The Captive Sea: slavery, communication, and commerce in early modern Spain and the Mediterranean

Abstract

the benefit of the Ottomans, with wide-ranging world historical ramifications. All the same, Barker’s book is not only essential reading for Mediterranean medievalists and students of Mamluk history, but for Ottomanist scholars as well. They will all discover a study that invites comparison and raises numerous questions that will shape future research. Skilfully wielding complementary source sets and methodologies, Barker has written an admirably clear and concise, convincingly argued and rigorously documented study. Accessible to students, it is an excellent introduction to the practice and persistence of slavery in the medieval Mediterranean world.