The history of the Italian community in Constantinople illustrates another aspect of globalization: a sizable group of foreigners came to a city to do business, established households (often with local women), and thoroughly antagonized everyone around them. The trouble all began in 1081, a decade after the defeat at Manzikert, when the Byzantine emperor asked the Venetian merchants in Constantinople for help fighting the Normans in Albania. At this time, several Italian republics were extremely prosperous and commanded powerful armies, and the Venetians were the wealthiest of all. In exchange
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