Thalassocracy

A thalassocracy is a Greek expression for a state whose realms are primarily marine – an empire at sea, such as the Phoenician network of merchant cities. In no traditional sense is a thalassocracy an "empire", with the state's territories linked principally or solely by the sealanes and scarcely penetrating the mainland interior, even in its home territories (for example: Tyre, Sidon, or Carthage). The term can also simply refer to naval supremacy in either military or commercial senses.

Related Topics:
Greek - State - Empire - Sea - Phoenicia - Sealane - Tyre - Sidon - Carthage

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The term (coming from the Greek thalassokrati?—"thalassa" meaning "sea", and "krati?" meaning "rule" or "government") was first used by ancient Greeks to describe the government of the Minoan civilization, whose power depended on its navy. Herodotus spoke of the need to counter the Phoenician thalassocracy by developing Greek "empire of the sea."

Related Topics:
Ancient Greeks - Minoan civilization - Navy - Herodotus

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More modern examples include the Republic of Venice, which was conventionally divided in the fifteenth century into the Dogado of Venice and the Lagoon, the Terrafirma of Venetian holdings in northern Italy, and the Mar of the Venetian outlands bound by the sea. The Dubrovnik Republic can also be accounted a "thalassocracy". The Portuguese Empire, Dutch empire, and the British Empire also started as thalassocracies, but they eventually acquired large land territories.

Related Topics:
Republic of Venice - Dubrovnik Republic - Portuguese Empire - Dutch empire - British Empire

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Other thalassocracies:

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• Crown of Aragon
• The Hanseatic League
• The Swedish Empire