The Battle of Meloria was fought on Sunday August 6, 1284 near the Meloria islet, in the Tyrrhenian Sea. It was a typical medieval sea-fight, and accomplished the ruin of Pisa as a naval power. August 6 is the 218th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (219th in leap years), with 147 days remaining. ... // Events War and politics King Charles II of Naples is captured in a naval battle off Naples by Roger of Lauria, admiral to King Peter III of Aragon. ... Livorno, sometimes in English Leghorn, (population 170,000) is a port city on the Tyrrhenian Sea on the western edge of Tuscany, Italy. ... Casus belli is a Latin expression from the international law theory of Jus ad bellum. ... The Republic of Genoa, in full the Most Serene Republic of Genoa (known as the Ligurian Republic from 1798 to 1805) was an independent state in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast from ca. ... Pisa is a city in Tuscany, central Italy, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Arno on the Tyrrhenian Sea. ... Benedetto Zaccaria (c. ... Ugolino della Gherardesca (c. ... A French galley and Dutch men-of-war off a port by Abraham Willaerts, painted 17th century. ... August 6 is the 218th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (219th in leap years), with 147 days remaining. ... // Events War and politics King Charles II of Naples is captured in a naval battle off Naples by Roger of Lauria, admiral to King Peter III of Aragon. ... Tyrrhenian Sea. ... Pisa is a city in Tuscany, central Italy, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Arno on the Tyrrhenian Sea. ...

Background

The long rivalry between Pisa and Genoa had broken out for the last time in 1282, the immediate cause being the incompatible claims of the two cities to sovereignty over the islands of Sardinia and Corsica. The earlier conflicts of the war in 1282, 1283 and the spring of 1284 had been unfavorable to Pisa. Although the city was united with the Catalans and with Venice in hostility to the Republic of Genoa, and though it had chosen a Venetian, Alberto Morosini, as its Podestà, it received no help from either. Location within Italy Flag of Genoa Christopher Columbus monument in Piazza Aquaverde Genoa (Italian Genova, Genoese Zena, French Gênes, German Genua, Spanish Génova,Galician Xénova) is a city and a seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria. ... For broader historical context, see 1280s and 13th century. ... Sardinia (Sardigna, Sardinna or Sardinnia in the Sardinian language, Sardegna in Italian, Sardenya in Catalan), is the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (Sicily is the largest), between Italy, Spain and Tunisia, south of Corsica. ... Capital Ajaccio Land area¹ 8,680 km² President of the Executive Council Ange Santini (UMP) (since 2004) Population   - Jan. ... For broader historical context, see 1280s and 13th century. ... Capital Barcelona Official languages Spanish and Catalan In Val dAran, also Aranese. ... I Have A Very Very Big Penis! The Most Serene Republic of Venice was a Venetian city-state in Northeastern Italy, based around the city of Venice. ... The Republic of Genoa, in full the Most Serene Republic of Genoa (known as the Ligurian Republic from 1798 to 1805) was an independent state in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast from ca. ... Venetian could mean of Venice of the venetia territory of the Republic of Venice of the venet nation the Venetian language The Venetian, a hotel and casino in Las Vegas, Nevada A venetian blind - a horizontally slatted window blind. ... The Palace of the Podestà in Florence, known as the Palazzo Vecchio or the Palazzo della Signoria Podestà is the name given to certain high officials in many Italian cities, since the later middle ages, mainly as Chief magistrate of a city state (like otherwise styled counterparts in other cities...

The Genoese, who had the larger and more efficient fleet, sent their whole power against their enemy. When the Genoese appeared off Meloria, the Pisans were lying in the river Arno, at the mouth of which lay Porto Pisano, the port of the city. The Pisan fleet represented the whole power of the city, and carried members of every family of mark and most of the great officers of state. Arno River in Florence, Italy The Arno is a river in region of Italy, that crosses all the region from Mount Falterona (near the city of Arezzo, in Casentino area), to Pisa where it enters Tyrrhenian Sea. ...

