The Republic of Noli ( it, Repubblica di Noli; lij, Repubbrica de Nöi) was an Italian

maritime republic The maritime republics ( it, repubbliche marinare), also called merchant republics ( it, repubbliche mercantili), were thalassocratic city-states of the Mediterranean Basin during the Middle Ages. Being a significant presence in Italy in the Mid ...

that was centred on the city of

Noli Noli (; lij, Nöi ) is a coast ''comune'' of Liguria, Italy, in the Province of Savona, it is about southwest of Genoa by rail, about above sea-level. The origin of the name may come from ''Neapolis'', meaning "new city" in Greek. From 1192 ...

, in

Liguria Liguria (; lij, Ligûria ; french: Ligurie) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is ...

, and existed from 1192 to 1797. The area is now in the

province of Savona The province of Savona ( it, provincia di Savona; Ligurian: ''provinsa de Sann-a'') is a province in the Liguria region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Savona, which has a population of 61,219 inhabitants. The province has a total populatio ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. To protect itself from possible attacks and invasions by

Savona Savona (; lij, Sann-a ) is a seaport and ''comune'' in the west part of the northern Italy, Italian region of Liguria, capital of the Province of Savona, in the Riviera di Ponente on the Mediterranean Sea. Savona used to be one of the chie ...

and

Marquisate of Finale The Marquisate of Finale was an Italian state in what is now Liguria, part of the former medieval Aleramici March. It was ruled for some six centuries by the Aleramici branch known as marquesses del Vasto (when they also held the March of Savon ...

, Noli allied in 1202 with the

Republic of Genoa The Republic of Genoa ( lij, Repúbrica de Zêna ; it, Repubblica di Genova; la, Res Publica Ianuensis) was a medieval and early modern maritime republic from the 11th century to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast. During the Lat ...

in a sort of

protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a State (polity), state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over m ...

, in fact, documents of the time show that the relationship was equal and not one of submission. The alliance allowed the Republic of Noli to have such growing importance that in 1239, a diocese was established there by

Pope Gregory IX Pope Gregory IX ( la, Gregorius IX; born Ugolino di Conti; c. 1145 or before 1170 – 22 August 1241) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 March 1227 until his death in 1241. He is known for issuing the '' Decre ...

History

Noli was founded in 1192. It survived for 605 years before it was annexed by

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

in 1797.

Economy

Despite its small size, Noli's good shipyard and harbour allowed them to become a commercial power. They had good trade relations with Genoa, as they only had to pay one penny to be allowed to trade in Genoa, whereas the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

had to pay 60 pennies to be allowed to trade.

Military

Noli's efficient shipyard allowed them to become somewhat of a naval power, despite its small size. The alliance with Genoa afforded it much protection, especially as Genoa used Noli's port to shelter their ships. It is known that during a conflict with Savona, Noli sacked the town of

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, which was owned by them, in 1227.

Foreign relations

In 1202, Noli was threatened by the County of

. In response, Noli formed a confederation with the powerful

. Noli kept this alliance until they were dissolved in 1797.

Flag

The flag of Noli was first created in the 13th century, with a white cross and a red background, the exact opposite of Genoa's flag. Many of the merchant ships of Noli chose to fly under the Genoese flag, as it commanded much more respect.

Religion

In 1239, the Pope appointed a bishop to Noli.

References

Sources

* * * *

Links

* Maritime republics {{Italy-hist-stub