Venetian–Hungarian War (1411–1413)
| Venetian-Hungarian War | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Expansion of the Venice Republic during the 15th century in Italy and the Balkans | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Republic of Venice | |||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Carlo I Malatesta Pietro Loredan Pandolfo III Malatesta |
Emperor Sigismund Pippo Spano Henry VI of Gorizia | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
|
1411–1412: 8,000 knights 3,400 infantry 1412–1413: 34,000 infantry 3000 knights Total: 37,000 infantry 11,000 knights |
1411–1412: 16,000 Hungarians 6000 knights 1412–1413: 40,000 Hungarians 3000 knights Total: 56,000 Hungarians 9,000 knights | ||||||||
The Venetian–Hungarian War (Italian: Guerra tra Repubblica di Venezia e Regno d'Ungheria) was a war that took place in 1411–1413, during which the Kingdom of Hungary sought access to the Adriatic Sea, and the Republic of Venice sought to establish control over the Alpine passes and the Dalmatian coast.[2]
Background
The long and challenging journey of Hungarian King Louis I to establish control over Dalmatia on the Adriatic Sea was completed at the end of the War of Chioggia (1378-1381). Louis wanted to force Venice to give up its territory on the Dalmatian coast by launching an invasion against Venice with his longtime enemy, the Republic of Genoa. Although the Genoese army eventually lost this war, Louis' army gained a secure foothold in Dalmatia. By this time there were already several prior campaigns against the Ottomans (1366 and 1377) in the eastern Balkans, which would allow the Hungarian Kingdom to secure almost all of Dalmatia. Hungarian authority in Dalmatia was formalized by the Treaty of Turin in 1381, making Louis one of the most powerful kings in eastern Europe at that time. As a result, he controlled the entire Hungarian Kingdom that held sway or had some influence over all territories throughout the Balkans, Galicia, and many areas adjacent to them.[3]
War
In 1409, after losing the struggle for the throne, Ladislaus of Naples sold his "rights" to Dalmatia to the Venetian Republic for 100,000 ducats. When Sigismund became ruler of Hungary, he used this as a pretext to attack Venice.[4] On April 20, 1411, 12,000 Hungarian cavalry and 8,000 infantry under the command of the Florentine exile Philip Scolari, in the service of Sigismund, crossed the Tagliamento and invaded Friuli, taking and sacking Monfalcone, Marano, Portogruaro, Ceneda, Serravalle, Belluno, Feltre, Trevisano, Veronese, and Padovano. Udine fell on September 28, then Cividale on September 30.[5] The initial Hungarian success and the heavy losses suffered by the Venetians forced the republic to agree to peace negotiations, which began on March 24, 1412, during which Sigismund demanded the city of Zadar and a reparation of 600,000 ducats. This proposal was not accepted by the Venetian Republic, and both sides resumed the war.[6]
The Venetians also invaded Friuli, causing massacres and pillaging. The Friulian nobleman Tristano Savorgnan, after being besieged for four months in his own castle of Povoletto, submitted to the Most Serene Republic and immediately took refuge in Venice, where he was appointed administrator.[7] Tristano Savorgnan himself became the protagonist of a daring action: with 400 knights, numerous foot soldiers, and using forged Hungarian insignia, he deceived the garrison guarding the city walls and managed to enter Udine; but discovered, he was immediately expelled (March 28, 1412). Carlo I Malatesta, in the pay of Venice, with 8,000 knights and 6,000 foot soldiers, also ravaged the territories of Henry IV, Count of Gorizia (May-June 1412).[8]
Even Istria was not spared from the conflict, Venice occupied Buje, Portole, Rozzo, and Colmo, while the Hungarians occupied the castle of Motovun, believing it to be Venetian, only to discover it was instead garrisoned by patriarchal militias. The two claimants fought for control of the newly occupied territories; Venice constructed 22 miles of ditches and embankments along the Livenza River, which was patrolled by a flotilla equipped with artillery; Philip Scolari, with 3,000 knights and troops assembled in the garrisons (Bohemians, Germans, Hungarians, and some Friulian feudal lords), attacked the Venetian camp at Motta di Livenza at dawn (August 24, 1412).[9]
The Republic increased its army to 35,000 men, and Carlo Malatesta launched an offensive in Friuli. In late August 1412, he laid siege to Motta di Livenza. The Venetians built 22 miles of ditches and embankments along Livenza, which was patrolled by a flotilla equipped with artillery.[10] At dawn on August 24, 3,000 enemy troops under the command of Filippo Scolari attacked the Venetian camp from three sides. The Venetians were caught by surprise, and the Hungarians began slaughtering and plundering. To stop the fleeing Hungarians, Pietro Loredan set fire to the bridges, which allowed them to rally their ranks and return to battle. The Hungarians were driven back, losing over 1,300 men killed, several standards, and 400 men captured. Motta Castle was forced to surrender. Going on the offensive, the Venetians laid siege to Udine on October 15.[11]
King Sigismund arrived personally with an army of 40,000 men and relieved Udine on December 13, but continued the war without much success. Venice occupied the Dalmatian ports. After the unsuccessful siege of Vicenza, which resulted in the destruction of the Hungarian forces, a five-year truce with an exchange of prisoners was finally concluded at Castelletto del Friuli on April 17, 1413. The victory allowed Venice to establish its dominance in the Western Balkans (Venetian Dalmatia and Venetian Albania) contrary to the plans of Sigismund, King of Germany, Hungary and Croatia.[12]
References
- ^ Hazlitt, William Carew (1860). History of the Venetian Republic: Vol III. London
- ^ Williams, Henry Smith (1904). The Historians' History of the World. Outlook Company. p. 654.
- ^ Phillips 2004, p. 219.
- ^ Gragnoli 2016, p. 57.
- ^ Ranieri 2015, p. 127.
- ^ Gragnoli 2016, p. 57–58.
- ^ Ranieri 2015, p. 128–129.
- ^ Ranieri 2015, p. 130–132.
- ^ Gragnoli 2016, p. 58.
- ^ Dvořáková 2021, p. 55.
- ^ Kryou 2015, p. 161–163.
- ^ Kryou 2015, p. 164–168.
Bibliography
- Gragnoli, Alvaro (2016). "Storia di un capitano di ventura, Ruggero Cane Ranieri, e di una grande famiglia di Fratta Perugina, i conti di Civitella Ranieri e Montegualandro, patrizi di Perugia, nobili di Velletri e marchesi di Sorbello". Pagine Altotiberine (in Italian) (57–58). Città di Castello: Associazione Storica dell’Alta Valle del Tevere.
- Ranieri, Ruggero (2015). Ruggero Cane Ranieri, the condottiere and his role in the battle of Motta di Livenza in August 1412. Quaderni della Fondazione Ranieri di Sorbello. Vol. 3. Bologna: Pendragon.
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- Dvořáková, Daniela (2021). Barbara of Cilli (1392–1451). East Central and Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages 450–1450. Vol. 77. Leiden: Brill.
- Phillips, Charles (2004). Dictionary of Wars. New York: Facts On File.
- Kryou, Alexander (2015). "Attempts of the Venetian Republic to assassinate Sigismund of Luxemburg (1415–1419)". AHIF Policy Journal. 3.