blacksea.gr BLACKSEA Research Project Foreign Consuls Author: AKAY TOLGA The consulates The consuls Selected consuls Author: Tolga AKAY Ph.D. (Research Assistant), Kafkas University, Kars, Turkey The actual development of consulates, started by overseas initiatives of Italian city-states. From the 16 th century, the rise of the bourgeoisie, expansion of geographical explorations and colonial empires diversified the tasks and functions of a consulate. During the 19 th century, with the increasing international economic competition, consulates became a part of political expansionism as well as of commercial interests. Development of consulates in the city of Sinop was directly related with the development of the Black Sea commerce. The Black Sea gained the status of a sea open to international commerce with the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca in 1774; before that it was an inland sea of the Ottoman Empire. After Russia obtained the right to free BLACKSEA Research Project about:reader?url=http://blacksea.gr/en/cities/sinop/1-8/ 1 / 5 20.1.2016 00:49