Niccolò Pisani (

fl. ''Floruit'' (; abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for "they flourished") denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indicatin ...

1350–1354) was a Venetian admiral renowned for his victories during the 14th Century War of the Straits between the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...

and its rival Italian republic,

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...

.Niccolo Pisani (Venetian admiral) - ''Encyclopædia Britannica''
/ref> In 1350, when a centuries-long feud between Venice and Genoa erupted again into open war, the

Venetian doge The Doge of Venice ( ; vec, Doxe de Venexia ; it, Doge di Venezia ; all derived from Latin ', "military leader"), sometimes translated as Duke (compare the Italian '), was the chief magistrate and leader of the Republic of Venice between 726 ...

Andrea Dandolo Andrea Dandolo (13067 September 1354) was elected the 54th doge of Venice in 1343, replacing Bartolomeo Gradenigo who died in late 1342. Early life Trained in historiography and law, Andrea Dandolo studied at the University of Padua, where ...

, gave the experienced Pisani command of the city's main fleet. Pisani was dispatched in 1352 to engage the Genoan navy, commanded by his counterpart and rival

Paganino Doria Paganino Doria was an Italian admiral from the prominent Republic of Genoa, Genoese Doria family. He was the victorious head of the Genoese navy, Genoese naval forces in the conflict between the Republic of Genoa to Venice in the middle of the 14th ...

, near

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

. There, Pisani won a victory in a brutal battle against the Genoans at the Bosphorus. However, this victory proved indecisive, as Venetian losses were so great they were unable to continue the assault. Pisani later inflicted another devastating blow by wiping out a Genoese fleet off

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...

.Crowley, Roger (2011), ''City of Fortune: How Venice Rules the Seas'', Random House, Pisani's distinguished career came to an end when Doria won a crushing victory over him at Porto Longo in 1354. While Pisani survived and escaped, the defeat would haunt him for the rest of his life. Only five of the approximately 40 galleys under his command escaped the battle, and Venice itself was only spared by a peace imposed on the two republics by the Duke of Milan. While the usual punishment for a Venetian admiral responsible for such a disaster would be death, Pisani's previous victories and popularity with the common people of the city earned him some clemency. However, Pisani was banned from holding future office and sentenced to six months in prison for his role in the catastrophe. Niccolò's son,

Vettor Pisani Vettor Pisani (132413 August 1380) was a Venetian admiral. He was in command of the Venetian fleet in 1378 during the war against the Genoese, whom he defeated off Capo d'Anzio; subsequently he recaptured Cattaro, Sebenico and Arbe, which had ...

, was with him at Porto Longo, and would go on to command the Venetian navy more than two decades later in another war with the Genoese. After several reversals during the campaign, Vettor would play a key role in the ultimate Venetian victory at

Chioggia Chioggia (; vec, Cióxa , locally ; la, Clodia) is a coastal town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Venice in the Veneto region of northern Italy. Geography The town is situated on a small island at the southern entrance to the L ...

References

Year of birth missing Year of death missing Republic of Venice admirals Medieval admirals People of the Venetian–Genoese wars 14th-century Venetian people Pisani family {{Italy-mil-bio-stub