Sea battle at Curzola
Location of the island of Korčula in the Adriatic Sea
| date | September 8, 1298 |
|---|---|
| place | near the island of Korčula |
| output | Genoese victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| 78 ships | 98 ships |
| losses | |
|
unknown |
7,000 dead, 7,500 prisoners, 84 ships lost. |
The sea battle at Curzola was fought on September 7, 1298 between the fleets of Venice and Genoa near the Dalmatian island of Korčula in the Adriatic Sea during the Curzola War . The Venetian fleet was under the command of Andrea Dandolo and was defeated by the Genoese under Admiral Lamba Doria , who was able to decide the battle in his favor with a surprise maneuver from his reserves.
background
In the Middle Ages, the four so-called “ maritime republics ” (“repubbliche marinare”) of Venice, Genoa, Pisa and Amalfi emerged in Italy .
First they fought, sometimes together, against the Saracens , Moors and other Muslim powers that made the Mediterranean and especially the coasts of Italy unsafe. They also took part in the Crusades and gradually built up a dense network of trading posts throughout the Mediterranean, making them wealthy and ruling the Mediterranean at different times.
Since they operated primarily economically, but also militarily in the same area, a strong competitive relationship between the four republics soon developed. The sometimes intense tensions erupted repeatedly in bloody wars.
The Maritime Republic of Pisa had eliminated its adversary Amalfi as early as the 12th century. On August 6, 1284, Pisa was definitively defeated by its rival Genoa in the naval battle near Meloria and soon left the concert of the sea powers.
The naval battle of Curzola was one of the many battles between the two remaining Italian naval powers of the Middle Ages, Genoa and Venice. Genoa was initially more powerful, but was unhappy under the Venetians in the Chioggia War (1378-1381). Like the Republic of Venice, the Republic of Genoa, after having existed for a thousand years, was defeated by Napoleon at the end of the 18th century .
An armistice had existed between the two cities since 1270, which allowed Genoa to throw Pisa out of the running and, like Venice, to concentrate on the oriental trade, which is so important for all of Europe. Genoa had interests and trading establishments in the Black Sea , from where trade was carried out via Persia and Central Asia to the legendary Cathay (China) and was thus in direct competition with Venice ( Marco Polo ).
Relations between Genoa and Venice deteriorated as early as 1291, and open fighting broke out again two years later. Seven Genoese merchant ships were seized by four Venetian galleys , whereupon Genoa dispatched ambassadors to resolve the conflict. After the diplomacy failed, another war broke out, which was decided by the sea battle at Curzola.
Course of the battle
In mid-August 1298, 78 galleys left the port of Genoa under Admiral Lamba Doria . They first crossed the Ionian coast of Greece and then penetrated the Adriatic Sea, which was ruled by Venice, where they haunted the coasts of Dalmatia (then Venetian property). Off one of the islands there, Curzola (Croatian Korčula), the Genoese fleet encountered 98 Venetian galleys on September 7, 1298 under the command of Andrea Dandolo.
Lamba Doria initially delayed the fight to study the opponent and the wind conditions. The Venetians interpreted this as cowardice, but the next morning there was a fight.
Doria initially stayed close to the coast in order to avoid being encircled and to benefit from the easterly wind with which he attacked the Venetians. The Genoese broke into the accurately aligned Venetian battle formation, where bitter and changeable fighting broke out.
As in the sea battle at Meloria, the Genoese had formed a reserve a little way off (probably the evening before or during the night), which Doria had to intervene at the crucial moment. The fighting was fought with the utmost brutality on both sides, but eventually the Genoese prevailed and even captured the Venetian flagship . The captured Admiral Andrea Dandolo is said to have responded to the shame of defeat with suicide by banging his head against a mast, to which he was tied by the Genoese, until he died. According to other sources, and more likely, he should have died during the battle.
The Venetians lost 84 ships, 18 of which were brought to Genoa as spoils of war. 7,000 Venetians were killed and 7,500 were taken prisoner. The Genoese casualty figures are said to have been higher than those of the Venetians, but there is no clear evidence for this.
The most famous Venetian prisoner was Marco Polo, who wrote his travelogues about Asia and the Far East (" Il Milione ") while in Genoese captivity .
consequences
After Genoa had crushed Pisa in 1284 and eliminated it as a competitor, it reached the climax of its power with the naval victory of Curzola, which would remain unchallenged until the end of the 14th century. Lamba Doria received a palace in Genoa for his victory. Internally, the fighting between the Guelphs and Ghibellines in Genoa had an increasingly negative impact.
In contrast to Pisa, Venice could not be thrown off course. It tried to further consolidate its possessions and trade, and vigorously armed its armed forces. While Genoa was eroding from the inside, Venice drew new strength for the fight against Genoa, which the Venetians in the Chioggia War were only able to win with luck.
literature
- Franz Kurowski : But Genoa was more powerful. History of a sea power. Pawlak, Herrsching 1990, ISBN 3-88199-684-2 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Frances Wood : Marco Polo did not get to China . Secker & Warburg, London 1995, ISBN 3-492-03886-7 .