Page:The history of medieval Europe.djvu/391

 CHAPTER XVIII THE ITALIAN CITIES The Italian cities were the first to become prominent; they were the largest in wealth and in population; and they won the completest independence and self- conditions government. Conditions in Italy for several favoring centuries were favorable to the growth of inde- pendent de- pendent city-states. First, the struggle for the velo P ment peninsula between the Lombards and the Byzantine Empire gave coast settlements like Gaeta, Amain, Naples, and Venice the chance to develop their own government under their local dukes, and to protect themselves from the in- vaders by their own fleets, while still nominally professing allegiance to the Byzantine Empire. Second, when Charle- magne's empire first weakened and then dissolved, the towns of northern Italy or Lombardy were left pretty much to themselves under the rule of their bishops who had in general succeeded in displacing the lay counts. Third, during the investiture struggle Henry IV and sometimes Gregory VII granted the towns privileges in order to secure their support. Thus the maritime laws of Pisa were ap- proved by the pope in 1075 and again in 1 081 by the emperor. Finally, as we shall see, the protracted strife of popes and Hohenstaufen emperors gave the cities the oppor- tunity to make good their complete independence. Moreover, Italy was well situated to control trade be- tween the eastern and southern Mediterranean and the west and north of Europe. Therefore, as Con- Growing stantinople lost its hold on the coasts of the^ Italian western Mediterranean and was also driven coast Clties from the island of Sicily and the Adriatic Sea, it lost much of its trade and its place was taken by western ports such as Pisa, Genoa, and Venice. These three cities early displayed their enterprise and sea power; Venice, under the Doge