Frontiera di libertà. I negoziati di Venezia con Abū Faris per il riscatto di captivi veneziani a Béjaïa (1397-1425)

Abstract

The present paper will analyse the diplomatic negotiations between the Republic of Venice and the Hafside Emirate during the reign of Abū Faris (1394-1434), in particular those aimed at the release of Venetian captives. The documentation will be read as a case study of the wider and more complex ransoming activity promoted by Venice in the Mediterranean frontier between the 14th and the 15th century. This kind of practice, which was one of the different aspects of the chamaleonic diplomacy of the Republic during the late Middle Ages, has to be placed in a specific context. On one side, the religious orders which dedicated their mission to the ransom of captives, such as the Trinitarian one, were not present in the Venetian territory at that time. On the other hand, Venice instituzionalized the ransoming activity only during the Modern era, when were created special offices aimed at the release of the prisoners.