The War of Curzola was fought 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 the

Republic of Genoa The Republic of Genoa ( lij, Repúbrica de Zêna ; it, Repubblica di Genova; la, Res Publica Ianuensis) was a medieval and early modern maritime republic from the 11th century to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast. During the Lat ...

due to increasing hostile relations between the two Italian republics. Spurred largely by a need for action following the commercially devastating

Fall of Acre The siege of Acre (also called the fall of Acre) took place in 1291 and resulted in the Crusaders losing control of Acre to the Mamluks. It is considered one of the most important battles of the period. Although the crusading movement continue ...

, Genoa and Venice were both looking for ways to increase their dominance in the

Eastern Mediterranean Eastern Mediterranean is a loose definition of the eastern approximate half, or third, of the Mediterranean Sea, often defined as the countries around the Levantine Sea. It typically embraces all of that sea's coastal zones, referring to communi ...

and

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...

. Following the expiration of a truce between the republics, Genoese ships continually harassed Venetian merchants in the

Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea ; tr, Ege Denizi (Greek language, Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος: "Egéo Pélagos", Turkish language, Turkish: "Ege Denizi" or "Adalar Denizi") is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It ...

. In 1295, Genoese raids on the Venetian quarter in

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 (" ...

further escalated the tensions, resulting in a formal declaration of war by the Venetians in the same year. A steep decline in Byzantine-Venetian relations, following the

Fourth Crusade The Fourth Crusade (1202–1204) was a Latin Christian armed expedition called by Pope Innocent III. The stated intent of the expedition was to recapture the Muslim-controlled city of Jerusalem, by first defeating the powerful Egyptian Ayyubid S ...

, resulted in

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

favouring the Genoese in the conflict. The Byzantines entered the war on the Genoan side. While the Venetians made swift advances into the Aegean and Black Seas, the Genoans exercised dominance throughout the war, finally besting the Venetians in the

Battle of Curzola The Battle of Curzola (today Korčula, southern Dalmatia, now in Croatia) was a naval battle fought on 9 September 1298 between the Genoese and Venetian navies. It was a disaster for Venice, a major setback among the many battles fought in th ...

in 1298, with a truce being signed the next year.

Background

The

in 1291 proved to be a devastating defeat both morally and militarily for Christians across western Europe. For Venice, however, the loss of the city was particularly tragic. Acre had had a significant Venetian population, and with the loss of the city, Venice had also lost a significant trade route for the transfer of eastern spices into Europe. This corresponds with the overall loss of the eastern spice trade in Europe during the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

as Muslim empires began to close off the tradition routes. Now unable to compete with Genoa, who were able to maintain their colonies in

Azov Azov (russian: Азов), previously known as Azak, is a town in Rostov Oblast, Russia, situated on the Don River just from the Sea of Azov, which derives its name from the town. Population: History Early settlements in the vicinity The mo ...

and

Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...

, Venice's economy was crippled. Since the

, Byzantine emperors continued to favour Genoa as a trading ally, rather than Venice. Because of this, by 1291, Genoa had the institutional power within the

to blockade Venetians from passing the Bosphorus Strait, completely barring their access to the

. All of these factors coalesced into consecutive Genoese attacks on Venetian merchants and convoys in the Aegean, as well as significant raiding on

Venetian Crete The Realm or Kingdom of Candia ( Venetian: ''Regno de Càndia'') or Duchy of Candia (Venetian: ''Dogado de Càndia'' ) was the official name of Crete during the island's period as an overseas colony of the Republic of Venice, from the initial V ...

. Now, with the blockade of the Bosphorus, the raiding on Crete and the attacks on Venetian merchants in the Aegean, and, in a final flurry of Genoese aggression, a raid on the Venetian quarter in

in 1295, followed with the arrest of the surviving Venetians by the Byzantine Emperor, Andronikos II Palaiologos (), the Venetians had no choice but to formally retaliate, declaring war on both entities in the same year.

Course of the War

Venice soon arranged a fleet of 40 war galleys. Captained by Roger Morosini, he sailed to Constantinople soon after the declaration of war and attempted to break the Genoese blockade. He soon captured the

Golden Horn The Golden Horn ( tr, Altın Boynuz or ''Haliç''; grc, Χρυσόκερας, ''Chrysókeras''; la, Sinus Ceratinus) is a major urban waterway and the primary inlet of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey. As a natural estuary that connects with t ...

, Constantinople's inner harbour, and began attempts to take the city, targeting all Genoese and Greek shipping moving through the harbour. Andronikos, remembering the Fourth Crusade and fearing he would lose the city, soon made peace with Venice, arranging for the release of all imprisoned Venetians and the swift return of their confiscated property. Another Venetian fleet soon departed, this time captained by

Giovanni Soranzo Giovanni Soranzo (born Burano, 1240 - died Venice, 31 December 1328) was a Venetian statesman of the prominent Soranzo family who served as the 51st Doge of Venice. He ascended to the position on 13 July 1312 and served until his death. Soranzo w ...

. The goal of this fleet was to attempt to actually break past the Genoan Bosphorus and get into the Black Sea itself. Soranzo was successful. He managed to break the blockade and sail into the Black Sea to

, capturing the large port of

Caffa uk, Феодосія, Теодосія crh, Kefe , official_name = () , settlement_type= , image_skyline = THEODOSIA 01.jpg , imagesize = 250px , image_caption = Genoese fortress of Caffa , image_shield = Fe ...

. The Genoese, however, were still determined to best the Venetians. From their still dominant position in the Aegean they began to launch several successful raids in the Adriatic itself, severely endangering Venetian supply lines. Finally, in 1298, the Genoans decisively engaged the Venetians off the coast of Curzola (modern

Korčula Korčula (, it, Curzola) is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea. It has an area of , is long and on average wide, and lies just off the Dalmatian coast. Its 15,522 inhabitants (2011) make it the second most populous Adriatic island after K ...

). In the

, the

Genoese navy The Genoese navy was the naval contingent of the Republic of Genoa's military. From the 11th century onward the Genoese navy protected the interests of the republic and projected its power throughout the Mediterranean and Black Seas. It played a ...

won a clear victory, managing to sink 65 of the Venetians' 95 vessels, killing 9,000 Venetians and capturing another 5,000. The next year, the Genoans and the Venetians arranged an uneasy treaty, putting an inconclusive end to the four year war.

References

Bibliography

* * {{Portal bar, Byzantine Empire, Greece, Middle Ages, War 1290s conflicts 1290s in Europe 13th century in the Republic of Genoa 13th century in the Republic of Venice 1290s in the Byzantine Empire Wars involving the Byzantine Empire Medieval Greece History of the Adriatic Sea 13th-century military history of Croatia History of Dalmatia