2 External demand
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Janel M. Fontaine
Abstract
This chapter serves as a companion to Chapter 1, with a focus on regions other than the British Isles and the Czech lands. Slave labour in the Viking world, Rus, Francia, Hungary, Byzantium, and the Islamic world varied widely, ranging from small-scale agricultural work in the North Atlantic to eunuchs and slave soldiers in Iberia and the Middle East. Discussion of each of these regions pays special attention to instances in which British, Irish, and Slavic slaves are distinguishable, as in the case of saqāliba (Slavic) eunuchs and soldiers in the Umayyad caliphate and Irish slaves in Iceland. The regions themselves can be separated into two categories: centres of demand and transit zones. The Islamic world, Byzantium, and the Viking world served as the principal centres of demand that required the importation of vast numbers of foreign slaves, particularly in the tenth century. Francia, Hungary, and Rus served primarily as transit zones connecting the areas of supply to the centres of demand, and did not themselves experience comparable increases in the demand for slaves.
Abstract
This chapter serves as a companion to Chapter 1, with a focus on regions other than the British Isles and the Czech lands. Slave labour in the Viking world, Rus, Francia, Hungary, Byzantium, and the Islamic world varied widely, ranging from small-scale agricultural work in the North Atlantic to eunuchs and slave soldiers in Iberia and the Middle East. Discussion of each of these regions pays special attention to instances in which British, Irish, and Slavic slaves are distinguishable, as in the case of saqāliba (Slavic) eunuchs and soldiers in the Umayyad caliphate and Irish slaves in Iceland. The regions themselves can be separated into two categories: centres of demand and transit zones. The Islamic world, Byzantium, and the Viking world served as the principal centres of demand that required the importation of vast numbers of foreign slaves, particularly in the tenth century. Francia, Hungary, and Rus served primarily as transit zones connecting the areas of supply to the centres of demand, and did not themselves experience comparable increases in the demand for slaves.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- Acknowledgements vi
- List of abbreviations vii
- Maps ix
- Introduction 1
- I The economics of slave trading 17
- 1 Slavery within the slaving zones 19
- 2 External demand 46
- 3 Making slaves 75
- II Logistics and strategies of slaving 103
- 4 Warfare and enslavement 105
- 5 Small-scale slave trading 143
- 6 High-demand systems 165
- 7 Slaving and power 201
- Epilogue 230
- Bibliography 243
- Index 273
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- Acknowledgements vi
- List of abbreviations vii
- Maps ix
- Introduction 1
- I The economics of slave trading 17
- 1 Slavery within the slaving zones 19
- 2 External demand 46
- 3 Making slaves 75
- II Logistics and strategies of slaving 103
- 4 Warfare and enslavement 105
- 5 Small-scale slave trading 143
- 6 High-demand systems 165
- 7 Slaving and power 201
- Epilogue 230
- Bibliography 243
- Index 273
