Respuesta :
The answer is: Italy was already in control of the major routes to the east.
By the twelfth century, after the lessening of the Arab dominance, the Italian states of Pisa, Venice and Genoa started to control trade in the Mediterranean Sea. As a consequence, several Italian merchants became wealthy and powerful, such as Marco Polo. Following the Norman conquest of England, Italian merchants were also able to trade in the North Sea.