The battle of Rapallo was a naval battle fought on 2 May 1495, during the

First Italian War First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

, between a fleet of the

Republic of Genoa The Republic of Genoa ( ; ; ) was a medieval and early modern Maritime republics, maritime republic from the years 1099 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italy, Italian coast. During the Late Middle Ages, it was a major commercial power in ...

under the command of Francesco Spinola and a French fleet under the command of Louis de Miolans. The French fleet, consisting of seven

galley A galley is a type of ship optimised for propulsion by oars. Galleys were historically used for naval warfare, warfare, Maritime transport, trade, and piracy mostly in the seas surrounding Europe. It developed in the Mediterranean world during ...

s, two

galleon Galleons were large, multi-decked sailing ships developed in Spain and Portugal. They were first used as armed cargo carriers by Europe, Europeans from the 16th to 18th centuries during the Age of Sail, and they were the principal vessels dr ...

s and two fuste, was attacked at dawn on 2 May by a Genoese squadron consisting of eight galleys, a

carrack A carrack (; ; ) is a three- or four- masted ocean-going sailing ship that was developed in the 14th to 15th centuries in Europe, most notably in Portugal and Spain. Evolving from the single-masted cog, the carrack was first used for Europea ...

and two

xebec A xebec ( or ), also spelled zebec, was a Mediterranean sailing ship that originated in the barbary states (Algeria), it was used mostly for trading. Xebecs had a long overhanging bowsprit and aft-set mizzen mast. The term can also refer to a ...

s, carrying six hundred infantrymen, at its moorings in

Rapallo Rapallo ( , , ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Genoa, in the Italy, Italian region of Liguria. As of 2017 it had 29,778 inhabitants. It lies on the Ligurian Sea coast, on the Tigullio Gulf, between Portofino and ...

, home to a French garrison since a battle fought there on the previous year. Only two of the French galleys were fully manned, the rest having detached part of their crews to reinforce the land garrison in the wrong assumption, furthered by false rumors deliberately spread by the Genoese, that the main attack would come from land. Exploiting the surprise thus achieved, the Genoese captured the entire French fleet and then landed troops under the command of Gian Ludovico Fieschi and Giovanni Adorno, which with the help of an uprising among the local population, recaptured Rapallo and forced the French garrison to surrender.T.Ossian De Negri, Storia di Genova, 1969Gianluca Bertozzi, La battaglia di RapalloMarin Sanudo il Giovane, La Spedizione di Carlo VIII in Italia
/ref>Enrico Cernuschi, Prima della battaglia di Fornovo ci fu quella di Rapallo, pp. 15-16 The destruction of the French fleet led to the capture, a few days later, of a convoy of twelve unescorted French

sailing vessel A sailing ship is a sea-going vessel that uses sails mounted on masts to harness the power of wind and propel the vessel. There is a variety of sail plans that propel sailing ships, employing square-rigged or fore-and-aft sails. Some ships ca ...

s, carrying

war booty Looting is the act of stealing, or the taking of goods by force, typically in the midst of a military, political, or other social crisis, such as war, natural disasters (where law and civil enforcement are temporarily ineffective), or rioting. ...

and prisoners captured during Charles VIII’s campaign in the

Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples (; ; ), officially the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was established by the War of the Sicilian Vespers (1282–1302). Until ...

; three hundred captive women kidnapped in

Campania Campania is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy located in Southern Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian Peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islan ...

were thus freed, and the booty taken by the French in Naples fell in Genoese hands, being later partly used to fund the construction of the

Basilica della Santissima Annunziata del Vastato The Basilica della Santissima Annunziata del Vastato is the Catholic cathedral of Genoa, northern Italy; its decoration employed the major baroque studios and artists in Genoa in the 17th century. It is named ''Vastato'' because the area where it ...

, while the rest was given as prize to the Genoese captains and crews. Among the items recovered were the bronze doors of

Castel Nuovo Castel Nuovo (; ; 'New Castle'), often called Maschio Angioino (; ; ' Angevin Keep'), is a medieval castle located in front of Piazza Municipio and the city hall ( Palazzo San Giacomo) in central Naples, Campania, Italy. Its scenic location and ...

, which were returned to the Neapolitans and which still bear the signs of damage caused by the battle.Italo Cammarata, Il giovin Signore di Novi prigioniero nel Castello di Ischia The loss of the logistical support of his fleet in the

Tyrrhenian Sea The Tyrrhenian Sea (, ; or ) , , , , is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy. It is named for the Tyrrhenians, Tyrrhenian people identified with the Etruscans of Italy. Geography The sea is bounded by the islands of C ...

contributed to hasten Charles VIII's decision to withdraw from Naples and return to France.

References

{{coord missing, Italy 1495 in Europe Rapallo 1495 Rapallo 1495 Rapallo 1495 Rapallo 1495 15th century in the Republic of Genoa

Italian War of 1494–1495