page_title: Byzantine–Genoese War (1348–1349)
section_title: The conflict
hierarchical_section_title: Byzantine–Genoese War (1348–1349) / The conflict
caption_attribution_description: English: Topographical map of Constantinople during the Byzantine period. Main map source: R. Janin, Constantinople Byzantine. Developpement urbain et repertoire topographique. Road network and some other details based on Dumbarton Oaks Papers 54; data on many churches, especially unidentified ones, taken from the University of New York's The Byzantine Churches of Istanbul project. Other published maps and accounts of the city have been used for corroboration. Български: Топографска карта на Константинопол (Цариград) през византийския период. Източник: R. Janin, Constantinople Byzantine. Developpement urbain et repertoire topographique. Пътната мрежа и някои други детайли се основават на Dumbarton Oaks Papers 54 и други публикувани източници. Deutsch: Topografische Karte Konstantinopels während des byzantinischen Zeitraums. Quelle: R. Janin, Constantinople Byzantine. Developpement urbain et repertoire topographique. Straßennetz und andere Einzelheiten basiert auf Dumbarton Oaks Papers 54. Kirchen, insb. nicht identifizierte und ausgegrabene Bauten sind aus dem The Byzantine Churches of Istanbul entnommen. Andere herausgegebenen Quellen wurden behilfsmäßig gebraucht. Ελληνικά: Τοπογραφικός χάρτης Κωνσταντινουπόλεως κατά τη Βυζαντινή περίοδο. Βασική πηγή χάρτη: R. Janin, Constantinople Byzantine. Developpement urbain et repertoire topographique. Το οδικό δίκτυο και διάφορες άλλες λεπτομέρειες με βάση το Dumbarton Oaks Papers 54. Πληροφορίες για τις εκκλησίες, ιδιαίτερα τις μη ταυτοποιημένες, από την ιστοσελίδα The Byzantine Churches of Istanbul του Πανεπιστημίου της Νέας Υόρκης. Although I've striven to make this map as complete and correct as possible, there may be some errors or omissions. Any corrections &amp; suggestions are welcome.
context_page_description: The Byzantine–Genoese War of 1348–1349 was fought over control over custom dues through the Bosphorus. The Byzantines attempted to break their dependence for food and maritime commerce on the Genoese merchants of Galata, and also to rebuild their own naval power. Their newly constructed navy however was captured by the Genoese, and a peace agreement was concluded.
context_section_description: In order to regain control of the custom duties, the emperor John VI Kantakouzenos made preparations to lower Constantinople's duties and most tariffs to undercut the Genoese in Galata. Still recovering from the civil war of 1341–1347, the emperor, with great difficulty, raised 50,000 hyperpyra from private sources (as the state treasury was empty) for a shipbuilding program for the expected war to come. When the tariffs and custom duties were finally lowered, merchant shipping coming through the strait bypassed Genoese Galata and diverted their ships across the Golden Horn to Byzantine Constantinople.
  The Genoese, financially hard-hit from this policy, declared war on the Empire, and in August 1348, a flotilla of ships sailed across the Horn and attacked the Byzantine fleet; despite their large scale preparations, the Byzantine fleet was destroyed by early 1349. The Byzantines retaliated by burning wharves and warehouses along the shore and catapulted stones and burning bales of hay into Galata, setting major parts of the city on fire. After several weeks of fighting, plenipotentiaries from Genoa came and negotiated a peace agreement. The Genoese agreed to pay a war indemnity of 100,000 hyperpyra and evacuated the land behind Galata which they illegally occupied; last, they promised never to attack Constantinople. In return the Byzantines surrendered nothing, but the Genoese custom duties remained in effect.
caption: Map of Byzantine Constantinople, with Galata at the center-top.
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