The Black Sea, where the Genoese had a special interest, gave access to the Balkans, Asia Minor, the Caucasus, and the lands of the Rus’. During the eleventh century, Pisan merchants took a keen interest in the ports of north Africa, and Pisan ships sent troops to sack both Carthage and Mahdia to attempt to permanently yoke them to Pisa’s rule. Meanwhile, traders from a fourth Italian city-republic, Amalfi, could also be found in most major Mediterranean ports,
