Nymphaion Agreement

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The Nymphaion Agreement is a trade and alliance treaty concluded in 1261 between the Republic of Genoa and the Byzantine Empire , on the basis of which the Latin Empire of Constantinople came to an end and the Byzantine Empire was reconstructed.

prehistory

After the conquest of Constantinople and the foundation of the Latin Empire in 1204 as part of the Fourth Crusade , the former Byzantine territories were divided between Frankish Crusaders and the Venetians who supported them . The palaeologists , the Byzantine imperial family, were sent into exile in Nicaea . The Venetian Maritime Republic in particular benefited from these developments, as it seized the opportunity to expand its trade network in the Latin Empire, particularly in Constantinople, but also into the Black Sea . The fact that Venice expanded its trading supremacy in the Mediterranean was at the expense of the other Italian seaside cities, which were in constant competition with one another. The Republic of Genoa, Venice's greatest rival, was particularly weakened by these developments.

Conclusion of contract

On March 13, 1261, the Genoese ambassadors Guglielmo Visconti and Gurmerio Guidice met in the nymphaeum of Constantinople (which gave the agreement its name), where they signed the agreement together with the palaeologists. The treaty, ostensibly a trade agreement, was the consideration of the Byzantines for the military support of Genoa. It was agreed that Byzantium would not make an independent peace with Venice and would grant Genoa trade privileges , including duty-free , the protection of the Byzantine emperor in all Greek ports and finally the establishment of a branch in the Galata district of Constantinople.

Consequences of the agreement

After the successful liberation of Constantinople in 1261, Michael VIII. Palaiologus , previously only Emperor of Nicaea in exile, was declared Byzantine Emperor. As a result, Genoa received permission to establish its branch in Constantinople in 1267 and expanded its influence considerably with further branches along the Black Sea coast ( Trebizond , Amastri , Vicina, Kilia , Kaffa and others). The Byzantine Empire lasted until it was conquered by the Ottomans in 1453.

literature

  • Peter Feldbauer / Gottfried Liedl / John Morrissey: Venice 800-1600. The Serenissima as a world power. Vienna 2010.
  • Hans-Jörg Gilomen : Economic History of the Middle Ages. Munich 2014.
  • Arne Karsten : History of Venice. Munich 2012.
  • Hermann children / Werner Hilgemann : dtv atlas world history. Volume 1: From the beginnings to the French Revolution. Munich (39) 2007.
  • Mario Meschini: 1204 L'Incompiuta. La IV crociata e le conquiste di Costantinopoli. Milan 2004.
  • Donald M. Nicol: The Last Centuries of Byzantium, 1261-1453. 2nd Edition. Cambridge 1993.
  • Manfred Pittioni: Genoa - the hidden world power. Vienna 2011.
  • Steven Runciman: History of the Crusades. Munich 2008.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Arne Karsten : History of Venice. Munich 2012. p. 30 ff.
  2. ↑ a b c Manfred Pittioni: Genoa - the hidden world power. Vienna 2011.
  3. ^ A b Hermann Kinder , Werner Hilgemann : dtv-Atlas Weltgeschichte. Volume 1: From the beginnings to the French Revolution. Munich (39) 2007. p. 207.