A guide to the Genoese source material
This dataset is derived from the Average procedures drafted or delivered in Genova from 1590 to 1700. Sample years have been chosen, but new cases are regularly added.
The Republic of Genoa survived and prospered thanks to maritime shipping. Therefore, easy availability of tools to handle maritime risk, such as General Average, were essential to the port of Genoa. Rules on Average procedures were officially codified in the local Civil Statutes (1589). Although in practice, rules and bureaucratic jurisdictions slightly changed over time, the Statutes remained in force until the end of the Republic in 1797. Depending on the period, Average procedures were handled by the calcolatori, the Conservatori del Mare or both, with the Rota Civile approving all calculations and apportioning until the mid-seventeenth century. A full contextualisation of the Average institution and its functioning in Genoa can be found in A. Iodice, ‘Maritime Average and Seaborne Trade in Early Modern Genoa, 1590-1700’, unpublished PhD thesis, University of Exeter, 2021.
The currencies used throughout the dataset are Genoese lire and Spanish pieces of eight. The latter was the money of account in wide use in Genoa during the early modern period. Silver equivalences per year are also given.
Consulting the records
There are three ways to consult the records. The best choice for the novice user is the Map of Ports function, available by clicking “Maps” and then “Map of Ports” on the navigation bar. Using Google Maps functionality, the user can visualise the Averages procedures handled in Genoa from 1590 to 1700. Users can input any year range and select “Republic of Genoa” as the source material. The user can see every port or place touched in the voyages reported to the calcolatori or to the Conservatori del Mare in that period.
The 'Map of Ports' page - click for a larger version
By clicking on the markers, the user can a) see the name of the port/place and how often it was touched, and/or b) click “See more” to see all the voyages involving that port/place. Different coloured markers reflect the different reasons why that place/port was touched during a voyage. A marker may comprise multiple colours (as seen in the image below): this indicates that there are multiple reasons across multiple voyages.
Clicking on a marker - click for a larger version
Clicking 'See more' - click for a larger version
From there, users can consult specific records at their pleasure. Below the map is the “Show” box; users can click “Circles that display the number of times the port was visited during the chosen time period” to perform this function if they wish. Since ports like Genoa were frequently visited, circles are capped at 50 visits to avoid frequently visited ports adversely affecting the map display view.
Clicking the 'Show Circles' checkbox - click for a larger version
Below the map, users can see all those ports whose location is unsure or that, for different reasons, are not shown on the map.
The user can also choose to study the activities of individual masters or vessels, through selecting “Database” and then “Masters” or “Vessels” on the navigation bar. This brings up a page listing every master or vessel who took part in a voyage.
The List of Masters - click for a larger version
By clicking on the name of a master or vessel, users can access individual voyages as they wish, or see all voyages in the database in which the vessel or master is involved.
Clicking on a vessel from the list of Vessels - click for a larger version
Finally, advanced users with specific queries can use the Advanced Search functionality, through selecting “Database” and then “Advanced Search” on the navigation bar. Users should construct their searches with the Query Builder, using the text and choice fields available.
The 'Advanced Search' page - click for a larger version
For help using the advanced search, please see the Advanced Search Guide.
The individual record - click for a larger version
The foundation of the Master and Vessels datasets is the voyage: every Voyage ID record corresponds to a master and a vessel in the Genoese archives. Each Voyage ID record has information in the following tabs.
The individual record 50229 displayed on the 'Voyage' page - click for a larger version
- Vessels. This tab contains all information about the vessel, the shipmaster and the crew. In particular, the most frequently used fields for Genoese sources are those relating to the name of the vessel, its type, its tonnage, the name of the shipmaster and his origin, whether a city or a country.
- Ports Visited. This tab contains a list of all the stops made by the vessel. For each port, the date of arrival and departure is indicated. For each port, the reason for the stop (load cargo, unload cargo, pick up supplies, etc.) and the type of stop (origin, scheduled stop, forced stop, destination, unknown) is also specified.
- Risk. Several assets contribute to the apportionment of a GA damage: the vessel, the freight, the cargo and, in rare cases, the crew's goods. Each type of asset is recorded in a separate table. The values are almost always given in Genoese lire or Spanish pieces of eight. Even when other currencies are used, the exchange rate with the lira is always given in the “from source” section for each cargo item or in the “further information” section. In the case of freights and vessels, part of the value could be “non-contributing”. This information is also given in the template. In the cargo section, merchants’ names are often specified, in addition to quantities and monetary values of the cargo. The risk-total table shows the total risk and the sums of the tables described above.
- Reports. This tab contains all the information related to the shipmaster's report. Apart from the space for the date and the type of report, this section contains the summary of the report and a space for the transcription, along with the data of the witnesses called to validate the shipmaster's statements, their age, their role (as they are often part of the crew) and their city of origin.
- Events. This tab contains data on the unforeseen events that occurred during the voyage. For each event, in addition to the summary and the transcript, a series of key words are given that allow it to be classified in particular categories (storm, strong wind, shipwreck, hostile encounter, etc.).
- Averages. This tab records the data related to the calculation. The first items in this tab show the type of "average", General or Particular Average in the Genoese dataset. There is also a table that automatically calculates the number of days required to complete the procedure from the time the report is deposited in Genoa until the calculation is approved by the relevant magistracy. The list of damages follows. For each item of damage, the amount of expenditure and any explanatory notes are reported. The total awarded table below shows the total damages and/or expenses incurred. The descriptive box shows the contribution rate transcribed, when present, directly from the calculation. The calculation section contains further information about the timeframe for approval of the calculation.
- Documents. This is a miscellaneous section that contains information related to any type of document attached to the procedure other than the report or the calculation. Supplements to previously issued testimonies, legal cases and memoranda, bills of lading and more can be found in this tab. For each additional document, the date of drafting is indicated, along with the name of the document. There is also a space for a summary and a transcript.
- Sources. The last tab contains the archival references to trace the original document within the Genoa State Archives. Documents in Genoa are collected in filze made of separate sheets, not in registers, so it can sometimes be difficult to locate a document. Fortunately, the individual procedures are often numbered in pencil and, in any case, having the database with all the maritime “average” procedures in a single filza, it is easy to go back to the specific document.