Gazaria (also Cassaria, Cacsarea, and Gasaria) was the name given to the colonial possessions of the Republic of Genoa in Crimea and around the Black Sea coasts in the territories of the modern regions of Russia, Ukraine and Romania, from the mid-13th century to the late 15th century. The Genoese rule was represented by the Consul, and the capital of the Gazaria was the city of Kaffa (present-day Feodosia) in the Crimean peninsula. The name ''Gazaria'' derives from Khazaria, though the Khazars had ceased to rule over the area well before the Genoese arrived.

History

The political premise of the establishment of the Gazaria colonies had been the Treaty of Nymphaeum of 1261, with which the Emperor of Nicaea granted the Genoese the exclusive right to trade in the "Mare Maius" ( Black Sea). Consequently, in 1266, Caffa was granted to the Genoese, which became the capital of the dominions of Gazaria. In 1308, the Mongols of the Golden Horde, commanded by the

khan Khan may refer to: *Khan (inn), from Persian, a caravanserai or resting-place for a travelling caravan *Khan (surname), including a list of people with the name *Khan (title), a royal title for a ruler in Mongol and Turkic languages and used by ...

Toqta, conquered Caffa after a lengthy siege. Five years later, the Genoese managed to regain their colony from Toqtai's successor,

Öz Beg Khan Öz is a Turkish surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Doğan Öz (1934–1978), Turkish prosecutor assassinated during his investigation of the Turkish deep state. * Emanuel Öz (born 1979), Swedish politician * Mehmet Öz Meh ...

. In 1313, having regained possession of the city, the Republic organized the administration of the colony in a more structured way. Legislative power was attributed to the "''Officium Gazarie"'', made up of eight magistrates who remained in office for six months and appointed their successors. Executive power was entrusted to the Consul of Caffa, serving for one year, assisted by a scribe or chancellor, both appointed by the Genoese government. The elected council of 24 members, also serving for one year, was made up of half nobles and half merchants or artisans. Of the latter, four could be local inhabitants who had obtained Genoese citizenship. Finally, the council elected a restricted council of six members external to the council of 24. The other cities of the colony had similar administrations, subordinate to that of Caffa. In 1341, the laws in force in the Genoese Gazaria were collected in the "''Liber Gazarie"'', now kept in the State Archives of Genoa. The collection was subsequently updated in 1441 with the name of "''Statuta Gazarie".'' In 1347, the Golden Horde, this time led by Jani Beg, again besieged Caffa. An anonymous chronicle tells that the besiegers would launch corpses of the dead defenders inside the city walls with catapults. These defenders had died of a disease that was spreading from the East, the

Black Death The Black Death (also known as the Pestilence, the Great Mortality or the Plague) was a bubonic plague pandemic occurring in Western Eurasia and North Africa from 1346 to 1353. It is the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history, causi ...

. The inhabitants of Caffa would throw the bodies into the sea as soon as they could, but the plague spread regardless. Once in Caffa, the plague was introduced into the vast commercial network of the Genoese, which extended throughout the Mediterranean. On board the commercial ships that departed from Caffa in the autumn of 1347, the plague reached Constantinople, the first European city infected, and later arrived in

Messina Messina (, also , ) is a harbour city and the capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of more than 219,000 inhabitants in ...

and spread throughout Europe. Gazaria's tax revenues had been assigned to the "''compera di Gazaria''", the association of state creditors that had advanced the expenses for the defense of the colony. In fact, the "''compera''" belonged to the Bank of Saint George, which therefore managed the taxation of Gazaria. After the

Fall of Constantinople The Fall of Constantinople, also known as the Conquest of Constantinople, was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Empire. The city fell on 29 May 1453 as part of the culmination of a 53-day siege which had begun o ...

in 1453, the Republic ceded the sovereignty over Gazaria to the Bank of Saint George, believing that it was the only entity capable of organizing resistance against the Turks. However, these domains were conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1474.

Colonies

Crimea

* Caffa * Cembalo * Soldaia * Vosporo * Sarsona * Capitanatu Gotia (territory of

Theodoro The Principality of Theodoro ( el, Αὐθεντία πόλεως Θεοδωροῦς καὶ παραθαλασσίας), also known as Gothia ( el, Γοτθία) or the Principality of Theodoro-Mangup, was a Greek principality in the southern p ...

)

West Black Sea

Aside of Crimea, Genoa possessed several castles on the western coast of Black Sea such as the castle of Maurocastro ( Bilhorod-Dnistrovsky) in the estuary of Dniester, the castle of Ginestra near

Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...

, the castle of Licostomo ( Kiliya), the colony of Costanza (

Constanța Constanța (, ; ; rup, Custantsa; bg, Кюстенджа, Kyustendzha, or bg, Констанца, Konstantsa, label=none; el, Κωνστάντζα, Kōnstántza, or el, Κωνστάντια, Kōnstántia, label=none; tr, Köstence), histo ...

) and the colony of Caladda (

Galați Galați (, , ; also known by other alternative names) is the capital city of Galați County in the historical region of Western Moldavia, in eastern Romania. Galați is a port town on the Danube River. It has been the only port for the most par ...

Taman peninsula and Tanais

* Tana ( Azov) * Matrega ( Tmutarakan) * Copa (

Slavyansk-na-Kubani Slavyansk-on-Kuban (russian: Славянск-на-Куба́ни) is a town in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, located in the Kuban River delta. Population: 56,000 (1975). History Slavyansk originated in the Middle Ages as ''Copa'' or ''Copari ...

) * Mapa ( Anapa) * Batario (

Novorossiysk Novorossiysk ( rus, Новоросси́йск, p=nəvərɐˈsʲijsk; ady, ЦIэмэз, translit=Chəməz, p=t͡sʼɜmɜz) is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. It is one of the largest ports on the Black Sea. It is one of the few cities hono ...

) * Costa and Layso (

Sochi Sochi ( rus, Со́чи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg) is the largest resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi River, along the Black Sea in Southern Russia, with a population of 466,078 residents, up to 600,000 residents in ...

)

Abkhazia

* Chacari ( Gagra) * Santa Sophia (

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) * Pesonqa ( Pitsunda) * Cavo di Buxo ( Gudauta) * Niocoxia ( New Athos) * Sebastopolis ( Sukhumi) * Lo Bati ( Batumi)

References

External links

* Elena A. Yarovaya
''The Heraldry of the Genoese Crimea.'' The State Hermitage. SPb., 2010. 208 p.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gazaria (Genoese Colonies) Medieval Crimea Genoese colonies States and territories established in the 1260s Territories of the Republic of Genoa Political history of Crimea