 Carthage was founded by the king of Tyre who had a royal monopoly on this trading venture.Thus it was the royal authority stemming from this traditional source of power that the King of Carthage possessed.Later, as other Phoenician ship companies entered the trading region, and so associated with the city-state, the King of Carthage had to keep order among a rich variety of powerful merchants in their negotiations among themselves and over risky commerce across the Mediterranean.