The Middle Ages
From AD 501 to 1491: Byzantine dromons and Greek fire, Viking fleets, the Crusades, the wars of Venice and Genoa, Sluys, Hakata Bay and the fleets of China and Korea.
This chapter of Naval Battles holds 169 battles. For each one we give when and where it was fought, who fought it, the ships that took part, what happened, how it ended and why it is remembered. See all 2,188 battles on one page.
Marea can build any of the ships that fought in these battles, as she was on the day, with the maximum detail the records permit. Many of these battles cost thousands of lives, and we build their ships with that in mind.
This database was put together by Ai Refloat™, Marea’s own artificial intelligence, from naval histories, museums, official records and encyclopaedias in many languages. Ai Refloat is still young & like any teenager, it can be a little volatile and unpredictable at times, but above all, it is learning fast. So this list may well contain mistakes and we welcome the input of everyone who knows these battles better than we do.
Have you spotted a mistake, or is a battle missing? Tell us which battle and what to correct, and we will amend it accordingly. Tell us here
The battles
The Middle Ages · Gothic War (535 to 554)
Battle of Sena Gallica Fleet battle
Autumn 551 · Off Sena Gallica (Senigallia), Adriatic coast of Italy
Fought between Byzantine Empire against the Ostrogothic Kingdom
Commanders John, Valerian (Byzantines); Indulf, Gibal (captured) (Ostrogoths)
Forces 50 Byzantine warships against 47 Gothic warships
Losses Goths: 36 ships lost, the rest burned afterwards. Byzantines: unknown.
Result Byzantine victory
King Totila had built a fleet and was besieging Ancon by land and sea. The Byzantine generals Valerian and John the Sanguinary gathered a fleet and sailed to relieve it. With fleets of similar size, the Goths gave battle, but the experienced Byzantine crews kept formation while the Gothic fleet fell into disorder.
Why it is remembered It was a turning point of the Gothic War: the Goths abandoned the siege of Ancon and their attempt to deny the seas to Byzantium.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Arab Byzantine wars
Battle of the Masts Fleet battle
Also known as Maʿrakat Dhat al-Sawari; Battle of Phoenix
654 or 655 · Off Phoenix on the Lycian coast (modern Finike, Turkey)
Fought between Rashidun Caliphate against the Byzantine Empire
Commanders Muʿawiya ibn Abi Sufyan, Abu al-Aʿwar, Abd Allah ibn Saʿd (Caliphate); Emperor Constans II (Byzantium)
Forces 200 Arab ships against 500 Byzantine ships (1,000 according to Theophanes)
Losses Caliphate: heavy. Byzantium: almost all its ships.
Result Rashidun victory
The fleet of Muʿawiya, governor of Syria, under his admiral Abu al-Aʿwar, met a much larger Byzantine fleet led by Emperor Constans II off the Lycian coast and destroyed it.
Why it is remembered It was part of Muʿawiya's first campaign to reach Constantinople and is considered the first decisive conflict of Islam at sea.
Sources differ Byzantine fleet: 500 ships, or 1,000 according to Theophanes. Date: 654 or 655.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Goguryeo Tang War
Battle of Baekgang Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of Baekgang-gu; Battle of Hakusukinoe (Japan); Battle of Baijiangkou (China)
27 to 28 August 663 (lunar calendar); 4 to 5 October 663 (Julian calendar) · Baengma River (Baek River), lower Geum River, Korea
Fought between Tang China and Silla against Yamato Japan, the Paekche restoration forces and Tamna
Commanders Su Dingfang (Tang); Abe no Hirafu, Echi no Takutsu (killed), Buyeo Pung (Yamato and Paekche)
Forces 13,000 Tang troops and 170 Tang ships, with Silla cavalry, against 42,000 Yamato troops and 800 Yamato ships with Paekche and Tamna forces
Losses Yamato and Paekche: 400 ships, 10,000 troops and 1,000 horses. Tang and Silla: unknown, but much lighter.
Result Decisive victory for Tang and Silla
Yamato Japan sent a large fleet and army to support the movement to restore the kingdom of Paekche. It met the Tang fleet and Silla forces on the lower reaches of the Geum River and was decisively defeated, losing 400 ships.
Why it is remembered Yamato withdrew completely from Korean affairs, the Paekche restoration movement was crushed, and Paekche was absorbed by the Silla and Tang alliance.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: stillsky@protonmail.com, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · Arab-Byzantine wars
Siege of Constantinople (674 to 678) Landing or siege
Also known as First Arab siege of Constantinople; includes the Battle of Syllaeum
674 to 678 (disputed) · Constantinople and the Sea of Marmara
Fought between Byzantine Empire against the Umayyad Caliphate
Commanders Constantine IV (Byzantium); Mu'awiya I, Yazid ibn Mu'awiya, Sufyan ibn Awf, Fadala ibn Ubayd, Junada ibn Abi Umayya (Umayyads)
Forces An Umayyad fleet and army based at Cyzicus; a Byzantine fleet including ships with siphons for Greek fire
Losses About 25,000 and about 17,000 killed in one account; Theophanes says Sufyan's army lost 30,000 men. The Arab fleet was almost destroyed by a storm off Syllaion on its return.
Result Byzantine victory; the Arabs withdrew and agreed a truce
An Arab fleet landed near the Hebdomon in 674 and fought near the Golden Gate, then wintered at Cyzicus and returned each spring to attack. A Byzantine fleet using the newly developed Greek fire destroyed the Arab fleet in late 677 or early 678, and the remnant was wrecked by a storm off Syllaion on the way home. The siege was lifted in 678.
Why it is remembered It is the first recorded use of Greek fire, and is called arguably the first major Arab defeat in fifty years of expansion.
Sources differ The dates and even the existence of a siege are disputed: Howard-Johnston calls it a myth, Jankowiak dates it to about 667 to 669, and Syriac chronicles place the decisive sea battle in 674 off Lycia and Cilicia. The casualty figures are not clearly assigned to a side.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Silla-Tang War
Battle of Gibeolpo Fleet battle
Also known as 기벌포 전투
November 676 · Gibeolpo, Korea
Fought between Silla against Tang China
Result Silla victory
In 676 Silla took all the territory south of the Taedong River in a series of battles that ended with a naval victory over the Tang at Gibeolpo in November. Beyond the names of the generals and the fact that it was fought at sea, its details are unknown.
Why it is remembered It closed the Silla-Tang War. Afterwards the Tang moved the seat of the Protectorate General to Pacify the East to Liaoyang, ending its designs on Silla territory.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · Arab Byzantine wars
Siege of Constantinople (717 to 718) Landing or siege
Also known as Second Arab siege of Constantinople
15 July or August 717 to 15 August 718 · Constantinople, Thrace, Bithynia and the Sea of Marmara (modern Istanbul, Turkey)
Fought between Byzantine Empire and Bulgaria against the Umayyad Caliphate
Commanders Leo III the Isaurian (Byzantium); Tervel (Bulgaria); Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik, Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik, Umar ibn Hubayra and others (Caliphate)
Forces About 15,000 Byzantines and about 12,000 Bulgars (estimates) against 120,000 Arabs (al-Masʿudi) and 1,800 ships (Theophanes)
Losses Caliphate: 150,000 killed according to Muslim sources, 300,000 according to Western sources; the fleet almost completely destroyed by natural disasters on its way home. Byzantium: unknown.
Result Byzantine and Bulgarian victory
An Umayyad army under Maslama crossed into Thrace in 717 and built siege lines against the Theodosian Walls, while a fleet came to blockade the city by sea. The Byzantine navy partly neutralised the Arab fleet with Greek fire soon after it arrived, so the city could be supplied by sea while the besiegers suffered famine and disease in a hard winter. In spring 718 two Arab reinforcing fleets were destroyed after their Christian crews defected, a relief army was ambushed, the Bulgars attacked, and the siege was lifted on 15 August 718.
Why it is remembered It ensured the survival of Byzantium and ended the Caliphate's aim of outright conquest. Historians count it among the most important battles in history, since its failure postponed the Muslim advance into south eastern Europe for centuries.
Sources differ Arab losses: 150,000 killed in Muslim sources, 300,000 in Western sources. Start date: 15 July or 15 August 717.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Arab Byzantine wars
Battle of Keramaia Fleet battle
746 · Keramaia, Cyprus (exact location unknown)
Fought between Byzantine Empire against the Umayyad Caliphate
Commanders The unnamed strategos of the Cibyrrhaeots (Byzantium); unknown (Caliphate)
Forces 30 Egyptian ships (Anastasius); Byzantine strength unknown
Losses Caliphate: almost the entire fleet. Theophanes speaks of a thousand dromons destroyed, an obvious exaggeration, and says only three ships escaped; Anastasius gives thirty vessels.
Result Byzantine victory
The Egyptian fleet of the Umayyad Caliphate sailed from Alexandria to Cyprus. The Byzantine commander surprised it and blockaded the harbour entrance at Keramaia, and almost the whole Arab fleet was destroyed.
Why it is remembered It was a major turning point: Egyptian fleets are not mentioned again until after the sack of Damietta in 853, and Egypt apparently ceased to be a major base for naval attacks on Byzantium for about a century.
Sources differ Arab losses: a thousand dromons according to Theophanes (an obvious exaggeration), thirty vessels according to Anastasius.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · Arab Byzantine wars
Battle of the Gulf of Attaleia Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of Attaleia
Summer 790 · Gulf of Antalya, Turkey
Fought between Abbasid Caliphate against the Byzantine Empire
Commanders Unknown (Abbasids); Theophilos, strategos of the Cibyrrhaeots (captured) (Byzantium)
Forces Unknown on both sides
Losses Byzantium: its commander captured.
