Genoa: History

An ancient town of the Ligures, Genoa flourished under Roman rules. Around 10th century it became a free commune governed by consuls. Its maritime power increased steadily. Helped by Pisa, Genoa drove (11th cent.) the Arabs from Corsica and Sardinia. Rivalry over control of Sardinia resulted in long wars with Pisa; Genoa finally triumphed in the naval battle of Meloria (1284).

The Crusades brought Genoa great wealth, and the republic acquired possessions and trading privileges in areas from Spain to Crimea. Genoa's expansion and its military defence were largely financed by a group of merchants who in 1408 organized a powerful bank, the Banco San Giorgio.

Genoese policy in eastern Mediterranean clashed with the ambitious of Venice, and long wars resulted, ending with the peace of Turin (1381), which slightly favoured Venice. Meanwhile the Genoese republic was weakened by a factional strife between Guelphs and Ghibellines, between nobles and the popular party. In 1339 the first doge (chief magistrate) for life was elected.

As Genoa gradually gained control of the cities of Liguria, it lost its outlying possessions. Rival factions in the city resorted to foreign aid. From the late 14th to the 16th cent., France and Milan in turn controlled the city, although nominal independence was preserved.

The power of Genoa was revived by the seaman and statesman Andrea Doria, who wrote a new constitution in 1528; the conspiracy (1547) of the Fieschi family against his dictatorship failed. Later the city came under Spanish, French and Austrian control. The Austrian were expelled by a popular uprising in 1746, but in 1768 Genoa had to cede Corsica, its last outlying possession, to France. In 1797, French military pressure resulted in the end of aristocratic rule and the formation of the Ligurian republic, which Napoleon I formally annexed to France in 1805.

The Congress of Vienna (1814) united Genoa and Liguria with the kingdom of Sardinia. During the unification era, Genoa was a base for radical thought. Mazzini, one of the main protagonists in Italy's unification was born here, and in 1860 Garibaldi set sail for Sicily with his "Thousand" from Genoa.