Merchants and manufacturers

ver the last centuries of the Byzantine Empire, those that were involved in commercial activities came to constitute a particularly important group and a distinct social class occupying a position between the aristocracy and the ordinary citizens. They are referred to in written sources as the messoi ("middle classes"), the class, that is, of merchants, manufacturers and bankers, who were mostly concentrated in the big cities.

It should be noted that this class was very small in comparison to the rural population, which constituted the basis of Byzantine society and economy. However, their presence, especially after the 14th century, must have frequently posed a threat to the ruling class. They tried on several occasions to defend their interests by means of political struggles and to acceed to positions of power, an aim they were never able to achieve. It is quite probable that they were involved in anti-aristocratic uprisings, such as that of the Zealots in Thessalonike.

In spite of the fact that the Empire was in a state of general economic decline and that commerce was firmly in the hands of the Italians, the middle class managed to participate as actively as it could in commercial transactions. Even though some merchants made a considerable fortune, frequently acting as middlemen for the Italian merchants in the East, they never succeeded in playing a leading role in the trade of the Mediterranean.