Result Abbasid victory
An Abbasid fleet defeated a Byzantine fleet in the Gulf of Antalya and captured the Byzantine commander, Theophilos.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · Wars between Byzantium and the Franks
Battle of Comacchio Raid
809 · Comacchio, Italy
Fought between Carolingian Empire against the Byzantine Empire
Commanders Unknown (Franks); Paul, governor of Cephalonia (Byzantium)
Result Frankish victory
A Byzantine fleet from Constantinople under Paul, governor of Cephalonia, reached Venice by way of Dalmatia and sent a detachment to anchor at Comacchio. It skirmished with the Frankish garrison of the island, was defeated and withdrew to Venice.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages
Battle of Mallorca (813) Fleet battle
Also known as Batalla de Mallorca
813 · Waters off Mallorca
Fought between Squadron of Ermengar of Empúries against a Saracen fleet
Commanders Ermengar of Empúries
Result Victory for Ermengar's squadron
The squadron of Ermengar of Empúries fought and defeated a Saracen fleet in the waters of Mallorca as it returned from ravaging Corsica.
Sources Wikipedia (ES)
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · Arab Byzantine wars
Battle of Thasos (829) Fleet battle
October 829 · Off Thasos, northern Aegean
Fought between Emirate of Crete against the Byzantine Empire
Forces Unknown on both sides
Losses Byzantium: almost the entire imperial fleet (Theophanes Continuatus). Crete: unknown.
Result Cretan victory
Andalusian exiles had seized Crete and founded Chandax, and Byzantine expeditions against them in 826 and 828 had failed. In October 829 a Byzantine imperial fleet returning from Sicily met the Cretan Arabs off Thasos and was almost wholly lost.
Why it is remembered The defeat opened the Aegean to raids: the Cyclades and other islands were plundered, and Mount Athos was so devastated that it was deserted for a long time.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · Arab Byzantine wars
Battle of Taranto (840) Fleet battle
Spring 840 · Off Taranto, Apulia
Fought between Aghlabids against the Byzantine Empire and the Republic of Venice
Commanders Unknown (Aghlabids); Giovanni Tradonico (Byzantium and Venice)
Forces 12,000 men and 60 Byzantine and Venetian ships; Aghlabid strength unknown
Losses Byzantium and Venice: the entire force annihilated. Aghlabids: unknown.
Result Aghlabid victory
An Aghlabid Arab fleet met a combined Byzantine and Venetian navy off Taranto and inflicted a crushing defeat.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · Arab Venetian wars
Battle of Sansego Fleet battle
842 · Off Susak (Sansego), Kvarner Gulf, Adriatic
Fought between Aghlabids against the Republic of Venice
Commanders Unknown (Aghlabids); Pietro Tradonico (Venice)
Forces Unknown on both sides
Losses Venice: heavy, several ships captured. Aghlabids: unknown.
Result Aghlabid victory
A Venetian fleet fought the Aghlabids off the island of Sansego and suffered a crushing defeat.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Department of Peacekeeping Operations Cartographic Section, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · Arab raids on Italy
Battle of Licosa (846) Fleet battle
Also known as Battaglia di Licosa
846 · Off the Licosa promontory, Campania, Italy
Fought between League of the duchies of Naples, Amalfi, Gaeta and Sorrento against a Saracen fleet
Commanders Caesar of Naples, Sergius I of Naples (Christian league); unknown (Saracens)
Losses Christian league: minimal. Saracens: heavy.
Result Victory for the Christian league
The combined fleet of the Byzantine duchies of Naples, Amalfi, Gaeta and Sorrento, raised by Duke Sergius I of Naples and led by his son Caesar, defeated a Saracen fleet near the Licosa promontory.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · Arab raids on Italy
Battle of Ostia Fleet battle
Summer 849 · Off Ostia, Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy
Fought between League of the Papal States with Naples, Amalfi and Gaeta against a Muslim fleet
Commanders Caesar of Naples, Pope Leo IV (Christian league); unknown (Muslims)
Forces Unknown on both sides
Losses Christian league: minimal. Muslims: heavy.
Result Victory for the Christian league
A league of Papal, Neapolitan, Amalfitan and Gaetan ships met and defeated a Muslim fleet in the Tyrrhenian Sea off Ostia.
Why it is remembered It is one of the few ninth century events in southern Italy still commemorated, through the Leonine walls named after Pope Leo IV and Raphael's painting, the Battle of Ostia.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Workshop of Raphael, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · Viking invasions of England
Battle of Sandwich (851) Fleet battle
851 · Off Sandwich, Kent, England
Fought between Kingdom of Kent (Wessex) against Danish Vikings
Commanders Æthelstan, under-king of Kent, and Ealdorman Ealhhere (Kent); unknown (Danes)
Forces More than nine Danish ships; Kentish strength unknown
Losses Danes: nine ships captured, a great army slain. Kent: unknown.
Result Kentish victory
In the same year that King Æthelwulf of Wessex defeated a Danish army at Aclea, his son Æthelstan, under-king of Kent, and Ealdorman Ealhhere fought a Danish fleet off Sandwich. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records that they fought in ships, slew a great army, captured nine ships and put the others to flight.
Why it is remembered It is the first known naval battle in English history.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Amédée Forestier, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · Unification of Norway
Battle of Hafrsfjord Fleet battle
Also known as Slaget i Hafrsfjord
Between 872 and 900 · Hafrsfjord, Rogaland, Norway
Fought between Kingdom of Vestfold against the Kingdoms of Hordaland and Agder
Commanders Harald Fairhair (Vestfold); Eirik of Hordaland (killed), Kjotve the Rich (Hordaland and Agder)
Losses Eirik of Hordaland was killed.
Result Vestfold victory
A naval battle fought in Hafrsfjord in which the Viking chief Harald Fairhair defeated the kings of Hordaland and Agder.
Why it is remembered After the battle Harald proclaimed himself the first king of the Norwegians, merging several petty kingdoms under one monarch for the first time.
Sources differ The date is uncertain, anywhere between 872 and 900.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Hansen 'Ole Peter' Balling, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · Arab Byzantine wars
Battle of Kardia Fleet battle
About 872 or 873 · Off Kardia, Gulf of Saros (modern Turkey)
Fought between Byzantine Empire against the Emirate of Crete
Commanders Niketas Ooryphas (Byzantium); Photios (Crete)
Forces Over 50 Cretan vessels, including 27 heavy koumbaria and many lighter galleys; Byzantine strength unknown
Losses Crete: 20 vessels destroyed. Byzantium: unknown.
Result Byzantine victory
The emir of Crete sent the Greek renegade Photios with over 50 ships to raid the Aegean, and the fleet reached Prokonnesos in the Propontis, the closest a Muslim fleet had come to Constantinople since 718. Niketas Ooryphas, droungarios of the fleet, met it off Kardia, destroyed twenty ships with Greek fire and drove the rest back to Crete.
Sources differ Eickhoff and Tsoungarakis date the battle to 872; Treadgold, and Pryor and Jeffreys, to about 873.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Arab Byzantine wars
Battle of the Gulf of Corinth Fleet battle
About 873 · Gulf of Corinth, Greece
Fought between Byzantine Empire against the Emirate of Crete
Commanders Niketas Ooryphas (Byzantium); Photios (killed) (Crete)
Losses Crete: many ships destroyed, many raiders killed including Photios, many captured and tortured to death.
Result Byzantine victory
Photios raided the Peloponnese again and entered the Gulf of Corinth. According to the Byzantine historians, Ooryphas, rather than sail round the Peloponnese, hauled his ships over the Isthmus of Corinth and fell on the Saracens, who were caught completely off guard.
Why it is remembered The portage over the Isthmus is the only one recorded after the first century BC. The historian David Pettegrew doubts it happened and suggests it is a literary echo of classical models.
Sources differ The date is probably about 873, but some scholars place it as late as 879. The historicity of the portage of the fleet is disputed.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Arab Byzantine wars
Battle of Cephalonia Raid
880 · At or near Cephalonia, western Greece
Fought between Byzantine Empire against the Aghlabids
Commanders Nasar (Byzantium); unknown (Aghlabids)
Forces 60 exceedingly large Aghlabid ships (Skylitzes); Byzantine ships of the Imperial Fleet and troops of the theme of the Peloponnese
Losses Aghlabids: very heavy, many killed aboard their burning ships. Byzantium: unknown.
Result Byzantine victory
An Aghlabid fleet raided Zakynthos and Cephalonia. Nasar's Byzantine fleet was held up at Methone by mass desertion of oarsmen, and Basil I restored discipline by having 30 Saracen prisoners flogged in the Hippodrome. Grown overconfident, the Aghlabid crews left their ships to pillage, and Nasar caught them unawares and destroyed them in a night attack.
Why it is remembered It is one of the rare night battles at sea of the Middle Ages, a decision Pryor and Jeffreys call extremely bold.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · Arab Byzantine wars
Battle of Stelai Fleet battle
Also known as First Battle of Milazzo; Battle of Punta Stilo
880 · Off south western Calabria (location disputed)
Fought between Byzantine Empire against the Aghlabids
Commanders Nasar (Byzantium); al-Husayn ibn Rabah (Aghlabids)
Forces 140 Byzantine ships (Ibn Idhari) against 45 Aghlabid ships (Vita Eliae iunioris)
Losses Aghlabids: heavy, all ships captured. Byzantium: unknown.
