Or maybe we are! One of the most interesting aspects of Barcelona’s history was its contribution to Medieval Mediterranean Maritime Law (Say that five times fast) In the fourteenth century, a book titled the “Book of the Consulate of the Sea” was compiled. Though the book was published in Valencia, the organization enforcing the laws in the book adopted the Maritime laws of Barcelona. As the crown of Aragon gained territory in Italy, Greece, and modern day France, other places began to adopt the Barcelona laws. This effectively made the “Consulate of the Sea” the primary set of laws enforced on the Mediterranean Sea. These laws even became printed and distributed in the late 15th century (1494). Interestingly, many of the stipulations in the book refer to the conduct of armed warships and the legality of defending oneself against pirates. There is no doubt that Piracy was rampant in the Mediterranean, but researchers have also uncovered that there were also government sponsored privateers wreaking havoc on the cargo of their enemies.

However, these seas won’t wreak havoc on an enjoyable, and educational study abroad lesson. The oceans that opened trade routes to Aragon’s empire now can open the minds of your students! Plan lessons on piracy, the Catalan Navy, or Aragon’s oversea empire complimented by the breathtaking sights of the Mediterranean!

See the city, the ports, and the waters that defined the rules of seafaring today by scheduling a trip to Barcelona!

“Book of the Consulate of the Sea.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 22 Feb. 2016, www.britannica.com/topic/Book-of-the-Consulate-of-the-Sea.

Kelleher, Marie A. “The Sea of Our City”: Famine, Piracy, and Urban Sovereignty in Medieval Barcelona. Mediterranean Studies, vol. 24, no. 1, 2016, pp. 1–22. https://doi.org/10.5325/mediterraneanstu.24.1.0001.