Topic summary
Trading route
Extracted from the Wikipedia article Trade route.
Maritime republics' Mediterranean trade
The economic growth of Europe around the year 1000, together with the lack of safety on the mainland trading routes, eased the development of major commercial routes along the coast of the . The growing independence of some coastal cities gave them a leading role in this commerce: Maritime Republics, Italian "Repubbliche Marinare" (Venice, Genoa, Amalfi, Pisa, Gaeta, Ancona and Ragusa), developed their own "empires" in the shores.