Tyrrhenian Sea, located west of Italy and Sicily.
After the Normans occupied Sicily, merchant fleets sailing through the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Church Court had to pay two types of taxes: one was a commercial tax for goods purchased from the Church Court, the other was a "sea protection fee" payable to the Normans.
If the local lords of their destination were particularly greedy, they might even have to pay a third tax. Such multi-layered exploitation nearly eradicated the trade of most inexpensive goods, leaving only one option:
That is, the global trade network of the Holy Temple Knights.