Result Byzantine victory
After his victory at Cephalonia, Nasar sailed to southern Italy, raided Sicily and defeated an Aghlabid fleet off the southern Italian coast.
Sources differ The location is disputed, hence the alternative names First Battle of Milazzo and Battle of Punta Stilo.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · Caspian expeditions of the Rus
Battle of Abaskun (883) Raid
Also known as Batalla de Abaskun
883 · Off the port of Abaskun, south eastern Caspian Sea (Golestan Province, Iran)
Fought between Abbasid fleet against a Rus raiding fleet
Commanders Said-Hasan ibn Zeid, emir of Tabaristan (Abbasids); unknown (Rus)
Result Abbasid victory; the town was successfully defended
Rus traders who dealt in honey, furs and slaves through Khazar lands sailed down the Volga to plunder the Persian town of Abaskun. The Abbasid fleet under the emir of Tabaristan defended the town successfully.
Why it is remembered Rus fleets attacked the same town again in 909 and 913.
Sources Wikipedia (ES)
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · Croatian Venetian wars
Battle of Makarska Fleet battle
18 September 887 · Makarska, Dalmatian coast (modern Croatia)
Fought between Narentines and the Duchy of Croatia against the Republic of Venice
Commanders Branimir (Narentines and Croatia); Doge Pietro I Candiano (killed) (Venice)
Forces 12 large Venetian ships; Narentine strength unknown
Losses Venice: Doge Pietro I Candiano killed.
Result Narentine victory
A major sea fight between the Slavic Narentine pirates and Venice off Makarska, won by the Narentines. The Doge, Pietro I Candiano, was killed.
Why it is remembered The Narentines established dominance over the Adriatic.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Muslim conquest of Sicily
Battle of Milazzo (888) Fleet battle
Also known as Second Battle of Milazzo
October 888 · Off Milazzo, north eastern Sicily
Fought between Aghlabids against the Byzantine Empire
Losses Byzantium: variously 5,000 to 7,000 killed. Aghlabids: unknown.
Result Aghlabid victory
A Byzantine fleet was heavily defeated by an Aghlabid fleet off north eastern Sicily.
Sources differ Byzantine dead are given variously as 5,000 to 7,000.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · Arab Byzantine wars
Battle of the Kibyrrhaiotai coast Fleet battle
About August 898 · Off the coast of the Cibyrrhaeot theme, southern Asia Minor (exact location unknown)
Fought between Abbasid Caliphate (Emirate of Tarsus) against the Byzantine Empire
Commanders Raghib the eunuch (Tarsus); unknown (Byzantium)
Losses Byzantium: many ships captured and burned, 3,000 sailors killed. Tarsus: few.
Result Abbasid victory
In summer 898 the Arab fleet of Tarsus, led by the eunuch Raghib, set out on a raid and met a Byzantine fleet, probably that of the Cibyrrhaeot theme, guarding the south coast of Asia Minor. The Arabs won crushingly, then raided the theme by land and took many coastal fortresses before returning home without major losses.
Why it is remembered It weakened the fleet that protected the Byzantine coasts and opened the way to further raids into the Aegean, including the sack of Thessalonica by Leo of Tripoli in 904.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · Arab Byzantine wars
Cretan expedition (911 to 912) Landing or siege
October 911 to April 912 · Crete
Fought between Byzantine Empire against the Emirate of Crete
Commanders Himerios (Byzantium); Yusuf ibn Umar ibn Shuʿayb (Crete)
Forces 177 Byzantine ships and 47,129 men; Cretan strength unknown
Losses Byzantium: heavy. Crete: unknown.
Result Cretan victory
A Byzantine army invaded Crete from the sea to recover the island from the Arabs, and the expedition ended in failure.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period
Battle of Langshan Jiang Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of Langshan River (狼山江之戰)
10 May 919 · Yangtze River near Langshan, Jiangsu, China
Fought between Wuyue against Yang Wu
Commanders Qian Chuanguan (Wuyue); Peng Yanzhang (Yang Wu)
Forces Wuyue: 500 ships. Yang Wu: a comparable fleet.
Losses Yang Wu: more than 400 ships and more than 1,000 men. Wuyue: unknown.
Result Decisive Wuyue victory
The river fleets of the rival states of Wuyue and Yang Wu met on the Yangtze near Langshan. The Wuyue fleet under Qian Chuanguan destroyed or took more than 400 Yang Wu ships.
Why it is remembered It was one of the large riverine battles of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Unknown Ming dynasty painter, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages
Battle of Bạch Đằng (938) Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of Bạch Đằng River
Late 938 (December 938) · Mouth of the Bạch Đằng River, near Hạ Long Bay, northern Vietnam
Fought between Tĩnh Hải quân (Viet forces) against the Southern Han state of China
Commanders Ngô Quyền, Dương Tam Kha, Kiều Công Hãn and Đỗ Cảnh Thạc (Tĩnh Hải quân); Liu Yan and Liu Hongcao, killed (Southern Han)
Forces Tĩnh Hải quân: 5,000 to 10,000. Southern Han: about 20,000, in fast warships each carrying 50 men
Losses Southern Han: about 10,000, half the army killed or drowned, including Liu Hongcao. Viet losses unknown
Result Victory for Tĩnh Hải quân
Southern Han sent a fleet under Liu Hongcao to support Kiều Công Tiễn, who had assassinated Dương Đình Nghệ and was opposed by Ngô Quyền. Ngô Quyền had large iron-tipped stakes set in the river bed, hidden by the high tide. Small Viet boats harassed the Southern Han warships and drew them upstream; when the tide fell the Viet counter-attacked and drove the fleet back toward the sea, where the ships were caught on the stakes.
Why it is remembered It ended the Third Era of Northern Domination; Ngô Quyền proclaimed himself king in 939, and the battle is counted a turning point in Vietnamese history. Trần Quốc Tuấn used the same stake tactic against the Yuan at the Battle of Bạch Đằng in 1288.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Arab Byzantine wars
Battle of the Straits (965) Fleet battle
Also known as Waqʿat al-majaz
Early 965 · Strait of Messina, Italy
Fought between Fatimid Caliphate and the Kalbid Emirate of Sicily against the Byzantine Empire
Commanders Ahmad ibn al-Hasan al-Kalbi (Fatimids); Niketas Abalantes (captured) (Byzantium)
Losses Byzantium: heavy, about 1,000 prisoners. Fatimids: unknown.
Result Fatimid victory
The fleets of the Byzantine Empire and the Fatimid Caliphate met in the Strait of Messina, and the Fatimids won a major victory, capturing the Byzantine commander.
Why it is remembered It ended the attempt of Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas to recover Sicily from the Fatimids.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · Haakon Sigurdsson's struggle to rule Norway
Battle of Hjörungavágr Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of Hjǫrungavágr; Slaget ved Hjørungavåg
About 986 (traditional date) · Coast of Sunnmøre, western Norway
Fought between Norway (the Jarls of Lade) against Denmark and the Jomsvikings
Commanders Haakon Sigurdsson, Eric Haakonsson, Sweyn Haakonsson, Skjegge Asbjørnsson, Ragnvald Lodinsson (Norway); Sigvaldi Strut-Haraldsson, Vagn Åkesson, Búi digri (Danes and Jomsvikings)
Forces 180 Norwegian ships against 60 Danish and Jomsviking ships
Result Norwegian victory
A semi-legendary naval battle in which the Jarls of Lade defeated a Danish invasion fleet led by the Jomsvikings off the coast of Sunnmøre.
Why it is remembered It played an important part in Haakon Sigurdsson's effort to unite his rule over Norway.
Sources differ The battle is semi-legendary; it is traditionally dated to 986, but only to the late tenth century with certainty.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Halfdan Egedius, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · Chola expansion under Rajaraja I
Battle of Kandalur Salai Raid
Also known as Fall of Kandalur Salai; Kanthaloor Salai
About 988 · Roadstead of Kandalur (Valiya Salai, Thiruvananthapuram), south Kerala, India
Fought between Chola Empire against the Chera Kingdom or the Pandya Kingdom (uncertain)
Commanders Rajaraja Chola I (Cholas); possibly Bhaskara Ravi or a Pandya ruler (defenders)
Forces Chola army and navy
Losses Defenders: Kandalur fell.
Result Decisive Chola victory
Rajaraja I carried out an assault on the roadstead at Kandalur in south Kerala, one of the earliest victories of his reign. The historian Nilakanta Sastri read the Chola inscriptions to mean that the fleet at the roadstead was destroyed or overcome.
Why it is remembered The feat was recalled in the titles of three later Chola rulers, Rajendra, Rajadhiraja and Kulottunga.
Sources differ The identity of the defenders (Chera or Pandya) is uncertain, and the naval reading of the inscriptions rests on Nilakanta Sastri's interpretation.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Struggle for control of Norway
Battle of Svolder Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of Svold; Battle of Swold
9 September 999 or 1000 · Western Baltic, in the Øresund or near Rügen (disputed)
Fought between Denmark, Sweden and the Jarls of Lade against Norway
Commanders Svein Forkbeard, Olof Skötkonung, Eirik Hákonarson (allies); Olaf Tryggvason (killed), Einar Tambarskjelve (Norway)
Forces Over 70 allied warships against Olaf's fleet: 60 warships plus 11 from the Jomsvikings according to the saga (the main account gives 11)
Ships Ormen Lange
Losses Norway: heavy, all ships captured; Olaf died. Allies: reportedly heavy.
