The Growth of an Eastern Mediterranean Subsystem: Economics during the Crusades

• Other Authors: Beaver, Kimberly (authoraut)
• Format: Others
• Language: English; English
• Published: Florida State University
• Subjects: History
• Online Access: http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_migr_etd-8694

After the rapid expansion of Islam in the seventh and eighth centuries, the eastern Mediterranean region was fairly homogenous in terms of economics. Muslims merchants dominated the region, which contained only minority populations of other religions, which had their own moderate levels of success in economic ventures. The advent of the Crusades in 1096 CE, however, disrupted trade and threatened Muslim control of these profitable trade routes. Suddenly, European Christians began living and trading in what had long been a Muslim dominated area. With their very presence, these merchants changed the way that trade was conducted within the Eastern Mediterranean and the physical landscape of the area. As larger numbers of European merchants travelled to the Crusader States, the economic landscape of the eastern Mediterranean began to evolve into its own subsystem within the larger Mediterranean context. Through their involvement in creating new trading networks, building up particular coastal trading cities, and redefining the very process of trade, the European and Middle Eastern merchants in the region created this new subsystem within the Mediterranean. === A Thesis submitted to the Department of History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. === Fall Semester, 2013. === July 18, 2013. === Crusader States, Crusades, Medieval economics, Medieval Italy === Includes bibliographical references. === Peter Garretson, Professor Directing Thesis; Will Hanley, Committee Member; Adam Gaiser, Committee Member.