De Ghisolfi (also known as de Guizolfi, de Gisolfi, Guigursis, Guilgursis and Giexulfis) was the name of a Genoese-Jewish family prominent in the late Middle Ages and the early Renaissance. Location within Italy Genoa (Italian: Genova, Genoese dialect: Zena) is a city and a seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria. ... This article describes some ethnic, historic, and cultural aspects of the Jewish identity; for a consideration of the Jewish religion, refer to the article Judaism. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... In the traditional view, the Renaissance is understood as a historical age that was preceded by the Middle Ages and followed by the Reformation. ...

In 1419, the Genoese Jew Simeone de Ghisolfi married a Georgian or Circassian princess named Bikhakhanim, and took posession of a principality on the Taman peninsula, most likely centered on the town of Matrega.^[1] The de Ghisolfi clan ruled this principality as a protectorate of the Genoese consulate of Gazaria for much of the fifteenth century. Circassian language is used in a number of ways: as a synonym for the Adyghe language; as a synonym for the Kabardian language; as a term for a distinct language that includes both Adyghe and Kabardian. ... 1. ... A protectorate is, in international law, a political entity (a sovereign state or a less developed native polity, such as a tribal chiefstainship or feudal princely state) that formally agrees (voluntarily or under pressure) by treaty to enter into an unequal relationship with another, stronger state, called the protector, which... The term Consulate can refer to: the office or the period in office of a consul a diplomatic consulate the French Consulate which governed between 1799 and 1804 a brand of menthol cigarettes Consulate This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share... Gazaria is the name given to the Genoese colonies in the Crimea and around the Black Sea from the mid 1200s to the late 1400s. ...

In 1453 the Republic of Genoa ceded its Crimean possessions to the Bank of Saint George, a private enterprise to which it was heavily in debt. The Ghisolfi family continued to rule Matrega and the surrounding region on behalf of the Bank. Through such intermediaries as Khozi Kokos, they maintained relations with the rulers of Muscovy and other Russian principalities. Muscovy (Moscow principality (княжество Московское) to Grand Duchy of Moscow (Великое Княжество Московское) to Russian Tsardom (Царство Русское)) is a traditional Western name for the Russian state that existed from the 14th century to the late 17th century. ...

A descendent of Simeone, Zacharias de Ghisolfi was the prince and ruler of the Taman peninsula from about 1480. Beset by the Ottoman Empire (which was then in the process of reducing the Girai Khanate and the Italian possessions in the Crimea to tributary status) in 1482, Zacharias and his subjects, a mixed population of Jews, Italians, Greeks, Circassians, Tatars and Slavs, were compelled to retire from Matrega and sought refuge on the island of Matrice. On August 12 of that year, Zacharias informed the directors of the Bank of Saint George in Genoa of his position, and requested for 1,000 ducats with which to retain the friendship of his allies, the Crimean Goths of Feodoro, who had exhausted his resources; he stated that unless he received the support of the republic he would remove to Wallachia, where the voivode had offered him a castle. Imperial motto (Ottoman Turkish) دولت ابد مدت Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (The Eternal State) The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power (1683) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital Söğüt (1299-1326), Bursa (1326-1365), Edirne (1365-1453), İstanbul (1453-1922) Imperial anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Sovereigns Padishah of the Osmanl... The term Circassians is term derived from the Turkic Cherkess, and is not the self-designation of any people. ... Historically, the term Tatar (or Tartar) has been ambiguously used by Europeans to refer to many different peoples of Inner Asia and Northern Asia. ... The Slavic peoples are the most numerous ethnic and linguistic body of peoples in Europe. ... The ducat was a gold coin that was used throughout Europe. ... The least-powerful, least-known, and paradoxically longest-lived Gothic communities were those that remained in the lands around the Black Sea, especially in the Crimea. ... This article is about the region in what is now Southern Romania. ... For the heavy metal music band see Voivod (band). ...

Notwithstanding the fact that the Turks had captured Tana (Azov) and most of the settlements in Gazaria, Ghisolfi continued the war from Matrice, but with only a small measure of success. Learning that he had expressed a desire to come to Russia, and glad of an opportunity to ally with the Circassians and other peoples resisting Ottoman incursions, the czar Ivan III Vassilivich, directed Nozdrovaty, his ambassador to the Crimean Tatar khan Mengli Girai, to forward a message "sealed with the gold seal" to Zacharias the Jew, at Kaffa. This message, dated March 14, 1484, and forwarded by Luka and Prince Vasili, both court dignitaries, reads as follows: County Finnmark Landscape Municipality NO-2025 Administrative centre Tana Mayor (2003) Ingrid Smuk Rolstad (Ap) Official language form BokmÃ¥l and Northern Sami Area  - Total  - Land  - Percentage Ranked 5 4,049 km² 3,833 km² 1. ... Azov (Russian: ) is a town in Rostov Oblast, Russia, situated on the Don River just three kilometers from the Sea of Azov, which derives its name from the town. ... Tsar, (Bulgarian цар�, Russian царь; often spelled Czar or Tzar in English), was the title used for the autocratic rulers of the First and Second Bulgarian Empires since 913, in Serbia in the middle of the 14th century, and in Russia from 1547 to 1917. ... Albus rex Ivan III Ivan III Vasilevich (Иван III Васильевич) (January 22, 1440 - October 27, 1505), also known as Ivan the Great, was a grand duke of Muscovy who first adopted a more pretentious title of the grand duke of all the Russias. Sometimes referred to as the gatherer of... For Crimean Tatar ethos see Crimean Tatars For Crimean Tatar language and alphabet see Crimean Tatar language ... Khan (sometimes spelled as Xan, Han) is a title with many meanings, originally commander, leader or ruler, in Mongolian and Turkish. ... Kaffa is the name of several geographical locations: Crimean city of Kaffa or Caffa is currently known as Feodosiya; The Kingdom of Kaffa; The former province of Kaffa in Ethiopia This is a disambiguation page — a list of articles associated with the same title. ...