Result Allied victory
Olaf Tryggvason, sailing to or from an expedition to Wendland, was ambushed by the kings of Denmark and Sweden and Jarl Eirik of Lade. His ships were taken one by one, the Ormen Lange last of all, captured by Jarl Eirik as Olaf threw himself into the sea.
Why it is remembered Norway passed to the Jarls of Lade under Danish and Swedish overlordship. The saga accounts, especially Snorri Sturluson's Heimskringla, with the famous breaking of Einar Tambarskjelve's bow, inspired many later ballads and works of literature.
Sources differ Location: the Øresund according to Adam of Bremen, an unknown island called Svolder according to Icelandic sources. Date: 999 or 1000. Ship numbers come from sagas written two centuries later and are not reliable.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Wars against Saracen raiders in the Tyrrhenian Sea
Battle of Luni (1016) Landing or siege
Also known as Battaglia di Luni
May 1016 · Luni, Liguria, Italy
Fought between Pisa, Genoa and the Papacy against the Saracens of Mujahid al-Amiri
Commanders Mujahid al-Amiri (Saracens)
Forces Papal land forces with the Pisan and Genoese fleets
Result Victory for Pisa, Genoa and the Papacy
In 1016 Mujahid took and devastated the old Roman city of Luni. Urged by Pope Benedict VIII, Pisa and Genoa formed an alliance; papal forces attacked by land while the Pisan and Genoese fleets closed the sea. The fighting lasted several days and ended in complete victory, though Mujahid escaped to Sardinia, where the allies later defeated him.
Why it is remembered The victory greatly reduced the Saracen threat to the Tyrrhenian coasts and shipping, helping the economic revival of the coastal towns.
Sources Wikipedia (IT)
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · Norwegian civil wars
Battle of Nesjar Fleet battle
Also known as Slaget ved Nesjar
25 March 1016 · Off Nesjar, mouth of the Oslofjord, near Helgeroa, Larvik, Norway
Fought between Norwegians loyal to Olav Haraldsson against Norwegians loyal to Sveinn Hákonarson and Sweden
Commanders Olav Haraldsson; Sveinn Hákonarson
Forces Unknown on both sides
Losses Unknown on both sides
Result Victory for Olav Haraldsson; Sveinn Hákonarson retreated to Sweden
A sea battle off the Norwegian coast in which Olav Haraldsson, later Saint Olav, defeated Sveinn Hákonarson, who withdrew to Sweden.
Why it is remembered It was a primary event of Olav's reign. The skald Sigvatr Þórðarson composed the poem Nesjavísur in its memory, and the Nesjar Monument was raised at Helgeroa on its thousandth anniversary.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Hallvard Straume, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · Rus Byzantine wars
Battle of Lemnos (1024) Fleet battle
1024 · Lemnos, Aegean Sea
Fought between Byzantine Empire against a Rus band
Commanders David of Ohrid, Nikephoros Kabasilas (Byzantium); Chrysocheir (Rus)
Forces 800 Rus against a much stronger Byzantine fleet: the forces of the strategos of Samos, the Cibyrrhaeot fleet and the troops of the doux of Thessalonica
Losses Rus: all killed.
Result Byzantine victory
Chrysocheir, a relative of Vladimir of Kiev, sailed to Constantinople with 800 men to join the Varangian Guard but refused to surrender his weapons. The Rus forced their way past the commander at Abydos into the Aegean and made for Lemnos, where a much larger Byzantine force pretended to negotiate, then fell on them suddenly and killed them all.
Why it is remembered It was the penultimate conflict between Byzantium and the Rus. The only source is John Skylitzes.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · South East Asia campaign of Rajendra Chola I
Chola invasion of Srivijaya Landing or siege
1025 to 1026 · Palembang (Sumatra) and Kedah (Malay Peninsula)
Fought between Chola Empire against the Srivijaya Empire
Commanders Rajendra I, Beemaseenan, Amarabujangan Divakara, Karunaakaran (Cholas); Sangrama Vijayatunggavarman (captured), Samara Vijayatunggavarman (Srivijaya)
Forces Chola navy and army against the Srivijaya navy and army
Losses Srivijaya: its king Sangrama Vijayatunggavarman captured.
Result Chola victory
Rajendra I launched naval invasions against Srivijaya, attacking several places in present-day Indonesia and the Malay Peninsula, including Palembang and Kedah, and captured the Srivijayan king.
Why it is remembered It brought about the fall of the Sailendra dynasty of Srivijaya and was a unique event in India's otherwise peaceful relations with South East Asia; Tamil merchant guilds expanded into the region in its wake.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · Wars of Cnut the Great in Scandinavia
Battle of Helgeå Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of the Holy River; Slaget ved Helgeå
1026 · Estuary of the river Helge, in Skåne or Uppland
Fought between Denmark and England against Sweden and Norway
Commanders Cnut the Great, Ulf Jarl (Denmark and England); Anund Jacob, Olaf II Haraldsson (Sweden and Norway)
Forces About 600 Anglo-Danish ships against about 480 Swedish and Norwegian ships
Losses Danes and English: heavy, many drowned. Swedes and Norwegians: minimal.
Result Anglo-Danish victory
While Cnut was busy in England, Olaf II and Anund Jacob attacked Denmark and waited up the river Helge for his fleet, led by Ulf Jarl; Cnut's own ship is said to have been 80 metres long. They built a dam of peat and timber and released the water as the Danish ships came in, drowning many Danes and Englishmen. The main Danish fleet lay outside the harbour, so after destroying the ships inside the kings withdrew, and Cnut did not pursue.
Why it is remembered Sweden soon made peace with Denmark, leaving Norway alone and Cnut the dominant ruler in Scandinavia.
Sources differ The location is given as either Skåne or Uppland. Sources call it an Anglo-Danish victory although the allied kings did the damage and then withdrew.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Ghaznavid campaigns in India
Battle of the Indus (1027) Fleet battle
Also known as Ghaznavid expedition against the Jats
March to July 1027 · Indus River, near the Salt Range, Pakistan
Fought between Ghaznavids against the Jats
Commanders Mahmud of Ghazni (Ghaznavids)
Forces 1,400 Ghaznavid boats fitted with pointed rams against 4,000 Jat reed boats (8,000 in an exaggerated account)
Losses Ghaznavids: negligible. Jats: nearly all.
Result Ghaznavid victory
To punish the Jats for harassing his army on its return from Somnath in 1026, Mahmud built 1,400 boats armed with pointed rams at Multan. The Jats met them with thousands of small reed boats and were decisively defeated, with many killed.
Why it is remembered It was the first naval action fought by Mahmud and his last campaign in India.
Sources differ Jat boats: 4,000, or 8,000 in an account considered exaggerated.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Internet Archive identifier: hutchinsonsstory00londuoft, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · Rus Byzantine War (1043)
Battle of the Iskrest Lighthouse Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of Constantinople (1043); Bitwa pod Iskrestos
1043 · Near Constantinople
Fought between Byzantine Empire against Kievan Rus
Commanders Katakalon Kekaumenos (Byzantium); Vladimir of Novgorod (Rus)
Losses Rus: over 5,000 killed and 800 captured over the whole war.
Result Byzantine victory
A naval battle close to Constantinople in 1043, in which a Rus fleet sent by Yaroslav the Wise was defeated by the Byzantine fleet.
Sources differ Psellus says the Rus were destroyed by the imperial fleet with Greek fire; the Slavonic chronicles say a storm destroyed them.
Sources Wikipedia (RU) · Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Harald Hardrada's invasions of Denmark
Battle of Niså Fleet battle
Also known as Slaget ved Niså
9 August 1062 · Off the mouth of the Nissan river, Halland (then Denmark, now Sweden)
Fought between Norway against Denmark
Commanders Harald Hardrada, Haakon Ivarsson (Norway); Sweyn Estridsson, Finn Arnesson (captured) (Denmark)
Forces 150 Norwegian ships against 300 Danish ships according to the sagas (fewer than Harald's according to Saxo)
Losses Denmark: 70 ships cleared of men, the rest retreated. Norway: unknown.
Result Norwegian victory
Harald Hardrada, who had claimed the Danish throne since 1047, invaded to defeat the Danes decisively. The Norwegians clearly won, clearing 70 Danish ships, but many Danes including King Sweyn escaped.
Why it is remembered Because Sweyn escaped, the victory did not give Harald Denmark.
Sources differ Danish fleet: 300 ships according to the sagas, fewer than Harald's 150 according to Saxo.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Wilhelm Wetlesen (Norway 1871 to 1925), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · Norman conquest of southern Italy
Siege of Syracuse (1086) Landing or siege
May to October 1086 · Syracuse, Sicily
Fought between County of Sicily (Normans) against the Emirate of Syracuse
Commanders Roger I of Sicily (Normans); Benavert, killed (Syracuse)
Result Norman victory; the city surrendered
After a naval battle, the forces of the Norman county of Sicily blockaded the Muslim city of Syracuse by sea and besieged it by land from May to October 1086. After the death and flight of its leaders, the city surrendered.
Why it is remembered The campaign had a religious character: it was conceived in response to outrages against churches and nuns, and set Christians against Muslims.
