La Livorno degli Armeni

mercanti semisedentari e viaggiatori di passaggio fra convivenza, coabitazione e lingue

Abstract

The Leghorn (Livorno) of the Armenians: Semi-settled Merchants and Travellers between Coexistence, Cohabitation, and Linguistic Practice

In 1591, and then again in 1593, Armenians were invited, along with other peoples, to settle in Leghorn (Livorno) to boost the city's trade. Thus, a colony was created that, although not especially large, included socially prominent people. Later on, the city’s merchants, often Ottoman or Persian subjects, arranged to have a representative of their own—either an Armenian or an Italian—who could also act as an interpreter. Indeed, language(s) and communication were often an issue for Leghorn’s Armenians: between the 17^th and 18^th centuries, evidence exists of people who, despite having lived in the city for a long time, were unable to express themselves fluently in Italian. On the other hand, at least some of these Armenians eventually decided to integrate into local society. This is also reflected in their naming practices: whereas between the 17^th and 18^th centuries Leghorn Armenians bore either names of Armenian origin, or generically Christian names, by the 19^th century they increasingly adopted names that followed local fashion(s).

The final section of this paper addresses the information and news about Leghorn conveyed by travellers and visiting merchants in the 17^th century, as well as references found in Armenian merchants’ manuals written or printed in the same period.