Sobre els orígens del Consolat de Mar a Barcelona el 1279 i sobre els cònsols d'Ultramar a bord de vaixells. Un exemple de 1281

Abstract

The Consolat de Mar of Barcelona finds its origins in the «Universitat dels prohoms de Ribera», a corporation created by Jaume the First, on January 7th 1258. This corporation had to elect a «prohom» who was responsible for the pro­tection of the interests of the navigators and merchants of this seaside suburb. Pere el Gran, on June 19th 1279, granted another privilege to the Consolat de Mar, a privilege that models it much like its definitive shape. It consists in endo­wing it with a representative institution for Barcelona's merchants; it is composed by two «prohoms», elected among them. The analogy with the former corpora­tion is patentas far as the use of privileges granted to the «prohoms» de Ribera is concerned. They were authorised to appoint as consuls in the Catalan ships that went overseas, where they were allowed to defend Catalan merchants' interests to local authorities, to solve conflicts between Catalan citizens, etc… In this article, the author transcribes and comments the first known appoint­ment of a consul on a Catalan ship chat set sail for Constantinople, in 1281.