ABSTRACT
San Giorgio possessed cities, territories, and various trading posts in Crimea and along the Black Sea coast for 25 years. This chapter analyzes the events leading to these acquisitions and distinguishes between two types of territories: those that belonged to Genoa (such as the city of Caffa) and trading posts with no Genoese jurisdiction, where San Giorgio dealt with Tatars and the arrival of the Ottomans. The chapter also focuses on usury practices and the debate that arose during the dominion of Caffa about the licitness or illicitness of profiting on loans. Because San Giorgio was ruling and defending Caffa, the pope gave it special permission to perform usury operations, but the question came under discussion again after that.