The battle

The Genoese, desiring to draw their enemy out to battle, and to make the action decisive, arranged their fleet in two lines abreast. The first was composed, according to Agostino Giustiniani, of fifty-eight galleys, and eight panfili, a class of light galleys of eastern origin named after the province of Pamphylia. Oberto Doria, the Genoese admiral, was stationed in the center and in advance of his line. To the right were the galleys of the Spinola family, and of four of the eight "companies" into which Genoa was divided: Castello, Piazzalunga, Macagnana and Son Lorenzo. To the left were the galleys of the Dorias, and of the other four companies, Porta, Soziglia, Porta Nuova and Il Borgo. A French galley and Dutch men-of-war off a port by Abraham Willaerts, painted 17th century. ... Pamphylia, in ancient geography, was the region in the south of Asia Minor, between Lycia and Cilicia, extending from the Mediterranean to Mount Taurus. ... Spinola is a generic name for what may be digested from press releases. ... Doria, originally de Auria, from de filiis Auriae, the sons of Auria, and then de Oria or dOria, is the name of an old Genoese family whose history is indistiguishable from that of the Republic of Genoa from the 12th century to the 16th century. ...

The second line of twenty galleys, under the command of Benedetto Zaccaria, was placed so far behind the first that the Pisans could not see whether it was made up of war-vessels or of small craft meant to act as tenders to the others. Yet it was near enough to strike in and decide the battle when the action had begun. Benedetto Zaccaria (c. ...

The Pisans, commanded by the Podestà Morosini and his lieutenants Ugolino della Gherardesca and Andreotto Saraceno, came out in a single body. It is said that while the Archbishop was blessing the fleet the silver cross of his archiepiscopal staff fell off, but that the omen was disregarded by the irreverence of the Pisans, who declared that if they had the wind they could do without divine help. Ugolino della Gherardesca (c. ... In Christianity, an archbishop is an elevated bishop heading a diocese of particular importance due to either its size, history, or both, called an archdiocese. ...

The Pisan fleet advanced in line abreast to meet the first line of the Genoese, fighting according to the medieval custom to ram and board. The victory was decided for Genoa by the squadron of Zaccaria, which fell on the flank of the Pisans. Their fleet was nearly annihilated, the Podestà was taken, and Ugolino fled with a few vessels.

Outcome

As Pisa was also attacked by Florence and Lucca it could never recover the disaster. Two years later Genoa took Porto Pisano, and filled up the harbor. As a permanent consequence of this defeat, Pisa lost once and for all its role as major Mediterranean naval power and as regional power of Tuscany, being overshadowed and finally conquered, in 1406, by Florence. Founded 59 BC as Florentia Region Tuscany Mayor Leonardo Domenici (Democratici di Sinistra) Area  - City Proper  102 km² Population  - City (2004)  - Metropolitan  - Density (city proper) 356,000 almost 500,000 3,453/km² Time zone CET, UTC+1 Latitude Longitude 43°47 N 11°15 E www. ... Lucca (population 90,000) is a city in Tuscany, northern central Italy, near (but not on) the Ligurian Sea. ... Satellite image The Mediterranean Sea is a part of the Atlantic Ocean almost completely enclosed by land, on the north by Europe, on the south by Africa, and on the east by Asia. ... Tuscany (Italian Toscana) is a region in central Italy, bordering on Latium to the south, Umbria and Marche to the east, Emilia-Romagna and Liguria to the north, and the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west. ... Events Construction of Forbidden City begins in Beijing. ...

The count Ugolino was afterwards starved to death with several of his sons and grandsons in the manner made familiar by the 32nd canto of Dante's Inferno. Dante shown holding a copy of The Divine Comedy, next to the entrance to Hell, the seven terraces of Mount Purgatory and the city of Florence, in Michelinos fresco. ...

The first Battle of Meloria was fought in 1241 between a Genoese squadron and the Imperial fleet of Frederick II, allied with Pisa. Events April 5 - Mongols of Golden Horde under the command of Subotai defeat feudal Polish nobility, including Knights Templar, in the battle of Liegnitz April 27 - Mongols defeat Bela IV of Hungary in the battle of Sajo. ... Frederick II (left) meets al-Kamil (right). ...

References

• This article incorporates text from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, a publication in the public domain.