Genoa–Venice Maritime Trade Competition (1240s)

Timeline

1. 1241–1245Constantinople–Trebizond route · Bosporus StraitAround 1241 Genoa, drawing on its connections with Byzantium and the Mongols, strengthened the route along the Black Sea's southern coast to Trebizond, confronting Venice's traditional advantages in Levantine ports. Trading quarters, consular jurisdiction, and tariff concessions became the focus of competition.
2. 1246–1250Acre and Tyre · PalestineAmid the decline of the Crusader states, merchants of both powers contested transshipment rights at ports such as Acre and Tyre. Once the Mongol Empire opened overland routes, spice and silk flows re-exported through Persia and Syria altered Mediterranean price structures, prompting both to adjust fleet sizes and financing methods.