The Near Shore: European Mercenaries, Merchant, and Monks in the Maghreb

I'm still doing the research called "The Quest for the River of Gold". It focuses on the European search for the origin of West African gold in the Late Middle Ages and the Age of Discoveries. In my view, we have to realize why on earth European explorers would take pains to approach this part of the earth. 

The research will cover four or five steps. The first of them is dubbed 'The Near Shore'. That is, near to southern Europe. Despite all religious antagonism of the Middle Ages, cross-cultural trade across the Mediterranean gained momentum even during the Age of the Crusades. West African gold enabled Italian economies, e.g. Genoa, Florence, and Venice, to mint gold coins and decorated European palaces and churches. 

The first section describes European 'funduks' located in North African ports where western merchants were allowed to dwell and trade. They were permitted to install amenities to make their lifestyle inside as close to home as possible. For example, wine and swine were consumed at the premises while utterly forbidden in the rest parts of Muslim cities. 

European mercenaries crossed the lines and defended Muslim regimes. To accommodate warriors and their families, Berber rulers had to set up Christian quarters in their key cities and even allowed to erect churches though without bell-ringing. 

The Roman curia sent monks to supervise the religious allegiance of  the Christian population. Some of the friars acquired a good command of Arabic and made efforts to proselytize Muslims, which led to a confrontation with the local authorities and wild mobs. 

The next step in my study refers to the Trans-Saharan trade which fed the Mediterranean and Atlantic port cities through which gold and other commodities made their way to European markets. I need to collect the material which will take plenty of time. Something tells me that I'm on the right track.

You may read the first three chapters of my third project at https://independent.academia.edu/BaizermanMichael

'How Wide Spans the Ocean Sea', 'Beyond the Pillars of Hercules', and 'The Rediscovered Islands'. 

I'm finishing the historical seminar about ancient Rome which will release time to pursue my other project about the social inequality in Mesopotamia in the Late Chalcolithic period. There, I am still gathering data. This topic concerns the reappraisal of my first project about the urban history of ancient Mesopotamia, the time of Sumer and Akkad. See my first book, "Dawn and Sunset: A Tale of the Oldest Cities in the Near East".