Sources differ Geoffrey Malaterra, the main source, dates the siege to 1085; modern historians believe this is a mistake for 1086.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Byzantine Seljuk wars
Battle of the Oinousses Islands (1090) Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of the Koyun Islands; Koyun Adaları Muharebesi
19 May 1090 · Off the Oinousses islands, between Chios and Anatolia, Aegean Sea
Fought between Forces of Tzachas against the Byzantine Empire
Commanders Tzachas (Chaka Bey); Niketas Kastamonites (Byzantium)
Forces 17 warships and 33 lighter craft under Tzachas; Byzantine strength unknown
Result Victory for Tzachas
Tzachas, a Turkish seaman who had built a maritime principality around Smyrna, took Lesbos and planned to attack Chios. Learning that a Byzantine fleet under Niketas Kastamonites was approaching, he chose to fight; the battle lasted until night and ended in his victory.
Why it is remembered Tzachas then annexed Chios and Samos.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · Norwegian Crusade
Siege of Sidon (1110) Landing or siege
19 October to 5 December 1110 · Sidon, present-day Lebanon
Fought between Kingdom of Jerusalem, Norway and Venice against the Fatimid Caliphate
Commanders Baldwin I of Jerusalem, Sigurd I of Norway, Doge Ordelafo Faliero (Crusaders); the governor of Sidon (Fatimids)
Forces 5,000 Norwegians in 60 galleys, many Frankish crusaders with siege weapons, and a Venetian fleet of unknown size, against probably only the city's garrison
Losses Crusaders: unknown, probably minor. Fatimids: unknown, probably large.
Result Crusader victory; establishment of the Lordship of Sidon
After the First Crusade, the forces of Baldwin I and the Norwegian crusade fleet of Sigurd I, with help from the Doge of Venice, besieged the Fatimid coastal city of Sidon and captured it.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Jin-Song Wars
Battle of Huangtiandang Fleet battle
Also known as 黄天荡之战
24 April to June 1130 · Huangtiandang, on the Yangtze north east of Jiankang (Nanjing), between Jurong and Zhenjiang, Jiangsu
Fought between Southern Song against the Jin dynasty
Commanders Han Shizhong and Liang Hongyu (Song); Wuzhu (Jin)
Forces About 8,000 Song troops in large seagoing ships; a Jin army of 100,000 according to the History of Song or 4,000 according to the History of Jin
Losses Jin: many ships lost on 20 May and two generals captured in an ambush at Jinshan Temple. Song: most of the soldiers in the battle of 2 June burned or drowned.
Result Jin escape after 48 days; final engagement a Jin victory
Han Shizhong's fleet drove Wuzhu's fleet into the Huangtiandang inlet and blocked its only narrow outlet to the Yangtze, while Liang Hongyu directed the fighting of 24 April with drums. The trapped Jin dug a canal of more than 20 li towards Jiankang and lost many ships in an attack on 20 May. On a windless 2 June, when the big Song ships could not manoeuvre, the Jin shot fire arrows into their sails and broke out to the north.
Why it is remembered The Jin were held for 48 days before breaking out, and Liang Hongyu's drumming is credited with turning the fight of 24 April.
Sources differ Jin strength is given as 100,000 in the History of Song and 4,000 in the History of Jin.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Attributed to Liu Songnian, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · Danish civil war
Battle of Sejerø Fleet battle
1132 · Near the island of Sejerø, off the coast of Zealand, Denmark
Fought between Forces of Eric II against the forces of Magnus the Strong
Commanders Eric II of Denmark; Magnus the Strong
Forces About 120 to 240 against about 100 to 200
Losses Eric: minor. Magnus: all but one vessel.
Result Victory for Eric II
A fleet from Zealand and Scania under Eric II defeated the Jutland fleet of Magnus the Strong so completely that only the boat in which Magnus escaped was saved.
Why it is remembered It was the first defeat suffered by the party of Niels and Magnus.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · Civil war era in Norway
Battle of Holmengrå Fleet battle
Also known as Slaget ved Holmengrå
12 November 1139 · Near the island of Holmengrå, south of Hvaler, Norway
Fought between The child kings Sigurd and Inge Haraldsson against Sigurd Slembe and Magnus the Blind
Commanders Sigurd Haraldsson, Inge Haraldsson; Sigurd Slembe (executed), Magnus the Blind (killed)
Forces 20 ships against 12 Norwegian ships and 18 Danish mercenary ships
Losses Slembe's side: heavy Norwegian losses; the Danish ships withdrew. Magnus the Blind killed, Sigurd Slembe captured.
Result Decisive victory for the sons of Harald Gille
The forces of the child kings Sigurd and Inge, sons of Harald Gille, met the pretender Sigurd Slembe, who had killed their father in 1136, and his ally Magnus the Blind. The sons of Harald Gille won; Magnus was killed in the fighting, and Sigurd Slembe was betrayed, captured, tortured and executed.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Wars between Norman Sicily and the Almoravids
Battle of Ceuta (1144) Fleet battle
Also known as Bataille de Ceuta
1144 · Off Ceuta
Fought between Almoravid Empire against the Kingdom of Sicily
Commanders Abu l-Fadl Iyad ibn Musa, governor of Ceuta (Almoravids); unknown (Sicily)
Forces 150 Sicilian Norman ships; Almoravid strength unknown
Losses Many killed on both sides.
Result Almoravid victory
A Norman fleet of 150 ships from Sicily appeared off Ceuta. The governor sailed out to meet it with every ship the city had, and after a battle with many dead on both sides the Moroccans drove the Norman fleet off.
Sources Wikipédia (FR)
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · Crusader-Fatimid wars
Siege of Ascalon Landing or siege
25 January to 22 August 1153 · Ascalon, coast of Palestine
Fought between Kingdom of Jerusalem, Knights Templar and Knights Hospitaller against the Fatimid Caliphate
Commanders Baldwin III of Jerusalem, Gerard of Sidon, Bernard de Tremelay (killed), Raymond du Puy (Crusaders); Ibn al-Sallar (Fatimids)
Forces Crusaders: an army of unknown size and a squadron of 15 ships under Gerard of Sidon. Fatimids: a garrison of unknown size and a relief fleet of 70 galleys.
Losses Crusaders: total unknown; 40 Templars killed. Fatimids: unknown.
Result Crusader victory; Ascalon surrendered
The Crusaders besieged Ascalon, the last coastal city in Palestine not in their hands, by land and with a small squadron at sea. In June 1153 a Fatimid fleet of 70 galleys easily dispersed Gerard of Sidon's fifteen ships and reached the city, but with no harbour to shelter in it soon returned to Egypt. On 16 August a fire meant for a siege tower brought down part of the wall; forty Templars who entered the breach were all killed, but a larger attack three days later forced the city to surrender.
Why it is remembered Its capture was a major success for Baldwin III, the first significant territorial gain for the Kingdom of Jerusalem since 1140, and opened the way for an invasion of Egypt.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages
Battle of Epiphany Fleet battle
5 to 6 January or 12 January 1156 · Off Islay, Scotland
Fought between Somerled against Godred Olafsson, King of the Isles
Commanders Somerled, King of Kintyre, Argyll and Lorne; Godred Olafsson (Godred the Black), King of the Isles
Forces Somerled: 80 galleys (birlinns and nyvaigs). Godred: unknown
Result Indecisive; the Kingdom of Mann and the Isles was partitioned
Godred became King of the Isles in 1153, and his harsh rule turned some of his chiefs against him. They planned to replace him with Dubgall, son of Somerled and of Raghnailt, daughter of Godred's father Olafr, and Somerled built 80 ships to win control of the sea. Learning of the plot, Godred sailed to attack; the fleets met off Islay on the night of Epiphany and fought fiercely into the next day without a decision. In the talks that followed Godred ceded Mull, Jura and Islay to Somerled and kept the Outer Hebrides, Skye and the Isle of Man.
Why it is remembered It split the Kingdom of the Isles between Godred and Somerled; the Chronicle of Mann lamented that the kingdom was ruined.
Sources differ The date is given as 5 to 6 or 12 January 1156. The location is uncertain: some authors place the battle west of Islay, and Marsden (2008) favours the Sound of Islay.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · Jin Song Wars
Battle of Caishi Fleet battle
26 to 27 November 1161 · Caishi, on the Yangtze River, China
Fought between Southern Song dynasty against the Jin dynasty
Commanders Chen Kangbo (navy), Yu Yunwen (army) (Song); Wanyan Liang (Jin)
Forces 18,000 Song troops against 40,000 Jin troops (Wanyan Liang reportedly led 600,000)
Losses Many Jin soldiers deserted; Wanyan Liang was killed by his own men shortly afterwards.
Result Decisive Song victory
The Jin emperor Wanyan Liang tried to force a crossing of the Yangtze to attack the Southern Song. Song paddle-wheel warships armed with trebuchets throwing incendiary bombs of gunpowder and lime decisively defeated the light ships of the Jin navy.
Why it is remembered It is an early battle won with gunpowder weapons. It halted the Jin advance south; Wanyan Liang was assassinated, and a peace treaty of 1165 ended the conflict.
Sources differ Jin strength: 40,000 in one account, a reported 600,000 in another account.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Zeng Gongliang, uploaded by Liang Jieming, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · Jin Song Wars
Battle of Tangdao Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of Tang Island
16 November 1161 · Tang Island, off the Shandong Peninsula near modern Qingdao, Yellow Sea
Fought between Southern Song dynasty against the Jin dynasty
Commanders Li Bao (Song); Su Baoheng, Zheng Jia (Wanyan Zhengjianu) (killed) (Jin)
Forces 120 Song warships and 3,000 troops against 600 Jin warships, 20,000 Jurchen and Balhae troops, 10,000 northern Chinese and 40,000 sailors
Losses Jin: 10,000 men and 300 warships; Zheng Jia drowned.
