 The Venetian and Genoese merchants paid visits to Trebizond during the medieval period and sold silk, linen and woolen fabric.Both republics had merchant colonies within the city – Leonkastron and the former 'Venetian castle' – that played a role to Trebizond similar to the one Galata played to Constantinople (modern Istanbul).Trabzon formed the basis of several states in its long history and was the capital city of the Empire of Trebizond between 1204 and 1461.