| This dissertation analyzes a new way to view medieval merchants and to distinguish the individual links in their chains of associations. A witnessing group, or a group a men who met habitually with one particular notary to witness commercial contracts, was one venue where businessmen could develop social and business connections important for both survival and for profit. In a war zone such as post-Vespers Palermo, trustworthy relationships were vital because of ongoing violence and continual trade interruptions. Because notarial witnesses were not paid at this time, it is clear that habitual witnessing was a deliberately chosen activity done for specific purposes.;The witnessing group may also have been a substitute for family when family members in war-torn Sicily were either in exile, dead, or fleeing. The trust, support and cohesion developed over time, in the case of certain de Citella witnesses, over 40 years, gave support to men who otherwise seemed to be alone. This was particularly important in late thirteenth and early fourteenth Palermo since there were no documented guilds and families were relatively small compared to mainland cities such as Florence or Bologna.;My research has shown that the eight model witnesses, along with the de Citella notaries, clustered in two (out of five) specific quarters of Palermo. I argue that their spatial closeness also augmented the trust that developed over time, reinforcing associations of habitual, face-to-face contacts. Continual personal encounters resulted in close political connections, social relationships that included marriage, and business partnerships.;Finally, shared occupations such as tanning, buying and selling cloth, and owning or supplying taverns gave these men other spaces of common interest that continued to bring them together. My construct of each particular notary's witnessing group(s) allowed me to find and develop the ways and places these men intersected, providing a myriad of venues that show where and how medieval merchants developed useful associations that enabled them to stay alive and become rich and influential.;Habitual witnessing was useful in several respects. It was one way to acquire information about others in the community; to be seen continuously, enhancing one's social capital; it developed legal expertise useful for the businessman himself; and led to social and financial connections. |