Result Southern Song victory
A Jin fleet sent to invade the Southern Song was surprised at Tang Island by Li Bao's squadron. The Song hurled huopao gunpowder projectiles and aimed fire arrows and rockets at the rigging, setting the oiled silk sails alight; many Jin ships burned or surrendered and the rest fled. The Jin admiral Zheng Jia, with no way of escape, jumped into the sea and drowned.
Why it is remembered It is significant in the technological history of the Song navy, an era of gunpowder bombs, paddle-wheel ships and, later, iron plating that kept Song dominance of the East China Sea.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Zeng Gongliang, uploaded by Liang Jieming, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · War between Norway and Denmark
Battle of Djurså Fleet battle
Also known as Slaget ved Djurså
1165 · Djursland, Jutland, Denmark
Fought between Norway against Denmark
Commanders Erling Skakke (Norway); men of King Valdemar the Great (Denmark)
Losses Denmark: its ships plundered.
Result Norwegian victory
Erling Skakke fought the men of the Danish king Valdemar the Great at Djursland in Jutland. The Danes soon fled, and Erling plundered their ships before returning to Norway.
Why it is remembered Snorri Sturluson and Saxo both describe it in similar terms; it was the only major battle of the war.
Sources no.wikipedia.org
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · Crusader invasions of Egypt
Siege of Damietta (1169) Landing or siege
27 October to 16 December 1169 · Damietta, Lower Egypt
Fought between Fatimid Caliphate and the Zengids against the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Byzantine Empire
Commanders Saladin (Fatimids and Zengids); Amalric I (Jerusalem), Andronikos Kontostephanos (Byzantium)
Forces A Byzantine fleet of 150 galleys, 60 horse transports and several large dromons with supplies and siege engines (William of Tyre); Jerusalem and Fatimid strengths unknown
Losses Byzantium: a large number of ships sunk in winter storms during the retreat. Jerusalem: its siege engines burned. Fatimids: unknown.
Result Fatimid and Zengid victory
A Crusader army and a large Byzantine fleet besieged Damietta. The siege failed, the Crusader siege engines were burned, and many Byzantine ships were lost to winter storms on the way home.
Why it is remembered It is considered one of the largest battles of the Crusader invasions of Egypt.
Sources differ Byzantine fleet: 200 ships in some sources; 150 galleys, 60 horse transports and several dromons according to William of Tyre; 1,000 ships in Saladin's letters, an exaggeration.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Cornelis Claesz van Wieringen, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · Danish Crusades (Northern Crusades)
Battle of Julin Bridge Landing or siege
Also known as Battle at Julin Bridge
About 1170 · Wolin, Poland
Fought between Denmark against the Pomeranians
Commanders Valdemar I, Absalon (Denmark); Bogislaw I, Casimir (Pomeranians)
Forces About 1,560 Danes, perhaps a third of them cavalry, and probably 13 ships, against about 7,200 to 10,000 Pomeranians and 60 ships
Losses Denmark: minor losses in men, no ships lost. Pomeranians: 10 to 20 ships wrecked, sunk or burned, 7 captured, about 3,000 to 7,000 dead; Bogislaw's army scattered and Casimir's camp looted.
Result Danish victory
A Danish fleet under Valdemar I and Bishop Absalon fought the army and fleet of the Pomeranian dukes Casimir and Bogislaw I around the bridge at Julin, on land and water, and won.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · Conflict between Frederick Barbarossa and Pope Alexander III
Battle of Salvore Fleet battle
Also known as Bataille de Salvore; Battaglia di Salvore; Punta Salvore (Savudrija)
1177 · Off Punta Salvore (Savudrija), western end of the Bay of Piran, Istria, Croatia
Fought between Republic of Venice, supported by Pope Alexander III and the Istrian cities, against the Holy Roman Empire
Commanders Doge Sebastiano Ziani and Nicolò Contarini (Venice); Otto I of Burgundy, son of Frederick Barbarossa (Empire)
Forces 30 or 40 Venetian galleys against 75 imperial galleys supplied with Genoese and Pisan help
Losses No casualty figures given; the Venetians are said to have sunk many ships and captured 45
Result Venetian victory, according to Venetian tradition
According to the Venetian accounts, a Venetian fleet under Doge Sebastiano Ziani met the imperial fleet off Punta Salvore in Istria and won after six hours of fighting, sinking many ships and capturing 45. Otto, son of the emperor, is said to have been taken prisoner. The main accounts date from the early 14th century, from Boncontro dei Bovi and Doge Andrea Dandolo.
Why it is remembered Some historians, from Cardinal Cesare Baronio in 1588 onwards, have doubted the battle took place and see it as Venetian propaganda for its claim to the Adriatic, since no contemporary chronicle records it. It was painted for the Doge's Palace by Domenico Tintoretto in 1605, replacing a 1409 work by Gentile da Fabriano, and in a fresco by Spinello Aretino in the Palazzo Pubblico, Siena.
Sources differ Venetian fleet given as 40 galleys in one passage and 30 in another. Otto is said to have been captured, yet the same account says the emperor's ship escaped. Historicity disputed: no contemporary chronicle mentions the battle.
Sources Wikipedia · Wikipédia (FR)
Image: Domenico Tintoretto, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · Reconquista; Almohad wars in the Iberian Peninsula
Battle of Cape Espichel Fleet battle
Also known as Batalla del cabo Espichel (1180)
29 July 1180 · Cape Espichel, Atlantic coast of Portugal
Fought between Kingdom of Portugal against the Almohad Caliphate
Commanders Unknown (Portugal); Gamin ben Mardanis (Almohads, killed)
Forces Portugal: 9 vessels. Almohads: 10 galleys.
Losses Portugal: unknown. Almohads: several galleys captured and many dead, including their admiral.
Result Portuguese victory
A Portuguese squadron met an Almohad squadron of galleys off Cape Espichel. The Portuguese won, killing the Almohad admiral and capturing several advanced Mediterranean galleys intact.
Why it is remembered It is considered the first naval battle in Portuguese history. It is the subject of the painting First Naval Triumph of the Portuguese by Joaquim Rafael.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Genpei War
Kumano pirates' attack on Nakiri Raid
Also known as 熊野海賊菜切攻め (Kumano kaizoku Nakiri-zeme)
January 1181 (Jishō 5) · Nakiri island, Ago District, Shima Province (now Daiō, Shima, Mie Prefecture), Japan
Fought between Kumano monks (Kumano pirates) against the Taira side
Commanders Enoshirō of Izu (Taira side)
In January 1181 the seafaring Kumano pirates, monks of Kumano, fought the Taira supporter Enoshirō of Izu at Nakiri in Shima Province. The episode is recorded in the second book of the Azuma Kagami.
Why it is remembered Objects thought to date from this fight were found during harbour works at the fishing port in the Taishō period.
Sources Wikipedia (JA)
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · Reconquista; Almohad wars in the Iberian Peninsula
Battle of Ceuta (1182) Fleet battle
Also known as Bataille de Ceuta (1182)
1182 · Off Ceuta, Strait of Gibraltar
Fought between Kingdom of Portugal against the Almohad Caliphate
Commanders Fuas Roupinho (Portugal), killed
Losses Portugal lost a very large part of its fleet; very few ships returned to Lisbon. Almohad losses unknown.
Result Almohad victory
After the Portuguese defeat at Silves earlier in 1182, Admiral Fuas Roupinho led a new raid on Ceuta. The Almohad fleet intercepted the Portuguese near Ceuta and destroyed most of their fleet. Roupinho was killed.
Why it is remembered A heavy defeat for the young Portuguese navy, two years after its first victory at Cape Espichel in 1180.
Sources Wikipedia · Wikipédia (FR)
The Middle Ages · The Crusades
Crusader raids on the Red Sea Raid
December 1182 to February 1183 · Red Sea and Gulf of Aqaba
Fought between Lordship of Transjordan against the Ayyubid dynasty
Commanders Raynald of Châtillon (Transjordan); Al-Adil and Husam al-Din Lu'lu' (Ayyubids)
Forces 5 ships and 300 men (Transjordan); Ayyubid strength unknown
Losses Transjordan: the entire force destroyed. Ayyubid losses unknown. 16 merchant ships burned or captured, caravans massacred and ports sacked.
Result Ayyubid victory
Raynald of Châtillon, lord of Transjordan, built a flotilla and raided the Red Sea, attacking Pharaoh's Island (Ile de Graye) and Muslim shipping. Sixteen merchant ships were burned or captured and ports sacked before the Ayyubids destroyed his force.
Why it is remembered A rare crusader naval venture into the Red Sea.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Genpei War
Battle of Mizushima Fleet battle
Also known as 水島の戦い (Mizushima no tatakai)
17 November 1183 · Off Mizushima island, Bitchū Province, Seto Inland Sea, Japan
Fought between Minamoto clan against Taira clan
Commanders Yada Yoshikiyo (Minamoto); Taira no Shigehira, Taira no Tomomori and Taira no Noritsune (Taira)
Result Taira victory
Minamoto no Yoshinaka sent an army across the Inland Sea against the Taira base at Yashima, but the Taira caught it just off Mizushima. The Taira tied their ships together and laid planks across them to make a flat fighting deck, opened with archery and then fought hand to hand. Taira warriors then swam their horses ashore and routed the remaining Minamoto troops.
