Paper -a:
The originality of the 13th-century Genoese economy lies in the ability to tie economic links across the entire social spectrum, thus directing resources of a vast number of occasional participants to the maritime trade that dominated the city's activity. Analysing relational data from the notarial cartularies reveals the crucial role of networking professionals such as bankers and notaries. Their institutional position providing trust, these intermediate-level agents are able to tie socially heterogeneous ties outside of the links of kinship and geography, while similar functions are fulfilled within families by specialised agents, often women.
Paper -b:
John Κantakouzenos (1292-1389) undoubtedly played a decisive role in several significant events of the Byzantine Empire in the first half of the 14th century. This paper aims to reconstruct a part of John Kantakouzenos' extensive friendship, kinship, and patronage networks and portray their role during the rule of Andronikos III Palaiologos and the period of the second Palaiologan civil war. In this context, it will be attempted to trace the ties between Kantakouzenos and the most prominent figures of the Empire and their impact during his active involvement in the state's matters.
Paper -c:
The paper deals with the economic expansion of the Šibenik noble family Divnić during the 15th century based on archival sources. The largest part of the preserved files of the family archive is a valuable source of information about the internal structure of family ties and marriage strategies, and the records in the Šibenik notary archive provide an insight into the various forms of economic activity of family members and the formation of a business network which, despite the difficult times during the Venetian-Ottoman wars, lasted until the end of the 18th century.
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