Documento che invita i mercanti ebrei a stabilirsi in Livorno e Pisa (Costituzione Livornina) Shoenberg Collection - Manuscript Number: ljs379

A vivid snapshot of early‑modern diplomacy, this manuscript records Grand Duke Ferdinand III’s bold invitation to merchants of every nation—especially Jewish traders—from the Ottoman world to the thriving ports of Livorno and Pisa. Written in multilingual, flowing prose, it outlines generous privileges: tax‑free passage, protection from local courts, and the freedom to practice religious customs while conducting business across the Duchy.

Beyond the legal language, the text reveals the Medici’s strategic aim to transform their coastal cities into bustling commercial hubs, welcoming diversity as an engine of prosperity. Listeners will hear how the duke balances papal concerns with economic ambition, granting years of safe‑conduct and exemptions that would shape the multicultural fabric of these ports. The document offers a rare glimpse into the negotiation of tolerance, trade, and power at a pivotal moment in Italian history.