Relations between the Byzantines and Italians

he relations between the Byzantines and the Italian merchants were strained during the entire late Byzantine period. The Byzantines were no longer able to control the activities of the Italians as they had done in the previous period. Often, the emperors, seeing their economic power decrease, attempted to restrain the Italians, however for various reasons they were obliged to concede privileges, which of course only served to strengthen Italian trade.

Initially, by the treaty of Nymphaion in 1261, Michael VIII granted many privileges to the Genoese in his effort to recover Constantinople. Later circumstances allowed the Venetians also to engage in commercial activites freely, without levies and duties. Between Byzantium and Venice, however, various problems arose, such as that of the imposition of the kommerkion or the question concerning the sale of wheat. Theoretically, these problems were solved by the treaty of 1324-25. There followed a period of peaceful relations between Byzantium and Venice, even though transgressions continued on both sides, but the problems reappeared in the second half of the century. Venice's hostility towards Byzantium until the beginning of the 14th century made any effort to improve the relations between the two states very difficult. Thus, while relations with Venice were already strained from the time of Michael VIII, relations with Genoa were generally more amicable up to the period of the reign of Andronikos II. Later on, during the reign of Andronikos III and John Kantakouzenos, disputes arose between Byzantium and Genoa when these emperors attempted to curb the power of the Genoese.

As the history of these last three centuries shows, the Byzantine emperors alternately made overtures to the Genoese or the Venetians, depending on the needs of the Byzantine state.