The northern part of Italy saw the long-standing influence of the German emperor.
The Crusades weakened Byzantium and allowed Venice and Genoa to carry out trade operations with the East smoothly.
From Italian cities, exotic and luxury goods were then sold to the rest of Europe. Venetian ships connected Egypt with the Baltic. Florence, too, was developing at a rapid rate, thanks in large part to the strong lumber and textile industry.
Knowledge and culture were also transmitted to the ships.
Groups of learned Greeks who were eager to expand their knowledge in the newly opened universities of Bologna and Florence, as well as in the rich monastery libraries and scripts, came to Byzantium from Italy.
