The Moroccan Slave Trade

[Farfromhome]

So I just read an interesting article about how in 1318 the king of Portugal hired Genoese sailers to start capturing slaves from Morocco. The Genoese were beaten back, but were informed about where the Moroccan's aquired their slaves in West Africa, starting what would become the African slave trade. What if they were able to attain Moroccan slaves. Could this have started a Market where african slaves were of a more north african variety. Could this have caused the european conquest of North Africa in search of slaves?

 

[Ran Exilis]

Propably not - in OTL, North-African slaves already were sold on certain slave markets in the Christian parts of the Mediterranean (such as Malta), yet that didn't affect the later transatlantic slave trade.

And by the time that there was a great demand for slaves in the colonies in America, the Europeans would have been well aware of the fact that it's pretty easy to capture, or better yet, buy slaves in various parts of sub-Saharan Africa.

And buying slaves in various sub-Saharan African states is much easier and cheaper than conquering North Africa for slaves.

 

[Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy]

The Genoese were beaten back, but were informed about where the Moroccan's aquired their slaves in West Africa, starting what would become the African slave trade.

Starting? It had been going on since Antiquity. (And still is if you only want to count the "domestic market".)

 

[NapoleonXIV]

Starting? It had been going on since Antiquity. (And still is if you only want to count the "domestic market".)

..uhmm..yes and no. While there was a small trade all along I've read somewhere that the supply of African slaves suddenly picked up at this time. My understanding is that it had to do with the spreading south of the bantu speaking peoples and their customs having to do with war captives, which somehow resulted in a surplus of males. This is something I've only heard of vaguely and would like to know more about if anyone knows. It's difficult to research anything about slavery, particularly on the web, because you're inundated with biased info before you really even begin.

 

[carlton_bach]

The main problems are threefold - Morocco is not the most densely populated of places and needs its people, so even a successful slave trade would only be able to meet the limited demand of a domestic and luxury slave economy. Locals would outbid outsiders - indeed, IRL by the early 14th century the net direction of the slave trade still went the other way, with Europeans selling Caucasians, Bogumils, Central Asians and the occasional unlucky Catholic or Orthodox Christian to North Africa. Secondly, the potential slave population is composed of Muslims, Jews and Christians. Muslims being enslaved and sold to Christians would have scandalised the local Muslim population, and while such abuses could (and did) go on, they could never be an acknowledged part of the economy. Christians enslaved would ask their freedom once reaching Christian realms, with a similar effect on the other side. And while (as usual) nobody would have too many problems with picking on the Jews, there aren't that many of them to be had. In a pinch you could always catch and circumcise Christians for sale, but again, that's no basis for a formal economy. Finally - Morocco wasn't exactly a savage, war-torn, tribal place. Any slave raid would be met with a competent and painful response. Indeed, when slave raiding in the Mediterranean started up again in earnest, the Christian powers came off second best.

The only thing I could see happening would be the MOroccans spottinga commercial opportunity and importing African slaves for resale to Europe. Again, not likely to do more than feed a limited market.

 

[Johnrankins]

Propably not - in OTL, North-African slaves already were sold on certain slave markets in the Christian parts of the Mediterranean (such as Malta), yet that didn't affect the later transatlantic slave trade.

And by the time that there was a great demand for slaves in the colonies in America, the Europeans would have been well aware of the fact that it's pretty easy to capture, or better yet, buy slaves in various parts of sub-Saharan Africa.

And buying slaves in various sub-Saharan African states is much easier and cheaper than conquering North Africa for slaves.

Buy yes ,but not capture. The life expectancy of a European in Sub-Saharan Africa was about one year before the discovery of quinine.

 

[Ran Exilis]

Buy yes ,but not capture. The life expectancy of a European in Sub-Saharan Africa was about one year before the discovery of quinine.

True - due to the inhospitability of the local climate, the Europeans almost always bought the slaves and left the capturing to the natives.