Battle of Zonchio

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Battle of Zonchio
Part of the Ottoman–Venetian War of 1499–1503
unknown Venetian artist, British Museum
Date 25 August 1499 Location Zonchio, Ionian Sea Result Ottoman victory[1]
Belligerents
Ottoman Empire	Republic of Venice
Commanders and leaders
Kemal Reis Feriz Beg	Antonio Grimani
Strength
60 light galleys 3 heavy galleys 30 galiots 40 fustas 21 carracks 111 barges	46 light galleys 17 heavy galleys 15 carracks 4 caravels 11 brigantines

The naval Battle of Zonchio (Turkish: Sapienza Deniz Muharebesi, also known as the Battle of Sapienza or the First Battle of Lepanto) took place on four separate days: 12, 20, 22, and 25 August 1499. It was a part of the Ottoman–Venetian War of 1499–1503.^[2]

In January 1499 Kemal Reis set sail from Constantinople with a force of 10 galleys and 4 other types of ships, and in July met with the huge Ottoman fleet which was sent to him by Davud Pasha, taking over its command in order to wage a large scale war against the Republic of Venice. The eventual Ottoman fleet consisted of 260 ships, which included 60 galleys, 30 galiots, 40 fustas, 3 great galleys similar to the posterior galleasses, 23 carracks of both war and transport and 111 barges with cavalry and artillery.^[3] They were carrying supplies for six months in order to spend winder away from Ottoman mainland, as well as equipment for a great siege, including 15 great bombards and dozens of smaller ones. The fleet sailed off on 30 June from Gallipoli and headed for Lemnos and Quios. The suffered slight casualties near cape Mantello when several ships sank.^[4]

On July 5, Giacomo Giustiniani from Cerigo warned Venetian captain-general Antonio Grimani that the Ottoman fleet had placed between Cerigo and Negroponte with unknown plans. As a consequence, all Venetian garrisons around Morea were ordered to prepare for an imminent attack. On July 10, the Venetian captains gathered in Modon, where Grimani was advised to steer the Venetian fleet to open sea to prevent the Ottomans from trapping it in port. The fleet was composed of 17 galleys, 46 galliots, and about 15 carracks at the time.^[3] However, although Grimani was 65 and a proven captain in battle, he was not an experienced leader and had never commanded large battle fleets. He had only been given command because of a donation of 16,000 ducats to the state and personally funding the arming of 10 galleys, and was not told whether to fight an offensive or defensive campaign. As a consequence, he didn't give an order immediately.^[5]

Kemal reached Cape Matapan on July 24, and after entering the gulf of Corone, disembarked some men in Sapienza. The Venetians had previously been under the impression that the Ottomans were about attacking Lepanto, so they gathered again in order to rethink their strategy. By morning of July 28, Grimani came out with his fleet, but ultimately returned to Modon. The maneuver repeated several times on the next days, while Kemal sacked Sapientza and performed their own feints trying to draw them to open combat, but it was useless. Battle finally came when the two fleets clashed on August 12 near Cape Zonchio.^[5]

Grimani positioned his flagship in the center of the Venetian line along with the 15 largest galleys. The left wing was composed of 17 lighter galleys and commanded by the fleet's main backer, Simone Guoro, while the right wing was composed of other 14 light galleys. The support fleet was 11 galleys under Domenico Malipiero, another captain involved in the fleet's funding. Grimani ordered that the galleys remained as close as possible without entangling the rows, and ordered the captains not to abandon their position or leaving the center unguarded unless they were ordered to. In order to prevent indiscipline, he warned that any ship leaving the battle would be treated as an enemy, and forbad any sacking of the enemy ships before the end of the battle by death sentence. It was in these dispositions that the Ottoman fleet headed towards them by rowing wind while the Venetians held the line awaiting for favorable wind.^[6]

Before the Ottomans got close enough, four Venetian caravels and eleven brigantines captained by Andrea Loredan (a member of the influential Loredan family of Venice, and cousin of the future doge Leonardo Loredan)^[7] and Simone Greco arrived from Corfu and joined the fleet. Loredan was greeted by Grimani and joined the bridge of the galley Pandora in time for the fight to happen. Just before the clash, however, eight Venetian galleys suddenly disobeyed the orders and fled from the battle, leaving holes which Kemal immediately capitalized on. The Pandora was rammed by one of the Turkish carracks, and in the subsequent exchange of artillery and incendiary cannonballs, both were caught in a fire along with another Venetian galley. Another Venetian ship was sunk, while the Ottomans lost two cargo ships and four minor vessels. On August 14, Grimani order the fleet to retreat to Zante to reoarganize and defend Lepanto.^[8]

On the second day, Grimani ordered the crews to kill any captains who refused to fight. Despite this, and the arrival of a relief French fleet of eight galleys, twelve barques and two fustas, he sent just two galleys out of 170 against the Ottomans. Both somehow returned unharmed. On 25 August the Venetians captured some Ottoman galleys, then discipline broke down and the Ottomans recaptured the vessels while they were being looted; the French reinforcements abandoned the Venetians in disgust and fled to Rhodes. During the most critical stage of the battle, two Venetian carracks, captained by Loredan and by Alban d'Armer, boarded one of the command ships of the Ottoman fleet. The commander of the vessel, Burak Reis, was unable to disentangle his ship from the boarders and chose to set her aflame. The sight of the three great ships burning together dealt a severe blow to the Venetian morale.^[9]

Antonio Grimani was arrested on 29 September and banished to the island of Cherso. Grimani later became the Doge of Venice in 1521. The Ottoman Sultan Bayezid II gave 10 of the captured Venetian galleys to Kemal Reis, who later stationed his fleet at the island of Cefalonia between October and December 1499.

The Ottomans and Venetians soon confronted each other for a second time at the Second Battle of Lepanto, also known as the Battle of Modon, and the Ottomans were again victorious under Kemal Reis.

• Ottoman Navy
• History of the Republic of Venice
• History of the Ottoman Empire

• Sydney N. Fisher: The Foreign Relation of Turkey, 1481–1512, Chapter VI: War with Venice, 1499–1503
• John E. Dotson: Foundations of Venetian Naval Strategy from Pietro II Orseolo to the Battle of Zonchio

36°54′N 21°41′E / 36.900°N 21.683°E / 36.900; 21.683