Saturday, November 24, 2012

A Mediterranean Emporium: The Catalan Kingdom of Majorca by David Abulafia

The Catalan kingdom of Majorca was established under the will of King James I of Aragon, who conquered Majorca in 1229, but it was ruled from 1276 to 1343 by a cadet dynasty. The kingdom included the key business centers of Montpellier and Perpignan, and other lands in what is now southern France. It was home to important Jewish and Muslim communities, and was the focus of immigration from Catalonia, Provence and Italy.

This book emphasizes the major transformations in the trade of the Balearic Islands from the eve of the Catalan conquest to the Black Death, and the effect of the kingdom's creation and demise on the economy of the region.
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Synopsis:
This title offers an account of the trade and commercial life of the medieval Spanish kingdom of Majorca.
Synopsis:
This is the first account of a medieval Spanish kingdom that was of vital importance in the trade of the Mediterranean and beyond. Combining lands in southern France with the Balearic Islands, the Catalan kingdom of Majorca was home to Christian settlers, Jews and Muslims, and enjoyed maritime links as far afield as England and the Canaries.
Synopsis:
The first account of the trade and commercial life of the medieval Spanish kingdom of Majorca.

Table of Contents
Preface; Note on nomenclature; List of the kings of Majorca 1229-1343; Note on the coinage of the kingdom of Majorca; Part I. Unity and Diversity: 1. The Balearic setting; 2. The kingdom and its historians; 3. The constitutional problem; 4. One kingdom, three religions: the Muslims; 5. One kingdom, three religions: the Jews; Part II. The Crossroads of the Mediterranean: 6. The rise of the trade of Mallorca City; 7. Commerce in the age of the vespers; 8. Towards economic integration: the early fourteenth century; 9. The trade of the autonomous kingdom in its last two decades; 10. From the Mediterranean to the Atlantic; 11. The reshaping of Mallorca's economy, 1343-1500; Conclusion; Appendix; Bibliography.