Genoese Navy

The Genoese navy (Italian: Marineria genovese), also known as the Genoese fleet, was the naval contingent of the Republic of Genoa's military. From the 11th century onward the Genoese navy protected the interests of the republic and projected it's power throughout the Mediterranean Sea. The navy declined in power after the 16th century, periodically coming under the control of foreign powers, and was finally disbanded following the annexation of Genoa by the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont in 1815.

A center of trade since antiquity, the city of Genoa relied heavily on income from merchant shipping. Piracy posed a massive threat to the city's merchants, who were forced to pay soldiers to defend their ships. The city was likewise vulnerable to attack, a fact made apparent when in 935 a fleet led by Ya'qub ibn Ishaq al-Tamimi of the Fatimids sacked the city. The Muslim incursion spurred the city to build up strong harbor defenses and renewed interest in an armed merchant marine. In 1005 the Republic of Genoa was established and the city was granted the status of Imperial City by the Holy Roman Empire. The new government was headed by a consul who would be elected every few years by the wealthiest merchant and landowners in the city. The young republic was as such dominated by the needs and desires of the merchant houses, and the navy was given a place of high importance in the new Thalassocracy. A High Admiral was appointed, and with the government coordinating the navy, Genoese traders and merchants came to dominate the Ligurian Sea in the 11th century. The city-state was considered one of the four Repubbliche Marinare in Italy alongside Venice, Pisa, and Amalfi. However, the early fleet lacked dedicated warships and was relegated to guarding the trade of the great merchant houses of Genoa, who continued to dominate the republic. In an effort to suppress piracy, the fleet was occasionally deployed to fight against Muslim corsairs from Aghlabid in North Africa. After decades of disorder caused by the Norman conquest of southern Italy, the Genoese navy briefly captured the city of Mahdia in 1087.

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