Why it is remembered A Taira success in the Genpei War, notable for ships lashed together into a fighting platform and for horses carried aboard.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Civil war era in Norway
Battle of Fimreite Fleet battle
Also known as Slaget ved Fimreite
15 June 1184 · Fimreite, Sogn, Norway
Fought between King Magnus Erlingsson (Kingdom of Norway) against Sverre Sigurdsson and the Birkebeiner party
Commanders Magnus Erlingsson, killed (royal fleet); Sverre Sigurdsson (Birkebeiner)
Forces 26 ships (Magnus) against 14 ships (Sverre)
Losses Magnus: heavy, 2,000 claimed. Birkebeiner: low.
Result Birkebeiner victory; Sverre took the throne
Sverre Sigurdsson and his Birkebeiner fleet fought King Magnus Erlingsson at Fimreite. Magnus was defeated and killed.
Why it is remembered It put Sverre on the Norwegian throne, which he held from 1184 to 1202.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Genpei War
Battle of Dan-no-ura Fleet battle
Also known as 壇ノ浦の戦い (Dan-no-ura no tatakai)
25 April 1185 · Dan-no-ura, Kanmon Straits, off Shimonoseki at the southern tip of Honshū, Japan
Fought between Minamoto clan against Taira clan
Commanders Minamoto no Yoshitsune (naval) and Minamoto no Noriyori (land) (Minamoto); Taira no Tomomori, killed, Taira no Munemori, executed, Taira no Noritsune, killed, with the child Emperor Antoku (Taira)
Forces Minamoto: 800 ships (Azuma Kagami) or 3,000 (The Tale of the Heike). Taira: 500 ships (Azuma Kagami) or 1,000 (The Tale of the Heike).
Losses Taira: annihilated, with the young Emperor Antoku and many Taira nobles among the dead. Minamoto losses unknown.
Result Minamoto victory
The Minamoto fleet under Minamoto no Yoshitsune met the Taira fleet in the Kanmon Straits. The morning tide favoured the Taira but turned against them in the afternoon, and the Taira were destroyed. The young Emperor Antoku died with many of the Taira nobility.
Why it is remembered It ended the Genpei War and gave the Minamoto command of Japan. The Tale of the Heike is one of the sources for its course.
Sources differ Date given as 25 April 1185, or 24 March 1185 by the official page of Shimonoseki. Fleet sizes differ between the Azuma Kagami and The Tale of the Heike.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Genpei War
Battle of Yashima Landing or siege
Also known as 屋島の戦い
22 March 1185 · Yashima, now Takamatsu, Kagawa, Shikoku, on the Seto Inland Sea
Fought between Minamoto clan against Taira clan
Commanders Minamoto no Yoshitsune (Minamoto); Taira no Munemori and Taira no Noritsune (Taira)
Forces Minamoto: 140 ships according to the main account, though Yoshitsune crossed with only 5 boats and about 150 men. Taira: unknown.
Losses Satō Tsugunobu among the Minamoto dead; Taira losses unknown
Result Minamoto victory; most of the Taira fleet escaped
After a storm wrecked many boats, Yoshitsune crossed to Shikoku with a small party and landed at Tsubaki Bay in Awa Province. He advanced overnight on the Taira palace at Yashima, and bonfires lit behind them made the Taira think a large army was coming by land. They abandoned the palace and fled to their ships with the child Emperor Antoku and the imperial regalia, and fighting went on between shore and ships.
Why it is remembered The Heike monogatari tells how Nasu no Yoichi shot a fan from a pole on a Taira boat, one of the most famous archery feats in Japanese history. The escaping Taira fleet was destroyed about a month later at Dan-no-ura.
Sources differ The main account gives 140 Minamoto ships, while the narrative has Yoshitsune leave with 5 of 200 boats. A figure of 30,000 horses probably belongs to a different campaign of 1184.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Third Crusade
Siege of Acre (1189 to 1191) Landing or siege
28 August 1189 to 12 July 1191 · Acre, coast of the Levant
Fought between Crusaders (England, France, the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the military orders, Pisa, Genoa, Sicily and others) against the Ayyubid Sultanate
Commanders Richard I of England, Philip II of France, Guy of Lusignan, Conrad of Montferrat (Crusaders); Saladin (Ayyubids)
Forces A Christian blockading fleet of at least 102 ships, including Pisan, Danish and Frisian squadrons, Richard I's fleet of 100 ships with about 8,000 men and a Genoese fleet under Simone Doria; Muslim and Egyptian galley fleets
Losses Crusaders: about 19,000 dead. Garrison: 5,000 to 10,000 dead.
Result Crusader victory
Guy of Jerusalem besieged Acre while a Christian fleet blockaded it from the sea, and Saladin's army in turn hemmed in the besiegers. On 30 October 1189 fifty Muslim galleys broke the blockade and landed about 10,000 men and supplies, and an Egyptian fleet arrived on 17 December. Conrad of Montferrat's naval attack on the Tower of Flies failed. With the arrival of the English and French fleets the city surrendered on 12 July 1191.
Why it is remembered Because both sides were supplied by sea, neither could finish the siege for nearly two years. Its fall was a key Crusader victory and a serious setback for Saladin.
Sources differ Casualty figures vary widely: modern estimates give about 19,000 Crusader dead, while a contemporary source claims up to 60,000 Muslims killed.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Croatian and Venetian war of 1181 to 1202
Battle of Pašman Fleet battle
Also known as Bitka kraj Pašmana
1190 · Off the island of Pašman, Dalmatia, Croatia
Fought between Zadar and Pisa against the Republic of Venice
Commanders Damjan Desinjin, count of Zadar
Result Zadar victory
Two years after allying with Pisa against Venice, the count of Zadar, Damjan Desinjin, met the Venetian fleet off Pašman in 1190 and won. The battle was part of a twenty year Venetian effort to take Zadar.
Why it is remembered One of the battles in Venice's long and, until 1202, unsuccessful attempt to take Zadar, which finally fell to the crusaders in 1202.
Sources hr.wikipedia.org
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · Civil war era in Norway
Battle of Florvåg Fleet battle
Also known as Slaget ved Florvåg
3 April 1194 · Florvåg bay, off Askøy near Bergen, Norway
Fought between Birkebeiner party against the Eyjarskeggjar party, supported by the Jarldom of Orkney
Commanders King Sverre Sigurdsson and Bård Guttormsson, killed (Birkebeiner); Sigurd Magnusson, Hallkjell Jonsson and Olav Jarlsmåg, all killed (Eyjarskeggjar)
Forces 21 ships and 2,000 men (Birkebeiner) against 14 ships and 2,000 men (Eyjarskeggjar)
Losses Birkebeiner: 900 to 1,000 killed. Eyjarskeggjar: 12 ships lost and 1,000 to 1,500 killed.
Result Decisive Birkebeiner victory
The Eyjarskeggjar, raised in Orkney and Shetland to support the pretender Sigurd Magnusson, wintered in Bergen and moved their fleet to Florvåg. Sverre's Birkebeiner fleet attacked by surprise at night. The Eyjarskeggjar had the better of most of the fight, but their ships were caught by a current near the end and the Birkebeiner destroyed most of their army and its leaders.
Why it is remembered It ended the most dangerous revolt of Sverre's reign.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · Livonian Crusade
Battle of Visby (1203) Single-ship action
Also known as Jūras kauja pie Visbijas
1203 · Harbour of Visby, Gotland, Baltic Sea
Fought between German crusaders with Bishop Albert against Estonians (Oeselians)
Commanders Bishop Albert of Riga (present with the crusaders)
Forces Eight Estonian ships attacked
Losses Three Estonian ships captured
Result Crusader success
Estonian ships returning from a raid on Denmark had put into Visby. German crusaders bound for Livonia, against the wishes of the local people, attacked eight Estonian ships lying apart from the rest and captured three of them. The recovered plunder was handed to the Archbishop of Lund.
Why it is remembered The first battle of the Livonian Crusade in which Bishop Albert took part.
Sources lv.wikipedia.org
The Middle Ages · Anglo-French War of 1213 to 1214
Battle of Damme Raid
30 to 31 May 1213 · Damme, County of Flanders (now Belgium)
Fought between Kingdom of England and County of Flanders against the Kingdom of France
Commanders William Longespée, Earl of Salisbury (England); Savari de Mauléon (France)
Forces French fleet large, number unknown; English strength unknown
Losses France: 300 ships captured, over 100 burned, the remaining ships scuttled. English losses unknown.
Result English victory
An English fleet under the Earl of Salisbury came by chance upon a large French fleet near Damme while most French crews were ashore plundering. The English captured 300 ships at anchor and looted and burned about a hundred more on the beach. King Philip II marched from the siege of Ghent, relieved the town and drove off the English landing parties, then burned the rest of his own fleet to prevent its capture.
Why it is remembered It ended the immediate threat of a French invasion of England and is often called the first great English naval victory.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Mahiet, Master of the Cambrai Missal, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · Livonian Crusade
Battle of Samsala Raid
Also known as Lahing Saaremaa Uues sadamas (Battle in the New Harbour of Saaremaa)
1215 · The New Harbour (Uus sadam), Saaremaa, Estonia
Fought between Oeselians (people of Saaremaa) against crusaders
Crusader ships driven by a storm to shelter in the New Harbour of Saaremaa were attacked there by the Oeselians. The account comes from the Livonian Chronicle of Henry.
Why it is remembered Recorded in Henry of Livonia's chronicle of the crusade.
