Slavery in Genoa

Slavery was deeply woven into the fabric of the genoese economy, especially traffic in girls who were only 13 or 14 years old. Every genoese household, even modest ones, had one or two female slaves. They were russian, arab mongol bulgarian, bosnian, albanian and chinese slave traders and pirates sold them on a regular basis to genoa. Once acquired by a genoese master, girls became mere property, bound to gratify his sexual wants as well as those of his friends. Some cautious buyers kept the girl of their choice on a trial basis to judge whether she would remain charming and adapt to a life of slavery