The Captive Sea: Slavery, Communication, and Commerce in Early Modern Spain and the Mediterranean

by Daniel Hershenzon

In The Captive Sea, Daniel Hershenzon explores the entangled histories of Muslim and Christian captives—and, by extension, of the Spanish Empire, Ottoman Algiers, and Morocco—in the seventeenth century to argue that piracy, captivity, and redemption helped shape the Mediterranean as an integrated region at the social, political, and economic levels. Despite their confessional differences, the lives of captives and captors alike were connected in a political economy of ransom and communication networks shaped by Spanish, Ottoman, and Moroccan rulers; ecclesiastic institutions; Jewish, Muslim, and Christian intermediaries; and the captives themselves, as well as their kin.Hershenzon offers both a comprehensive analysis of competing projects for maritime dominance and a granular investigation of how individual lives were tragically upended by these agendas. He takes a close look at the tightly connected and ultimately failed attempts to ransom an Algerian Muslim girl sold into slavery in Livorno in 1608; the son of a Spanish marquis enslaved by pirates in Algiers and brought to Istanbul, where he converted to Islam; three Spanish Trinitarian friars detained in Algiers on the brink of their departure for Spain in the company of Christians they had redeemed; and a high-ranking Ottoman official from Alexandria, captured in 1613 by the Sicilian squadron of Spain.Examining the circulation of bodies, currency, and information in the contested Mediterranean, Hershenzon concludes that the practice of ransoming captives, a procedure meant to separate Christians from Muslims, had the unintended consequence of tightly binding Iberia to the Maghrib.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

304 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 1, 2018

Reviews

[Teri · Rating 4 out of 5]

In The Captive Sea, Daniel Hershenzon examines the world of captivity and ransoming in early modern Mediterranean society. Hershenzon specifically looks at the relations between Spain and the Maghrib and the use of captivity and ransoming as political bargaining tools. Captives were exchanged for captives between the nation-states causing a rise in piracy, plundering, and slavery. Central is Hershenzon's thesis is the use of communications in pleading for ransom and forgiveness when captives are forced to convert to their captor's religion. Letters were also used by captives who turned into spies and were able to pass topographical and cultural information to friends, families, and political allies back home.

Hershenzon's book is multilayered, untangling the many types of relationships, and the political and economic interconnectedness among captives, captors, enemies, and allies. This is a unique view of how communications become an important part of the ransoming process.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great work here, and very informative, although I prefer Colley's style and focus. Hershenzon's argument(s) are well taken, though, particularly his attempt (and success) at proving that imperialist politics were always dependent on negotiation and compromise with multiple actors. I also enjoyed his exploration of the many paradoxes of early modern captivity, particularly its role in facilitating closer ties and relations among ostensible enemies.

[Sasha (bahareads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daniel Hershenzon argues in The Captive Sea that “piracy, captivity, and redemption shaped the western Mediterranean as an integrated region socially, politically, and economically” (Hershenzon 4). Using commerce Hershenzon attempts to show “Mediterranean system” of captive slaves and how it created intertwined networks in the Mediterranean. Analyzing Mediterranean slavery Hershenzon tries to show it was a “forced labour system and a communication system” (Hershenzon 5, 9). The Captive Sea tries to set itself apart as a new look at Mediterranean slavery and how it brought connective unity in the Mediterranean.

Hershenzon’s writing made The Captive Sea a very easy book to read and understand. I always appreciate this aspect in books where there is historical analysis. The writing style and succinct conclusions at the end of every chapter made the book flow well. Being not very familiar with Mediterranean slavery The Captive Sea was a decent introduction to the subject. I did not agree with all Hershenzon’s strong proclamations. He does not clearly bring in the historiography which makes it hard to centre where he is in, because I was not familiar with anything of Mediterranean slavery historiography it was something I strongly desired he put in the text.

The ability for the Mediterranean captive slaves to have the freedom to navigate their world in ways slaves in the Americas would not be able to, was by the far the most fascinating part of The Captive Sea. Obviously, Atlantic slavery and Mediterranean slavery have their differences. However, it was still shocking to see how different it was for me. I had never given it much thought before this class as to how slavery operated in different parts of the world. Hershenzon gives an example of a Christian captive slave, Jeronino de Pasamonte and his experiences as a slave. What struck me the most was the fact that on at least one occasion Pasamonte “himself proposed he be sold” (Hershenzon 18). Slave mobility in the Mediterranean gives great examples of the networks that existed in the Mediterranean.
The idea of public versus private slaves in the Mediterranean was fascinating to me. Hershenzon says “ownership and occupation often changed over time, on a daily basis, or with the season” (Hershenzon 30). I did wonder at the stigma of being a public versus private slave; what did it mean to be public? Was it working for the empire (eg. as a galley slave)? Or did the terminology imply something deeper than that? Hershenzon says only a minority of captives successfully gained their freedom which made me wonder why he doesn’t define his terminology more clearly since most captives were inevitably slaves because their captivity never ended (Hershenzon 68).

Examples abound throughout The Captive Sea. I enjoyed the example of a Aragonian captive Barbara Truiol and how her entire family was captured but only her husband and three-year-old were kept as hostages for ransom. It shows how important monetary gains were over slaves in the Mediterranean. I also marveled at the trust of the corsairs to allow some of the family to leave in order to get their money. Keeping hostages as a form of credit is not new to me but I do wonder at the conditions the hostages are left with, especially since Hershenzon says husbands left their wives as hostages more often than not (Hershenzon 80). The Captive Sea shows “maritime violence in the form of piracy, human trafficking, and plunder” pervaded the Mediterranean and created an interconnected space.

[Marina]

It’s like a reward