Alternative Maritime Republics

This might not count, but I would suggest splato (Dalmatia), for https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diocletian%27s_Palace. It was a pretty safe location to conduct trade around, and if the aqueduct was restored, splato could have grown into a proper merchant city (instead of a Venetian colony as otl)

In actual Italy, I suggest Ravenna (its port would have to be re-dredged), Naples (going merchant route instead of kingdom route), Brisindi, Taranto, Aquelia (old roman city that could have been rebuilt, but wasn't), and Reggio de calabaria.

In the Mediterranean outside Italy I suggest Marseilles, Barcelona, Valencia, Palermo, Tunis (could be settled by Europeans, the Spanish did control it for a long time otl but did very little with it), Dyrrachium[durres] (merchant republic of eprius for the WIN), Thessaloniki (would need kickstarting, probably started by crusaders but continued after they leave?), Antioch (same as Thessaloniki), and Alexandria (same as Thessaloniki).

Many of these are probably asb, but I threw everything I had into there, so you could probably make use of something:cool:. Most of the merchant republics controlled very little outside their main city, so I don't think I need to explain what they control. (but if you do want me to, feel free to ask)

I challenge someone to make a tl off of this somehow:D.
 
Well, Ragusa is typically included in lists of maritime and merchant republics, so I'm completely down with Splato. I'm actually asking because I'm looking at doing an EU4 run as a custom merchant republic - Genoa and Venice just aren't doing it for me - and I need some ideas :) I'm actually really happy you included possible crusader states, that leaves me with plenty of potential for custom states or mods. I should definitely work on a TL for it though :p

Genoa and Venice historically held land outside their cities, typically to benefit their trade routes. Corsica, Dalmatia, Pontenegro, Kaffa, Azov, etc, etc. Certainly some of these republics that would be taking their place would as well. A rebuilt Ravenna would probably consider itself pretty Roman, having been the Western capital for a good part of the fifth century, depending on how we split the timelne, and I have no doubts it would clash with Byzantium, Turkey, and the Pope over ports in Greece, Africa, the Levant and Italy.

Malta could probably do well if the Knights of St. John went in a different direction, but Split is probably the best option :)
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maritime_republics

What other, non-historical trade empires could theoretically exist in mid-15th century Italy, what lands would they control and what ports would their trade go through abroad?

Funny, studying this for an exam.

If you stop the Normans from conquering Southern Italy, and keep the byzantines weak enough to annex anything South of Rome, you might get cities like Amalfi and Naples to take the place of Genoa or Pisa.

Southern italian cities were aborted city states, and were developing already in the X century.

You would always have Venice around, but with a more dynamic Southern Italy. Venice will probably get a foothold in Apulia, if the byzzies are weak enough, or if the byzantines "aknowledge" venetian presence in the adriatic.

You would end up with either maritime republics or a land divided between "colonial powers" of the era, if it doesn't give birth to a kingdom.
 
There's always Amalfi. It was a maritime republic IOTL but was conquered by the Normans in their campaigns in southern Italy. I'm sure there's a way for it to survive and remain a maritime state. Other than that Syracuse or Palermo would be interesting. If you're willing to consider cities in the Meditterranean but outside Italy most of the cities fo the North African coast would make for a suitable maritime republic. Actually they sort of were IOTL. The Barbary pirates/corsairs and the Barbary Coast were famous for a reason. Tunis, Tripoli, Mahdia, Algiers, Oran, the island of Djerba, and, if you want something a bit different, Rabat could all make it as maritime republics. They've got decent ports and can be active in trade, and raiding, war, and conquest too for that matter, and they'll control access to commodities arriving from West Africa across the Sahara. So they have the economic potential. The only difficult bit is getting them under a republican form of government but even that wouldn't be that difficult as there're plenty of potential POD's.
 
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