971: The Decretum Venetorum de abrogando Saracenorum commercie Prohibits Venetians from Trading with Muslims

Abstract

The Decretum Venetorum de abrogando Saracenorum commercie was written under pressure from the Byzantine Emperor John I Tzimiskes, and codified Venice's self-imposed obligation to stop trading weapons and material that could be used for shipbuilding (e.g. timber) to Muslim polities. In doing so, it imposed severe sanctions on those who violated these terms. After a ban on the export of slaves had been issued in 960, this was already the second embargo against trade with Muslim-ruled societies imposed by Byzantium. It came at a time when a resurgent Byzantine Empire was trying to assert its maritime dominance against the Fāṭimid Caliphate in the Mediterranean through economic sanctions. In its effect on domestic and foreign policy, the Decretum Venetorum illustrates how an aspiring maritime republic manoeuvred between the various Mediterranean powers of the tenth century.