The maritime republics or merchant republics were Italian port cities that were governed as Thalassocracies (states with mainly maritime realms, seaborne empires). These city-states emerged in the Middle Ages with political autonomy and brought economic wealth to their state through commercial maritime activities. The term maritime republics, however, was not coined until the 19th century, and generally always includes four Italian cities, Amalfi, Genoa, Pisa, and Venice. also included were Ancona, Gaeta, Noli, and, Ragusa on the Dalmatian Coast. As well as maritime activities, these republics had a major role in the Crusades. Famous explorers and navigators such as Marco Polo and Christopher Columbus came from maritime republics.
Noli was the smallest republic and its rise in stature was linked to the Crusades: its geographical location made it a leading port for the construction of ships and subsequent transport of men and provisions to the Holy Land. This gave Noli many privileges from the Christian sovereigns of Antioch and Jerusalem and as a result became very wealthy gaining complete independence in 1192, ratified officially in 1196 by Henry VI. However the Noli consuls decided to ally themselves adjacent and the much more powerful Republic of Genoa and in 1202 Noli became its protectorate, However when the Crusades ended, its importance as a shipbuilding centre diminished and the Noli workforce became fishermen. It became unique among the maritime republics in that it stopped being a seafaring state, yet retained its independence for another 400 years.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maritime_republics#:~:text=The%20term%2C%20coined%20during%20the,Genoa%2C%20Pisa%2C%20and%20Venice.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Noli
