Black Sea Slave Trade

In this episode, we examine the Black Sea slave trade, a long-running system of captivity and human trafficking that connected Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East from antiquity into the modern era. The episode traces how Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Italian maritime republics, the Crimean Khanate, and the Ottoman Empire all used the Black Sea’s strategic routes to move captives, servants, soldiers, and laborers across empires. Special attention is given to the early modern period, when Crimean Tatar raids captured large numbers of Slavic and European Christians for Ottoman markets, reshaping borderland societies and prompting new systems of defense and state-building. We also explore the legal, religious, and cultural complexities of slavery around the Mediterranean, where captivity could range from ransom and temporary bondage to permanent enslavement. From economic demand to military service and forced migration, this episode reveals how the Black Sea slave trade deeply shaped the histories of Europe, Eurasia, and the Islamic world.