederation of merchants in Northern Europe.…”