the golden horde and the black sea 183
the office was endowed with all powers necessary to address the whole
array of Black Sea problems and resolve them in the Genoese interest,152
and obviously concentrated in the first instance on relations with the
Mongols,153 and on rebuilding caffa as quickly as possible.154 the repub-
lic took this interventionist step in 1316 since only it had the necessary
state power to speedily collect the funds needed for such an ambitious
investment, which was declared to be in the commonwealth’s interest.155
the usual terms and conditions for frontier town incomes were applied
to caffa, and additionally the most important provision, that all ships sail-
ing east beyond the town were obliged to put in there, on their outward
and return journey, and to pay the port authorities the anchorage fee.156
the consul levied various fines, which were likewise earmarked for the
general budget allocated to rebuilding the fortifications, the public build-
ings, roads, streets and port facilities.157 private persons also took part in
the fast-paced and uniform development of the town: a private individual
who bought a plot of land from the Genoese authorities, who owned and
administered the urban fabric, was obliged to build upon it in a year and
a half at most from the date of purchase, which was not considered actu-
ally feasible.158
the set of measures which the office of the Gazaria took in 1316 resulted
in a building boom, and left caffa in excellent shape. By the mid-four-
teenth century, it was noted as a rich and beautiful fortified city with vast
lands around.159 an eye-witness source some two decades later praises
152 the preamble to the statutes defines its field of competence: Super factis maris maio-
ris et Gazarie et Persie et navigandi ultra Sciciliam [= Sicily] (Sauli, “Imposicio,” col. 309,
forcheri, Navi, p. 7).
153 Spurred by the worrying news that homines Ianue esse ad presens inordinatos ualde
ac paratos ad commitenda talia vel deteriora quam hinc retro comiserint, the republic
took on the responsibility, via its newly-appointed council, of curbing those actions of its
subjects which might imperil friendly relations with Özbek (Sauli, “Imposicio,” col. 305,
forcheri, Navi, p. 10).
154 forcheri, Navi, p. 19: ut [caffa] cicius et volocius rehedificetur.
155 Pro bono utilitate et securitate mercatorum ire et uti debencium in Mare Maiori
(ibid.).
156 Ibid., Sauli, “Imposicio,” columns 378–379.
157 Ibid., heyd, Histoire, II, p. 171. caffa was planned using the widespread medieval
model of concentric rings, and divided into three zones: the citadel (castrum), the town
(civitas) and the periphery. on the successive stages of building the defensive works, see
Balard, Romanie, I, pp. 101–115.
158 Ibid.; on the cityscape’s development and fortification systems in the fourteenth
century, see Balard, Romanie, I, pp. 202 ff.
159 Gregoras/Schopen, II, p. 19, Balard, Romanie, I, p. 205.