Answer:
Venice
Step-by-step explanation:
During the Middle Ages, Venice became very wealthy thanks to trade with the East. Due to its location in the center of the Mediterranean Sea and its status as an independent state, Venice had access to the Markets of the Byzantine Empire and Eastern Europe. But it was the conquest of Constantinople and the Crusades in the Middle East which granted it access to the markets and trade networks of Asia, including the Silk Road, India, and China. This way, the Republic of Venice became an important commercial empire in Europe and also a relevant naval power in the Mediterranean Sea since the development of the Venetian naval industry with commercial goals.