The Impact of Levantine Transit Trade on 15th–16th Century A.D. Wallachia, Transylvania, and Moldova

After losing Zadar to Venice, Sigismund of Luxemburg and the friendly Republic of Genoa declare war on the Republic of Venice, Europe’s major spice supplier at the time. Consequently, an alternative supply chain develops: Levantine goods brought by the Genovese to the ports of the Danube and the Black Sea are transported by Wallachian and Transylvanian merchants to Buda, Kosice, and Lviv. By the beginning of the 16th century, this route accounts for a five-time larger supply of Levantine wares reaching Buda compared to the Adriatic Coast route. This paper focuses on the impact of Levantine transit trade on the cities of Transylvania, Wallachia, and Moldova at the turn of the century. By modelling the trading routes of this area as a network, we simulate the flow of Levantine goods, investigate the possibility of brokerage between the three regions, and identify which cities occupy favourable or influential network positions.