other · Anatolia and the Levant
Lordship of Phocaea
Origins
In 1275 the Byzantine emperor Michael VIII granted Phocaea and its alum mines to the Genoese brothers Manuel and Benedetto Zaccaria. Alum, essential for fixing dyes in cloth, made the grant extremely valuable.
Rule and society
The Zaccaria built New Phocaea to protect the mines and dominated the European alum trade, shipping it to Flanders and Italy; Benedetto also took Chios in 1304. The colony employed local Greek labour and paid tribute to Turkish neighbours. The Byzantines retook Phocaea in 1340, but Genoese families, from the 1350s within the circle of the Maona of Chios and the Gattilusio, regained control and held it as Byzantine vassals.
Decline and legacy
After the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople, Mehmed II took Old and New Phocaea in 1455, ending Genoese control of the alum trade until new mines were found at Tolfa in Italy.
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (3)
- Lordship of Phocaea was a vassal of Byzantine Empire1275 CE – 1340 CE
- Lordship of Phocaea was part of Maona of Chios1358 CE – 1455 CE
- Lordship of Phocaea was conquered by Ottoman Empire1455 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Lordship of Phocaea. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lordship-of-phocaea
- MLA
- “Lordship of Phocaea.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lordship-of-phocaea. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Lordship of Phocaea.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lordship-of-phocaea.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Lordship of Phocaea’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lordship-of-phocaea (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