50 | The Genoese of Pera in the Fifteenth Century
of the Genoese, Pera was their birthplace and hometown. Moreover, during this
time Genoa was full of internal quarrels, and returning to the patria, their home-
land, did not present a better option for many. Therefore, some of those who had
fled to Chios and other nearby places during the conquest returned to Pera when
they heard that Mehmed II would restore their houses and properties. The eco-
nomic power of the Genoese played an important role in their reception and per-
ception by the Ottoman authorities just after the conquest. Those Genoese, who
remained in Pera continued their activities and daily life without much disrup-
tion. The nota ria l docu ments of Pera f rom 1453 to 1490 a lso g ive t his impression,
while showing traces of slight changes such as frequent acts of manumission of
slaves just after the conquest. The Genoese community soon adapted itself to the
changes and continued to play a part in the life of Pera, now Galata.
This could also be seen in the notarial act of August 8, 1453, made in the
house of Giovanni de Mari where the ex-podestà Angelo Giovanni Lomellino
was staying. According to the ahidname, the office of podestà was no longer
recognized; thus, with this notarial act the leading members of the community,
including Tommaso Spinola, appointed Bartolomeo Gentile and Cassano Sal-
vago as the procurators of the community. Their duties were to regulate financial
issues and protect the interests and rights of the Genoese of Pera. Moreover, Pi-
etro di Gravaga was elected the new head of the community (protogerus) by the
baili of Pera, of which Tommaso Spinola was a member. These actions show that
official ties with Genoa were almost cut off and the leading members of the com-
munity took control. In this adaptation process, Tommaso Spinola helped shape
the future of the Genoese community under Ottoman rule.
After the conquest, there was not much change in the settlement pattern of
the Genoese in Pera. The Draperio family continued to live in the quarter named
after it. The Ottoman survey of 1455, which gives information on the population,
streets, and economic situation of the city just after the conquest, provides the
names of non-Muslims and their place of residence in Galata. There we can see
that the contrade of Draperio remained and was called the quarter of Drapoza.
The postconquest notarial documents do not have any act for, about, or including
members of the Draperio family. The only occurrence of this name is at the end
of an act written August 17, 1453, in Pera, which says that it was written in front
of the house of Francesco Draperio and his son-in-law Tommaso Spinola. This
act, which was written just a few months after the conquest, shows us that Dra-
perio’s house was a landmark in Pera. Moreover, in one of the representations
of Constantinople from circa 1457 or 1458, included in the Liber Insularum Archi-
pelogi by Cristoforo Buondelmonti, the house of Francesco Draperio is specifi-
cally indicated, which implies that it continued to be a landmark under Ottoman
rule (figure 3.2). By 1479 and 1480 notarial acts show that the house was no longer
called the house of Francesco Draperio but only the former house of Tommaso