Maritime Republics

The maritime republics (Italian: Repubbliche marinare) were a number of city-states which flourished in Italy and Dalmatia (present day Croatia) in the Middle Ages. The best known are the Amalfi, Pisa, Genoa, Ragusa and Venice. These states competed with each other both militarily and commercially. From the 10th to the 13th centuries these cities built fleets of ships both for their own protection and to support extensive trade networks across the Mediterranean, leading to an essential role in the Crusades. As they found themselves in competition, these republics engaged in shifting alliances and warfare.