The
Ottoman–Venetian War of 1499–1503 refers to the naval battles between the
Ottoman Empire and the
Republic of Venice for the control of lands that were contested between the two parties in the
Aegean Sea,
Ionian Sea and the
Adriatic Sea.
The first of these clashes, the
Battle of Zonchio, was the first naval battle in history with cannons used on ships. The Turks, under the command of Admiral
Kemal Reis, were victorious in these conflicts and forced the Venetians to finally recognize the Ottoman gains in 1503, after Turkish cavalry raids reached Venetian territory in
Northern Italy.
The war
1499
In January 1499, Kemal Reis set sail from
Istanbul with a force of 10
galleys and 4 other types of ships, and in July 1499 met with the huge Ottoman fleet which was sent to him by Davud Pasha and took over its command in order to wage a large-scale war against the
Republic of Venice. The Ottoman fleet consisted of 67 galleys, 20
galliots and circa 200 smaller vessels. In August 1499, Kemal Reis defeated the Venetian fleet under the command of
Antonio Grimani at the
Battle of Zonchio (also known as the Battle of Sapienza or the First Battle of Lepanto). It was the first naval battle in history with cannons used on ships, and took place on four separate days: on August 12, 20, 22 and 25, 1499. After reaching the
Ionian Sea with the large Ottoman fleet, Kemal Reis encountered the Venetian fleet of 47 galleys, 17 galliots and circa 100 smaller vessels under the command of
Antonio Grimani near
Cape Zonchio and won an important victory. During the battle, Kemal Reis sank the galley of Andrea Loredan, a member of the influential Loredan family of Venice. Antonio Grimani was arrested on
29 September but was eventually released. Grimani later became the
Doge of Venice in 1521. The Ottoman Sultan
Bayezid II gifted 10 of the captured Venetian galleys to Kemal Reis, who stationed his fleet at the island of
Cefalonia between October and December 1499.
1500
In December 1499, the Venetians attacked
Lepanto with the hope of regaining their lost territories in the
Ionian Sea. Kemal Reis set sail from Cefalonia and re-took Lepanto from the Venetians. He stayed in Lepanto between April and May 1500, where his ships were repaired by an army of 15,000 Ottoman craftsmen brought from the area. From there, Kemal Reis set sail and bombarded the Venetian ports on the island of
Corfu, and in August 1500 he once again defeated the Venetian fleet at the
Battle of Modon (also known as the Second Battle of Lepanto). Kemal Reis bombarded the fortress of
Modon from the sea and captured the town. He later engaged with the Venetian fleet off the coast of
Coron and captured the town along with a Venetian brigantine. From there Kemal Reis sailed towards the Island of
Sapientza (Sapienza) and sank the Venetian galley
Lezza. In September 1500, Kemal Reis assaulted Voiussa and in October he appeared at Cape Santa Maria on the Island of
Lefkada, before ending the campaign and returning back to
Istanbul in November. With the
Battle of Modon, the Turkish fleet and army quickly overwhelmed most of the Venetian possessions in
Greece. Modon and Coron, the "two eyes of the Republic", were lost.
Doge Agostino Barbarigo asked the Pope and the
Catholic Monarchs for help, and on
24 December a
Spanish–Venetian army commanded by
Gonzalo de Córdoba took Kefalonia, temporarily stopping the Ottoman offensive on eastern Venetian territories.
Later Years
Turkish cavalry raids reached Venetian territory in northern
Italy, and, in 1503, Venice again had to seek peace, recognizing the Turkish gains.
See also
