← Explore on the interactive map

Genoese Trading Post System

Type Object Region Europe Time c. 1100–1500

In the mid-12th century, the Republic of Genoa built an overseas trade network by establishing trading posts (colonia/fondaco) at eastern Mediterrane…

Timeline

  1. c. 1100–1170Acre (Port of Acre) · LevantCrusader states granted Genoese merchants warehousing and tax-exemption rights in ports such as Acre, making the trading posts fixed bases for the transshipment of spices and silk.
  2. c. 1171–1180Eastern Mediterranean (Acre–Tyre–Constantinople) · LevantIn the 1170s, the Genoese trading post system expanded to Tyre and Constantinople, with consular jurisdiction, partnership credit, and cargo insurance supporting the routine operation of long-distance trade.
  3. c. 1175–1200North African coast (Ceuta–Algiers) · MaghrebGenoese merchants established trading posts along the North African coast to obtain gold and slaves transshipped from the Sahara, extending the network to cover both the eastern and western Mediterranean.

Sources