ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the administrative and legal system of the Genoese colonies. Administration and law indicate a connection between the metropolis and its colonies, and it is important to have a close look in order to draw conclusions about the work of colonial administration maintained by the Republic of Genoa and afterwards by the Bank of Saint George. Another interesting issue was to examine the connections between Genoa and Gazaria and among different cities and settlements within Genoese Gazaria, especially—among the administrative centre (Caffa) and the periphery (the rest). I infer that the Genoese colonies constituted a consolidated colonial empire with a considerably high degree of administrative and regional cohesion, as well as high level of geographical mobility—i.e. circulation of people such as officers, soldiers, notaries, and artisans within the area.
