Legal Status of the Ship’s Scribe (Scribanus Navis) in Dalmatian Statutory Law

The paper analyses some questions concerning the legal status of the ship’s scribe in Dalmatian statutory law and attempts to determine to what extent Dalmatian statutory law regulates the position of the ship’s scribe independently and to what extent there are influences from the surrounding area, in particular from Venetian statutes. The ship’s scribe is mentioned in documents prior to the adoption of the statute and in notarial acts of communes the statutes of which the ship’s scribe is not explicitly mentioned. Authentic documents used in the maritime manual Pratichae schrivaneschae by Julio Balović, printed in Venice in 1693, indicate the important role of the ship’s scribe on Venetian merchant and warships. In particular, the position and role of the ship’s scribe in the Dubrovnik regulations on national navigation (Regolamenti della Republica di Ragusa per la navigazione nazionale) are analysed. The legal regulation of the position of the ship’s scribe in Dalmatian statutory law, taking into account the specificities of the Dalmatian statutes, shows their connection with the Mediterranean region and the roots of the legal systems of modern European integration.