Page:The Fall of Constantinople.djvu/185

Rh revenue to the Church of St. Mark in Venice, and gave the Venetians a quarter with shops and bazaars in Constantinople in the choicest part of the Golden Horn, with considerable land, both in Constantinople and Durazzo. But these presents, though of great value, were not to be compared, says Anna Coninena, and rightly, with the privilege he conceded to them of free trade in all kinds of merchandise throughout the empire, with the exception of the Black Sea, without any payment whatever. The concession was so great that it was soon resented both by the merchants of Constantinople and by the other Italian states. Venice was sufficiently strong at sea to afford safer convoy to her merchant ships than any other state. To allow her merchandise to enter duty free and her ships to export what they liked without payment of duty was to give her almost a monopoly of trade. Hence, on the death of Alexis, it is not surprising to find that his son, John Comnenos (1118 to 1143), refused to confirm what was virtually the Venetian monopoly. Other influences, however, were at work, which caused the Venetians to be less anxious to preserve friendship with Constantinople than they had been. The Holy War against the infidels had been proclaimed by Pope Urban in 1095. Jerusalem had been captured in 1099, and Godfrey proclaimed king. The trade with Syria had become of great importance, and already commerce was beginning to take the direction of its ancient route through Egypt rather than through the Bosphorus. In 1124: John expelled the Venetians from the empire. In revenge they attacked Chios, Samos, and Rhodes, plundered them and captured many youths and maidens, whom they sold into slavery. A desultory war continued during two years, in the course of which each of the combatants inflicted serious injury on the other. In 1126 the war was brought to an end. The emperor declared himself willing to forget the WTongs which the republic had inflicted upon him in return for the promise given to