The naval Battle of the Gulf of Naples took place on 5 June 1284 in the south of the

Gulf of Naples The Gulf of Naples (), also called the Bay of Naples, is a roughly 15-kilometer-wide (9.3 mi) gulf located along the south-western coast of Italy ( province of Naples, Campania region). It opens to the west into the Mediterranean Sea. I ...

, Italy, when an Aragonese-Sicilian

galley A galley is a type of ship that is propelled mainly by oars. The galley is characterized by its long, slender hull, shallow draft, and low freeboard (clearance between sea and gunwale). Virtually all types of galleys had sails that could be u ...

fleet commanded by

Roger of Lauria Roger of Lauria (''c''. 1245 – 17 January 1305) was a Neapolitan admiral in Aragonese service, who was the commander of the fleet of the Crown of Aragon during the War of the Sicilian Vespers. He was probably the most successful and tal ...

defeated a Neapolitan galley fleet commanded by Charles of Salerno (later

Charles II of Naples Charles II, also known as Charles the Lame (french: Charles le Boiteux; it, Carlo lo Zoppo; 1254 – 5 May 1309), was King of Naples, Count of Provence and Forcalquier (1285–1309), Prince of Achaea (1285–1289), and Count of Anjou and Mai ...

) and captured Charles."Castellemmare"
''A manual of dates'', George Henry Townsend, Warne, 1867 Charles' Genoese allies had collected several large fleets of galleys, and Lauria determined to attack Charles' galleys which were at

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adm ...

before these could join them and hunt down Lauria. He used the cover of darkness to arrive off Naples, where he made several raids ashore to try to tempt Charles out where he could be fought. On the night before the battle, Lauria captured two Provençal galleys sent ahead by Charles' ally and father

Charles I of Naples Charles I (early 1226/12277 January 1285), commonly called Charles of Anjou, was a member of the royal Capetian dynasty and the founder of the second House of Anjou. He was Count of Provence (1246–85) and Forcalquier (1246–48, 1256–85) ...

who was heading south from Genoa. Charles had definite orders to stay in port and wait for his allies, but his impetuousness overcame his initial reluctance and after Lauria's galleys approached closely the Neapolitans came out in single file and chased them in a disorganised manner southward. Lauria feigned retreat and kept ahead of them until he drew close to ten or so galleys he had left near Castellammare, then turned and formed a crescent formation, with the galleys that had joined at the rear, and attacked Charles' fleet from the sides, where galleys were the most vulnerable. Charles' fifteen to eighteen Regno galleys fled back to Naples, leaving the nine to thirteen French-crewed galleys to be captured. Charles' galley was the last to be captured, and surrendered only when Lauria sent divers overboard in order to sink it. Charles was kept prisoner until

Edward I of England Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a va ...

intervened in 1288.

Ships involved

;Aragon-Sicily (Roger of Lauria) *about 29 galleys *some transports *some small vessels ;Neapolitans (Charles of Salerno) *15–18 galleys of the Kingdom of Naples *9–13 French-crewed galleys *(about 28 galleys total, possibly more)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Battle Of The Gulf Of Naples

1284 in Europe 13th century in the Kingdom of Naples 13th century in the Kingdom of Sicily Conflicts in 1284 Charles I of Anjou