Vettor Pisani (132413 August 1380) was a Venetian admiral.

Career

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 been seized by the

Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars, are an Ethnicity, ethnic group native to Hungary (), who share a common Culture of Hungary, culture, Hungarian language, language and History of Hungary, history. They also have a notable presence in former pa ...

, the allies of the Genoese. But the Genoese fleet completely defeated Pisani at Pola in May 1379, and on his return to Venice he was thrown into prison. The Genoese then pressed home their victory, and besieged and captured

Chioggia Chioggia (; , ; ) is a coastal town and (municipality) of the Metropolitan City of Venice in the Veneto region of northern Italy. Geography The town is located on a small island at the southern entrance to the Venetian Lagoon about sou ...

, whereby Venice itself was in danger. The people thereupon demanded the liberation of Pisani, in whose skill they had the fullest confidence. The government gave way and appointed the aged commander admiral of the fleet once more. Through his able strategy and daring he recaptured Chioggia, defeated the Genoese and threatened Genoa itself until that republic agreed to peace terms. Pisani died in 1380 while on his way to

Manfredonia Manfredonia () is a town and Comune, commune of Apulia, Italy, in the province of Foggia, from which it is northeast by rail. Manfredonia is situated on the coast, facing east, to the south of Monte Gargano, and gives its name to the Gulf of Manf ...

with a squadron to ship provisions. He is buried in the Basilica of San Giovanni e Paolo, Venice. Several ships have borne his name, including ''Vettor Pisani'', an

armored cruiser The armored cruiser was a type of warship of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was designed like other types of cruisers to operate as a long-range, independent warship, capable of defeating any ship apart from a pre-dreadnought battles ...

built in the 1890s and the submarine ''Vettor Pisani'', which operated during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. A statue of him is #14 at the Prato della valle,

Padua Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice and southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of 20 ...

. His home in Venice is believed to have been in a building which is now part of the Hotel Saturnia.

References

* Roger Crowley, ''City of Fortune - How Venice Won and lost a Naval Empire'', Faber and Faber, London, 2011 * Vittorio Lazzarini, ''La morte e il monumento di Vettor Pisani'', in the Nuovo archivio veneto, vol., xi., pt. ii. (1896).

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pisani, Vettor 1324 births 1380 deaths Republic of Venice admirals 14th-century Venetian people People from Manfredonia Medieval admirals People of the War of Chioggia Pisani family People who died at sea Burials at Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice