Abstract

This article examines the society of the Venetian colony of Tana in the 1430 based on a set of notarial deeds produced in Tana by the Venetian notaries Niccolò di Varsis and Benedetto di Smeritis between 1430 and 1440. Although the describers defining one's high or low social standing were used by the notary sporadically and inconsistently based on the frequencies of mentions of certain people and contacts among them, we can infer that the society of Tana was fairly rigidly ranked. Geographical mobility was high, but apparently there were some families closely linked to the colony, constituting what we may call «domiciled in Tana» or a «permanent population». Parish and network connections were key factors building the social ties. It was a money-oriented, stabile, corporate society serving the interests of commerce.