Editing Pisa (section)

===11th century===
{{Main article|Republic of Pisa}}
[[File:Pisa Map XI century b.C..jpg|thumb|left|300px|Hypothetical map of Pisa in the 11th century AD]]
The power of Pisa as a  maritime nation began to grow and reached its apex in the 11th century, when it acquired traditional fame as one of the four main historical [[maritime republics]] of Italy ({{lang|it|[[Repubbliche Marinare]]}}).

At that time, the city was a very important commercial centre and controlled a significant [[Mediterranean]] merchant fleet and navy. It expanded its powers in 1005 through the sack of {{lang|it|[[Reggio Calabria]]}} in the south of Italy. Pisa was in continuous conflict with some '[[Saracen]]s' - a medieval term to refer to Arab [[Muslim]]s - who had their bases in Corsica, for control of the Mediterranean. In 1017, [[Sardinia]]n [[Giudicati]] were militarily supported by Pisa, in alliance with Genoa, to defeat the Saracen King Mugahid, who had settled a logistic base in the north of Sardinia the year before. This victory gave Pisa supremacy in the [[Tyrrhenian Sea]]. When the Pisans subsequently ousted the Genoese from Sardinia, a new conflict and rivalry was born between these major marine republics. Between 1030 and 1035, Pisa went on to defeat several rival towns in Sicily and conquer [[Carthage]] in [[North Africa]]. In 1051–1052, the admiral Jacopo Ciurini conquered [[Corsica]], provoking more resentment from the Genoese. In 1063, Admiral Giovanni Orlandi, coming to the aid of the [[Normans|Norman]] [[Roger I of Sicily|Roger I]], took [[Palermo]] from the Saracen pirates. The gold treasure taken from the Saracens in Palermo allowed the Pisans to start the building of their cathedral and the other monuments which constitute the famous {{lang|it|[[Piazza del Duomo, Pisa|Piazza del Duomo]]}}.

In 1060, Pisa engaged in its first battle with [[Genoa]]. The Pisan victory helped to consolidate its position in the Mediterranean. [[Pope Gregory VII]] recognised in 1077 the new "Laws and customs of the sea" instituted by the Pisans, and emperor [[Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry IV]] granted them the right to name their own consuls, advised by a council of elders. This was simply a confirmation of the present situation, because in those years, the marquis had already been excluded from power. In 1092, [[Pope Urban II]] awarded Pisa the supremacy over Corsica and Sardinia, and at the same time raising the town to the rank of archbishopric.

Pisa sacked the [[Tunisia]]n city of [[Mahdia]] in 1088. Four years later, Pisan and Genoese ships helped [[Alfonso VI of Castilla]] to push [[El Cid]] out of [[Kingdom of Valencia|Valencia]]. A Pisan fleet of 120 ships also took part in the [[First Crusade]], and the Pisans were instrumental in the taking of [[Jerusalem]] in 1099.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Dietz |first=Frederick C. |date=1914 |title=Industry in Pisa in the Early Fourteenth Century |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1883626 |journal=The Quarterly Journal of Economics |volume=28 |issue=2 |pages=338–359 |doi=10.2307/1883626 |jstor=1883626 |issn=0033-5533}}</ref> On their way to the [[Holy Land]], the ships did not miss the occasion to sack some Byzantine islands; the Pisan crusaders were led by their archbishop [[Daibert]], the future [[Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem|patriarch of Jerusalem]]. Pisa and the other {{lang|it|Repubbliche Marinare}} took advantage of the crusade to establish trading posts and colonies in the Eastern coastal cities of the [[Levant]]. In particular, the Pisans founded colonies in [[Antioch]]ia, Acre, [[Jaffa]], [[Tripoli, Lebanon|Tripoli]], [[Tyre (Lebanon)|Tyre]], [[Latakia]], and Accone. They also had other possessions in [[Jerusalem]] and [[Caesarea Maritima|Caesarea]], plus smaller colonies (with lesser autonomy) in [[Cairo]], [[Alexandria]], and of course [[Constantinople]], where the [[Byzantine Emperor]] [[Alexius I Comnenus]] granted them special mooring and trading rights. In all these cities, the Pisans were granted privileges and immunity from taxation, but had to contribute to the defence in case of attack. In the 12th century, the Pisan quarter in the eastern part of Constantinople had grown to 1,000 people. For some years of that century, Pisa was the most prominent commercial and military ally of the Byzantine Empire, overcoming [[Venice]] itself.