republic · Italy

Republic of Pisa

1085 CE – 1406 CE (approx.) · capital Pisa

A Tuscan maritime republic that dominated the western Mediterranean in the 12th century and left the Piazza dei Miracoli with its famous leaning tower.

Origins

Pisan fleets attacked Muslim bases in Sardinia, Sicily and North Africa in the 11th century, and booty from a raid on Palermo in 1063 paid for the cathedral. Consuls governing the city are attested by 1085. Archbishop Daibert led a Pisan fleet in the First Crusade and became the first Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.

Rule and society

Pisa built trading quarters in Acre, Tyre, Constantinople and Alexandria, ruled much of Sardinia and Corsica, and conquered the Balearic Islands briefly in 1113–1115. Loyal to the emperors, it was a Ghibelline stronghold. Its merchants brought back Arabic learning: Leonardo Fibonacci's Liber Abaci of 1202 introduced Hindu-Arabic numerals to Europe. The cathedral square, with baptistery and bell tower begun in 1173, shows its wealth.

Decline and legacy

Genoa destroyed the Pisan fleet at Meloria in 1284, and the Kingdom of Aragon took Sardinia in 1324. Weakened by faction and the silting of its port, Pisa was sold to the Republic of Florence in 1405 and surrendered after a siege in 1406.

Connections (7)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Republic of Pisa. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/republic-of-pisa
MLA
“Republic of Pisa.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/republic-of-pisa. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Republic of Pisa.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/republic-of-pisa.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Republic of Pisa’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/republic-of-pisa (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