Page:The Fall of Constantinople.djvu/181

 THE ITALIAN COLONIES. 103 tians already settled at Galata. We have already seen that the people of Constantinople complained that the Latins had be- come possessed of the best business sites in the cit}^, and those who know the localities I liave mentioned will recognize that this complaint was not made without reason. Besides the Latin colonies already named, there was one of Anconians sufhciently numerous to possess its own church. Another, con- sisting of Ragusans, who were probably mostly Shxvs, had ac- quired the privileges of citizensliip in Constantinople in re- turn for aid which they had rendered against Venice. AVe have already seen how these foreign colonies were governed. I may add here that the ambassador was usually the ruler of the colony from the state which he represented, that he took counsel on all important matters with the jpvu- dentes viri of the community, and that when the century closed each such community had, in addition to its political minister, officers who acted under various names as judges and govern- ors. Each colony was regarded as so far prosperous that it had to send revenues home to the parent state, the Amalfians sending also tribute to St. Mark's at Venice. Italian commerce in Constantinople had during the twelfth century become of great importance both to the among the Italian statcs, to the empire, and to Europe. But colouics * during the second half of that century there ex- isted a considerable amount of jealousy between the empire and the rising commercial states of Italy. Constantinople, during many years, was the battle-ground of the vigorous Italian states, much as India was between the English and other European peoples during the last century. These states were now nearly independent of all external control, and made war and treaties with each other like the cities of old G-reece. The traders of Constantinople were naturally impatient of commercial rivals who were rapidly depriving them of busi- ness which had been exclusively in their own hands, and were Paspati for many hints on the topography of the city. Heyd's " Ge- schichte des Levnnte-Handels im MittclalteiV 1879, is the great authority on trade during the period with which I am concerned.