MEDIEVAL MERCHANTS ON THE ROUTE BETWEEN THE DALMATIAN (RAGUSAN) LITTORAL AND THE CITIES ON THE SOUTHERN HUNGARIAN BORDER: IMPACT OF TRADE ON MOVEMENT

Abstract

The inhabitants of Dubrovnik played an important role in the development of long-distance trade not only in the Balkans, but in other places as well. The cities along the southern Hungarian border were also within the scope of Dubrovnik’s merchants, and thanks to their activities in this area, trade flourished between the Dubrovnik (Ragusan) littoral and the lower Sava and Danube regions. From the fourteenth century onwards, these merchants played a crucial role in the development of trade in these areas and most trade was conducted through them. They supplied the cities along the lower Sava and the Danube Rivers with a variety of goods, but most often dealt in cloth. This was particularly apparent during the Despotate, when Belgrade and Smederevo were developed cities full of wealthy nobles who dressed in fine fabrics imported from Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik’s merchants long dominated trade in these areas. However, the arrival of the Ottomans and the wars they waged in the lower Sava and Danube regions often caused considerable damage to their commercial endeavors.

Keywords

• Dubrovnik’s merchants, trade, Sava and Danube regions, cloth, Middle Ages