The sea republic of Genoa and the conquest of Black Sea in 1261

The sea republic of Genoa and the conquest of Black Sea in 1261

By Sandra Sulmoni

Journal of the XVth Annual ISHA Conference (2004)

Introduction: In these research I will speak about one of the famous Italian Sea Republic, which had ruled the trade in Mediterranean Sea till the fifteenth century: Genoa. Actually, I’m going to explain how Genoa conquered the Black Sea in 1261, which was the most important, or better, only road to Asia. I will proceed this way:

1. Genoa: from its rise to the popular revolution and consequently third republic of Guglielmo Boccanegra

• 1.1 The very first centuries and Charles the Great
• 1.2 The first Republic
• 1.3 The second Republic and the popular revolution

2. The Mediterranean situation in the 13th century

• 2.1 Venice and the Fourth Crusade (the importance of Black Sea)

3. Genoa gets in fight with the Greeks against Venice

• 3.1 Problems that stop Genoa from hinder Venice in 1204
• 3.2 The new situation in 1261 and the Ninfeo’s agreement.
• 3.3 Genoa rules the whole Mediterranean’s business…but Boccanegra must disappear.

Genoa’s history was signed by the big changing in its government. In fact, it knew five different Republic form till the 15th century: the first one was the Republic of Consuls, the second one the Republic of “Podestà” (foreign governor), the third was of people’s Captains and then a fourth and a fifth Republic, one of the “Dogi” (a kind of counsel’s president) to lifetime and the other of Dogi for two years. In the year that Genoa decided to take over the Black Sea, she had been in the third Republic for a few years.

Click here to read this article from the International Students of History Association