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Battle of Zonchio
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Battle of Zonchio
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.
During its course, the Venetians attempted to intercept an Ottoman fleet in route to conquer Lepanto, but were hampered by miscoordination and repeatedly failed to engage the Ottomans. With their failure at checking their advance, Lepanto fell shortly after. The Ottomans emerged as a serious naval force in the Mediterranean with their victory, followed by a series of similar successes during the war.
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, 260-ship Ottoman fleet lead Kapudan Pasha Küçük Davud, beginning a large scale war against the Republic of Venice. 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.
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. 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.
In late July, Grimani and his fleet sighted the Ottoman armada between Coron and Modon, but Davud Pasha was not out for battle, but to reinforce Ottoman positions on land, following the coast so tightly that some vessels ran aground and their Greek crews deserted to the Venetians. The Ottomans entered the gulf of Corone on Jul 24 and disembarked some men in Sapienza. Grimani waited for them to do so and followed them, but he found wind unfavorable to attack, so he ultimately returned to Modon with his light galleys while leaving his carracks and heavier galleys at open sea. He sought his chance several times more the next days, but it failed to appear.
Meanwhile, the Ottomans remained around Sapientza and sacked Sapientza the island. One of his cargo ships fortuitously sank on August 7. Days later, between August 8 and 10, Davud Pasha moved his fleet from Sapienza to Navarino and performed his own maneuvers trying to draw Grimani to fight, but turning out to be feints. Battle finally came on August 12 near Cape Zonchio, when the Ottomans abandoned the bay and Grimani found the wind necessary to attack.
The Ottoman armada counted 260 ships, including 60 light galleys, 3 great galleys similar to the posterior galleasses, 30 galiots, 30-40 fustas, 23 sailing ships of both war and transport and 111 barges with cavalry and artillery. It carried possibly as many as 35,000 fighting men aboard, many among them elite Janissaries. Sultan Bayezid II, seeking to maximize the effectiveness of the Ottoman Navy, had given command to experienced corsairs like Kemal Reis and Burak Reis.
As sailing warships were occasionally used by western countries in the Mediterranean, the Ottomans had built two massive carracks called göke (from cog) under the guidance of renegade Venetian engineer Gianni, who had worked in the Venetian Arsenal. The two ships were enormous by the standards of the age, displacing 1800 tons each and carrying over 40 guns and one thousand fighting men, and they were moved by both sails and rows. Their length was said to be of seventy cubits, and their maintops were large enough to hold forty arquebusiers and archers. The ships were thought to be invulnerable to Venetian galleys.
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Battle of Zonchio
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.
During its course, the Venetians attempted to intercept an Ottoman fleet in route to conquer Lepanto, but were hampered by miscoordination and repeatedly failed to engage the Ottomans. With their failure at checking their advance, Lepanto fell shortly after. The Ottomans emerged as a serious naval force in the Mediterranean with their victory, followed by a series of similar successes during the war.
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, 260-ship Ottoman fleet lead Kapudan Pasha Küçük Davud, beginning a large scale war against the Republic of Venice. 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.
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. 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.
In late July, Grimani and his fleet sighted the Ottoman armada between Coron and Modon, but Davud Pasha was not out for battle, but to reinforce Ottoman positions on land, following the coast so tightly that some vessels ran aground and their Greek crews deserted to the Venetians. The Ottomans entered the gulf of Corone on Jul 24 and disembarked some men in Sapienza. Grimani waited for them to do so and followed them, but he found wind unfavorable to attack, so he ultimately returned to Modon with his light galleys while leaving his carracks and heavier galleys at open sea. He sought his chance several times more the next days, but it failed to appear.
Meanwhile, the Ottomans remained around Sapientza and sacked Sapientza the island. One of his cargo ships fortuitously sank on August 7. Days later, between August 8 and 10, Davud Pasha moved his fleet from Sapienza to Navarino and performed his own maneuvers trying to draw Grimani to fight, but turning out to be feints. Battle finally came on August 12 near Cape Zonchio, when the Ottomans abandoned the bay and Grimani found the wind necessary to attack.
The Ottoman armada counted 260 ships, including 60 light galleys, 3 great galleys similar to the posterior galleasses, 30 galiots, 30-40 fustas, 23 sailing ships of both war and transport and 111 barges with cavalry and artillery. It carried possibly as many as 35,000 fighting men aboard, many among them elite Janissaries. Sultan Bayezid II, seeking to maximize the effectiveness of the Ottoman Navy, had given command to experienced corsairs like Kemal Reis and Burak Reis.
As sailing warships were occasionally used by western countries in the Mediterranean, the Ottomans had built two massive carracks called göke (from cog) under the guidance of renegade Venetian engineer Gianni, who had worked in the Venetian Arsenal. The two ships were enormous by the standards of the age, displacing 1800 tons each and carrying over 40 guns and one thousand fighting men, and they were moved by both sails and rows. Their length was said to be of seventy cubits, and their maintops were large enough to hold forty arquebusiers and archers. The ships were thought to be invulnerable to Venetian galleys.
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