By the grace of God the great ruler of the Russian country, the Grand Duke Ivan Vassilivich, Czar of all the Russias, ... to Skariya the Hebrew. You have written to us through Gabriel Petrov, our guest, that you desire to come to us. It is our wish that you do so. When you are with us we will give you evidence of our favorable disposition toward you. If you wish to serve us, our desire will be to confer distinction upon you; but should you not wish to remain with us and prefer to return to your own country, you shall be free to go ...^[2]

From a despatch in Latin dated Conario on the Kuban River, June 8, 1487, and signed "Zachariah Guigursis," it is clear that Zacharias, intending to accept the czar's hospitality, started for Moscow, but while on the way was robbed and tortured by Stefan, the voivode of Moldavia; upon his release he returned home. Notwithstanding this experience, Ghisolfi and his men declared themselves ready to join the czar provided that guides were furnished them. Replying to this despatch, March 18, 1488, the czar repeated his invitation, and informed Ghisolfi that he had notified Dmitri Shein, his ambassador at the Crimean court, that he had requested Mengli Girei to send to Tscherkassy two men to guide Guizolfi to Moscow. He directed Shein to add to this number a Tatar from his own suite. Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... The Kuban (Куба́нь) is a river in Russia, in the Northern Caucasus region. ... Stephen the Great (Romanian icon) Stephen III of Moldavia, also called Stephen Muşat III (Borzeşti, 1433 – Suceava, 1504-07-02) was a voivod (prince) of Moldova (1457-1504), who won renown in Europe for his long resistance against the Ottoman Empire. ... Moldavia (Moldova in Romanian) was a Romanian principality, originally created in the Middle Ages, now divided between Romania, Moldovan Republic and Ukraine. ...

Several years passed before guides were sent, but in the spring of 1496 they reached the mouth of the Miyusha and Taigana rivers, where Zacharias was to meet them four weeks after Easter. It had been arranged that in the event of either party reaching the rendezvous before the other, the first should wait until Whitsuntide, and if need be until Peter and Paul's Day. The guides waited until St. Nicholas' Day (Dec. 6), when they learned that Guizolfi was unable to advance on account of disturbances among his people, for "the man Zacharias is substantial, his family is great, and probably it is difficult to induce them to move." In his report to the czar the Crimean ambassador declares that, out of friendship for his royal master, the khan Mengli Girei would take Guizolfi under his protection, but fear she dare not do so, since Guizolfi has antagonized the Turks, who are the khan's protectors.^[3] This article is about the Christian festival. ... Note: This article is mostly about the Christian holiday of Pentecost. ... Look up Peter, peter in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Look up Paul in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Saint Nicholas, also known as Nikolaus in Germany and Sinterklaas (a contracted form of Sint Nicolaas) in the Netherlands and Flanders, is the common name for the historical Saint Nicholas of Myra, who lived in 4th century Byzantine Anatolia, (now in modern Turkey) and had a reputation for secret gift...

From subsequent events it is evident that Guizolfi entered the service of the khan, for further negotiations were carried on, and in April, 1500, the czar, instructing his ambassador, refers to Ghisolfi as "Zacharias the Fryazin,^[4] who had lived in Circassia and is now in the service of Mengli Girei, but who never reached Russia."^[5] Circassia, also known as Cherkessia in Russian, is a region in Caucasia. ...

The czar's repeated invitations to Guizolfi seem to indicate that he hoped the latter's services would be valuable to him in extending Russian influence on the Black Sea. Yet it is strange that during a period of more than eighteen years Guizolfi did not succeed in reaching Russia. Whether the fact that Ghisolfi was a Jew had anything to do with the impediments put in his way, it is difficult to ascertain, for no mention of him is to be found in Jewish writings. The different spellings of Zachariah's name in Italian and Russian documents—"Guizolfi," "Guigursis," and "Guilgursis"—may be attributed to errors of the Russian scribes. Map of the Black Sea. ...

References

1. ^ Richard Löwe, Die Reste der Germanen am Schwarzen Meere, p. 42, Halle, 1896.
2. ^ Sbornik Imperatorskavo Ruskavo Istoricheskavo Obschestva, xli. 40. For a second message, dated Oct. 18, 1487, see ib. p. 71).
3. ^ ib. pp. 77-114.
4. ^ i.e., "the Italian".
5. ^ ib. p. 309.

Resources

• Löwe, Richard. Die Reste der Germanen am Schwarzen Meere, p. 42, Halle, 1896.
• Raisin, Jacob S. The Haskalah Movement in Russia. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society of America, 1913. p. 23.
• Rosenthal, Herman. "Guizolfi, Zacharias de." Jewish Encyclopedia. Funk and Wagnalls, 1901-1906; citing:

• Atti della Società Ligure di Storia Patria, iv. 127, 128, Genoa, 1866;
• Löwe, Die Reste der Germanen am Schwarzen Meere, pp. 42, 86, 89, Halle, 1896;
• Sbornik Gosudarstvennykh Gramot i Dogovorov, ii. 24.

This article incorporates text from the public domain 1901–1906 Jewish Encyclopedia. The Jewish Publication Society of America was founded in Philadelphia in 1888 to provide the children of Jewish immigrants to America with books about their heritage in the language of the New World. ... The Jewish Encyclopedia was an encyclopedia originally published between 1901 and 1906 by Funk and Wagnalls. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ... The Jewish Encyclopedia was an encyclopedia originally published between 1901 and 1906 by Funk and Wagnalls. ...