Simone Lombardo , La Croce dei Mercanti. Genova, Venezia e la crociata Mediterranea nel tardo Trecento (1348–1402) , Paderborn, Brill Schöning, 2023 ; 1 vol., XIV–638 p. ( Mittelmeer Studien , 23). ISBN : 978-3-506-79085-9. Prix : € 157,94

This article examines the question of the integration of migrant populations in the Kingdom of France during the second half of the fifteenth century through a cultural practice common among the wealthier strata of society: the commissioning of a funerary slab. The purpose of such an object is to keep alive the chosen memory of an individual or a given social group. Greek migrant populations, arriving in the West from the second half of the fifteenth century onwards, were keen to secure recognition among local populations who might or might not incorporate them into their networks. The case of the funerary slab of the two brothers John and Charles Bissipat (1488–1496) shows how a migrant family could express pride in belonging to a high social rank while nonetheless affirming their foreign origins. In embracing a dual identity, both Western and Eastern, John and Charles adopted a way of life in which foreignness did not necessarily have to be concealed.