ქართველ ებრაელთა თემისა და ქართულ-ებრაული ურთიერთობების უცნობი დეტალები მიკელე მემბრეს (XVI ს.) ცნობების მიხედვით

Abstract

The presented article refers to the understanding of specific passages from the 16^th century Cypriot Venetian, Michele Membre’s “Relation”. Membre’s essay, besides its main goal (gathering detailed information about the Safavids for Venice governing circles), allows us to justify some statements about the Georgian states in a new way in the context of European-Eastern relations, it also clarifies some facts or makes new assumptions, including Georgian-Jewish co-existence.
Membre, sent as a secret convey to establish an alliance against the Ottomans, changed his route and had to enter Iran through a detour, so he ended up in Georgia. Membre, who came from Kafa by sea, disguised himself as a Greek merchant and visited the important territory of both western and eastern Georgia. The author is a sharp-eyed, neutral observer, who offers a scrupulous description of what he has seen rather than an evaluation-analysis of events. However, since all aspects of public life are in the field of interest of the risky and smart agent, the information he collected is quite complex.
The part of the report, which concerns Georgia, sheds light on the circumstances of the structure of Georgian society in the 16^th century; and what markers of identity the people of different ethnic groups living in Georgia had at that time. Besides, by comparison with the local material, it allows us to identify Georgian settlements, referred to as places of silk trade in Western Georgia. According to the author, it is represented by a significant Jewish community together with a small Georgian population. No other source of that period (besides provided by Michele Membre) is aware of such a detailed description of the economic potential of the trading places in Georgia, and the effects caused by it on the society. Thanks to him, a very impressive picture of our country of the 16^th century will unfold before the eyes of the reader – Georgia is identified as a country that supplies raw silk and, at the same time, there is a clear reference to the vicious practice of the slave trade in the Black Sea region in the late Middle Ages, which gained more influence under conditions of reinforcement of the Ottomans.
It is noteworthy that from the perspective of an European author, Georgia is depicted as a tolerant and multicultural country. From Membre’s writings, it can be observed that Jews, Armenians and Trabzonites live practically in all cities of Georgia, and they also own real estates. It is particularly interesting that the village-type settlement, which is visited by merchants from different parts of Georgia and outside its borders during the market time, is quite multi-ethnic even after it is emptied of guests (Megrelians, Greeks from Chios, Venetians, and a substantial Jewish community live there).
On the example of the same settlement, Membre informs us of a very interesting fact, that is not found in other Georgian or European sources; namely, about Megrelians who were raised as Jews by the Jewish community living here. Therefore, the mentioned passage from Membre’s relazione (based on comparison with Georgian material) allows us to make interesting assumptions about the author’s misunderstanding of the tradition of adoption among the Megrelians, as well as the probability of infusing the Georgian elements in the Jewish community.