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Giumruch (Advance fees paid by the Dubrovnik Republic to the Ottomans)

There are no references to Jewish people in the series.
Starting in 1521, the Dubrovnik Republic paid customs duties at a flat rate (i.e. in advance) to the Ottomans on behalf of Dubrovnik merchants who traded in the European part of the Ottoman Empire. This customs duty was called giumruch (Turkish: gümrük) and amounted to 100,000 akches (aspers) per year. Special customs officers, so-called giumruchi, would travel around the trading settlements and colonies to collect this duty giumruch. The series consists of books that were kept based on the reports done by these officials and each book contains lists of merchants and the amounts of customs duties these merchants paid, or were obliged to pay, in several ten-year periods of the 16th and the 17th centuries.

Grassia; Grassa (Food supplies)

  • HR-DADU-36
  • Fonds
  • 1500-1590, 1595-1609, 1616, 1622-1625, 1627-1655, 1662-1809

The fonds contains registers of expenses related to the purchase of various types of cereals (sorghum, millet, wheat, barley), as well as the purchase of olive oil, rice, or beans. Some registers in the fonds provide information on the distribution and sale of these food products to the inhabitants of the Republic. Among other documents in the fonds, there are also registers of debtors, and various transcripts of Senate decisions regarding the purchase and delivery of food products. According to the data, domestic and foreign traders would deliver food to the Republic and the authorities of the Republic would then organize the purchase of food abroad (primarily on the Apennine Peninsula and in the Ottoman Empire) as well as its delivery to Dubrovnik. One of the responsibilities of this office was also to provide food to the poor at lower prices, either on loan or even free of charge.


There is very little information about Jews in the fonds. The data in the fonds demonstrate how Jews participated in food procurement and provide information on different ways how they benefited from the services of this office. According to the data, some members of Dubrovnik Jewish families such as Cittanova, Levi Mandolfo and Terni were involved in the acquisition and delivery of food to Dubrovnik in the 18th century. The sons of a renown Dubrovnik merchant Raphael Coen, Aron, Abram and Moshe, distinguished themselves in the process of food acquisition from Ancona. The data show that Dubrovnik Jewish community procured food using the services of this office (e.g., vol. 28, under the letter S).

State office for food supplies of the Dubrovnik Republic

Intentiones Cancellariae; Intentiones de Cancellaria (Court applications submitted to the Chancellery and first depositions in civil litigations)

  • HR-DADU-22
  • Fonds
  • 1380-1383, 1457-1459, 1574-1576, 1568-1569, 1581-1583, 1601-1603, 1605-1815

The fonds contains registers with letters of applications and first statements in civil litigations dating to the 80s of the 14th century, mid-15th century and those dating to the period between the 70s of the 16th century and the beginning of the 19th century, which were first settled by Curia maior and Curia minor, and then by civilian judges (consuls). The data show that in the 13th and 14th centuries, civil and criminal cases were settled by Curia Maior and Curia Minor (for disputes worth up to 5 perpers), two legal bodies that consisted of members of the Minor Council (iudices). The central position in the judicial council until the 15th century was held by the Rector. The Civil Court was established in 1416, and initially there were six judges, and later their number decreased. The most common topics of litigations are found to be disagreements over the payment of rents, rental of real estate, arable land and other land, or disagreements over construction and remodelling, division of property, loans, etc. If it was deemed necessary, the proceedings would continue with a further examination of prosecutors, defendants, and witnesses. The statements in real estate litigations were entered in the Stabilia books (HR-DADU-25), and those related to litigations on movable property were entered in the books Mobilia (HR-DADU-26).


The fonds contains significantly less information about Jews if compared to the records of the Criminal Court. The data of the fonds are important for researching business affairs of Jewish people both in Dubrovnik, and in the Ottoman Empire, as well as in the countries of the Apennine Peninsula. The topic matters of the applications are mostly unpaid debts and trade disputes, or problems with the delivery of trade goods to Dubrovnik and their shipment to Italian ports. The fonds contains some references to Jewish women, widows, and fatherless girls. These women would defend their rights and their property, most usually from other family members such as their male in-laws, in person, or through their guardians (i.e., vol. 60, ff. 90v-91v). The fonds contains data on famous figures from Jewish history such as Isac Ergas, who was the business representative for Gracia Mendes and conducted all her affairs in Dubrovnik, as well as his brother Samuel, and Abraham Coen de Herrera and his brother Jacob Coen de Herrera (i.e., vol. 13, f. 161). The data of the fonds mainly reference to Jews who were living in Dubrovnik and belonged to families Abeatar, Abenun, Abuaff, Almoslino, Altarac, Ambonetti, Arari, Azubi, Bensahen, Campos, Cittanova, Coen, Costantini, Danon, Esperiel, Fermo, Franco, Gaon, Israel, Lanciano, Levi, Levi Mandolfo, Luzzena, Maestro, Miranda, Oef (Ohev), Pappo, Pardo, Penso, Piade, Ribero, Russo, Salama, Saralvo, Sarfatin, Terni, Tobi, Tolentino, Valenzin, Vitali. The fonds could also be important to a certain extent for the reconstruction of the Jewish business network in the Balkans and the Mediterranean since the names of Jewish merchants from Italian and Ottoman cities are occasionally referenced to in the Civil Court proceedings. The members of families like Zonana, or Benvenisti and Galante from Sofia, Maestro and Tobi from Belgrade, or Franco and Pappo from Venice are also referenced in the fonds.

Chancellery of the Dubrovnik Republic

Intentiones navigationis; Intenzioni della Navigazione (Evidentiary proceedings in maritime disputes)

The series contains only two volumes covering the period from 1767 to 1811. The documents in the series relate to evidentiary proceedings based on lawsuits in maritime disputes. Prosecutors presented their allegations through one or more charges, and for each charge they would list a witness or witnesses, who would then be heard. These proceedings were conducted by hearing witnesses (intenzione). The introductory formula of the evidentiary procedure was: Reuben Vita Ambonetti nei nomi come al Libro dei Comandamenti della Navigazione del 1801 f. 28 d'innanzi li Signori Senatori Officiali intende provare gl'infrascritti Capitoli ad ogni buon fine ed effetto ... (vol. 2, f. 163).


In this series there is a smaller number of references to Jews, which could be relevant for the research of their involvement in maritime affairs during the Dubrovnik Republic. The names referenced in the series indicate mostly members of some Ragusan Jewish families such as Ambonetti, Costantini, Levi Mandolfo, Luzzena, Pardo, Volterra. The Jews referenced appear in these documents in multiple roles: as prosecutors, defendants and as witnesses.

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