Sources et.wikipedia.org
The Middle Ages · First Barons' War; Capetian and Plantagenet conflict
Battle of Dover (1217) Fleet battle
Also known as Bataille de Douvres
Early 1217 · Off Dover, England
Fought between Kingdom of England against the Kingdom of France
Commanders Hubert de Burgh (England); Eustace the Monk (France)
Forces 30 to 40 English ships against about 80 French vessels, mostly small
Result English victory
Early in 1217 an English fleet of 30 to 40 ships under Hubert de Burgh fought a French fleet of some 80 vessels, mostly small, led by Eustace the Monk. The English won.
Sources differ The English account on the Battle of Sandwich (24 August 1217) says that battle is also called the Battle of Dover and has the same two commanders; the two may describe the same or related events.
Sources Wikipédia (FR)
The Middle Ages · First Barons' War
Battle of Sandwich (1217) Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of Dover
24 August 1217 · Off Sandwich, Kent, England
Fought between Kingdom of England against the Kingdom of France
Commanders Hubert de Burgh, Philip d'Aubigny and Richard FitzRoy (England); Robert of Courtenay and Eustace the Monk, executed (France)
Forces 16 to 18 large ships and 20 smaller ships (England) against 10 large ships and 70 supply vessels (France)
Losses France: 1 large ship, 36 knights and 64 supply vessels lost. English losses unknown.
Result English victory
A French fleet carrying supplies and reinforcements to Prince Louis in London was attacked off Sandwich by an English fleet under Hubert de Burgh, coming from windward. The English took the French flagship, made Robert of Courtenay and the knights prisoner and killed the rest of the crew; Eustace the Monk was executed. Most supply vessels were captured and the rest returned to Calais.
Why it is remembered It persuaded Prince Louis to give up his attempt to conquer England, and the Treaty of Lambeth followed a few weeks later.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Matthew White Ridley, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · Civil war era in Norway
Battle of Ekornholmen Fleet battle
Also known as Slaget ved Ekornholmen
Summer 1222 · Ekornholmen, off Feiring on the west shore of Lake Mjøsa, Norway
Fought between Birkebeiner and the men of Hedmark against the Ribbungs
Commanders Harald Stangarfylja, Olav Mok, Fridrek Slafse and Torgeir biskopsmann (Birkebeiner and Hedmark); Sigurd Ribbung (Ribbungs)
Forces An unknown number of small vessels on the Ribbung side; the Hedmark side probably had fewer ships
Losses Ribbungs: 200 killed, including four company leaders (Styr prest, Ørnulv fra Forvell, Torbjørn Rig and Audun Austansjor)
Result Birkebeiner victory
Sigurd Ribbung brought a fleet of small vessels up the Glomma and Vorma into Lake Mjøsa and sought out the Birkebeiner flotilla lying off Feiring. The Birkebeiner and Hedmark men held and defeated the Ribbungs, who were driven ashore towards Toten and fled.
Why it is remembered The defeat and the strong Birkebeiner fleet on Mjøsa kept the Ribbungs out of Hedmark, though Ribbung struck back in 1225.
Sources no.wikipedia.org
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · Nicaean-Latin Wars
Battle of Constantinople (1241) Fleet battle
May to June 1241 · Sea of Marmara off Constantinople
Fought between Empire of Nicaea against the Republic of Venice
Commanders Iophre the Armenian (Nicaea); Giovanni Michiel (Venice)
Result Venetian victory
The fleets of the Empire of Nicaea and the Republic of Venice fought near Constantinople, and the Venetians won.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · Guelphs and Ghibellines; Genoese and Pisan wars; second war between Frederick II and Pope Gregory IX
Battle of Giglio Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of Montecristo; Battle of Meloria (1241)
3 May 1241 · Tyrrhenian Sea between the islands of Montecristo and Giglio, Italy
Fought between Holy Roman Empire, Kingdom of Sicily and Republic of Pisa against the Papacy and the Republic of Genoa
Commanders Enzo of Sardinia, Ansaldo de Mari and Ugolino Buzaccherini (Imperial and Pisan); Giacobo Malocello and Gregorio da Montelongo (Genoese)
Forces 67 galleys and lighter warships (40 Pisan galleys, 27 Sicilian and imperial galleys, Savonese light vessels) against 27 vessels, mostly Genoese galleys and several tarides
Losses Imperial and Pisan: negligible. Genoese and papal: 2,000 killed, 4,000 captured, 1 archbishop killed and 18 prelates captured, 3 galleys sunk and 22 captured.
Result Decisive Imperial and Pisan victory
A Genoese squadron was carrying French, English and Spanish prelates to a council summoned in Rome by Pope Gregory IX to act against the excommunicated Emperor Frederick II. A combined Imperial, Sicilian and Pisan fleet intercepted it between Montecristo and Giglio and destroyed it, capturing cardinals, archbishops, bishops, abbots and envoys.
Why it is remembered The capture of the delegates wrecked the planned council at a critical point in the struggle between emperor and papacy.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · War of Saint Sabas
Battle of Acre (1258) Fleet battle
25 June 1258 · Off the port of Acre
Fought between Republic of Venice against the Republic of Genoa
Commanders Lorenzo Tiepolo, Andrea Zeno and Lorenzo Barozzi (Venice); Rosso della Turca (Genoa)
Forces 40 galleys, 4 saette and about 10 smaller vessels (Venice) against 50 galleys and 4 navi (Genoa)
Losses Genoa: 24 galleys captured and 1,700 men killed or captured, about half the fleet. Venetian losses unknown.
Result Venetian victory
Genoa sent a fleet under Rosso della Turca to break the Venetian blockade of its quarter in Acre, with Philip of Montfort and the Hospitallers to attack from the land side. The Genoese surprised the Venetians, but della Turca delayed his attack long enough for the Venetians to form line. Venetian seamanship gave a crushing victory.
Why it is remembered The Genoese abandoned Acre soon afterwards.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Unknown, 19th century, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · War of Saint Sabas
Battle of Settepozzi Fleet battle
First half of 1263 · Off Spetses (medieval Settepozzi), Argolic Gulf, Greece
Fought between Republic of Venice against the Republic of Genoa and the Byzantine Empire
Commanders Guiberto Dandolo (Venice); Pietro Avvocato, killed, Lanfranco Spinola and two other admirals (Genoa)
Forces 32 Venetian galleys against 38 Genoese galleys and 10 saette, of which only 14 engaged
Losses Venice: 20 killed, 400 wounded. Genoa: 600 killed or wounded, 400 captured, 4 galleys captured.
Result Venetian victory
A Genoese fleet sailing to the Byzantine stronghold of Monemvasia met a smaller Venetian fleet off Spetses. The Genoese chose to attack, but only two of their four admirals and 14 ships took part, and they were easily routed.
Why it is remembered The Byzantines began to move away from their alliance with Genoa, and the Genoese afterwards avoided the Venetian battle fleet and turned to commerce raiding.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: William Robert Shepherd, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · War of Saint Sabas
Battle of Saseno Convoy battle
14 August 1264 · Off Saseno island, Albania
Fought between Republic of Genoa against a Venetian trade convoy
Commanders Simone Grillo (Genoa); Michele Duaro (Venetian convoy)
Forces 16 Genoese galleys against 13 taride cargo galleys, 2 light galleys, 1 saetta scouting galley, 1 panzone and 3 navi transports
Ships Roccafortis
Losses Venice: 17 ships lost (12 taride captured, 1 burned, 2 light galleys captured, 1 nave captured, 1 nave sunk). Genoese losses unknown.
Result Genoese victory
Simone Grillo spread word that he was heading for the Levant, then waited off Malta while the main Venetian fleet under Andrea Barozzi went east after him. Grillo then fell on an outbound Venetian convoy off Saseno and took or sank most of its slow merchant ships. Duaro rallied his crews in the great nave Roccafortis and abandoned the rest.
Why it is remembered The captured goods were valued at 100,000 Genoese lire, a rare Genoese success in a war of Venetian victories.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · War of Saint Sabas
Battle of Trapani Fleet battle
23 June 1266 · Off Trapani, Sicily
Fought between Republic of Venice against the Republic of Genoa
Commanders Jacopo Dondulo and Marco Gradenigo (Venice); Lanfranco Borbonino (Genoa)
Forces 24 galleys and 2 saette (Venice) against 27 galleys (Genoa)
Losses Venice: light. Genoa: 24 galleys captured, 3 destroyed, many killed including 1,200 drowned, 600 captured.
Result Venetian victory
The fleets met near Trapani on 22 June. The Genoese council resolved to attack, but Borbonino reversed the decision overnight and chained his ships together near the shore. When the Venetians attacked next day, many Genoese crews, mostly hired foreigners, abandoned their ships, and the whole fleet was sunk or captured.
Why it is remembered Borbonino and most of his captains were tried in Genoa and fined for cowardice. The war went on until French mediation ended it in 1270.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages
Battle of Polesella (1271) Fleet battle
Also known as Battaglia di Polesella; Battaglia della Polesella
1 September 1271 · River Po between Polesella and Guarda Veneta, Italy
Fought between Commune of Bologna against the Republic of Venice
Commanders Lanfranco Malucelli (Bologna); Iacopo Contarini (Venice)
Forces Unknown on both sides; Bologna used land and river forces
Result Bolognese victory
Bolognese land and river forces fought the Venetian river fleet on the Po between Polesella and Guarda Veneta and won.
Why it is remembered Bologna gained more favourable customs duties, which allowed it to expand its trade.
Sources Wikipedia (IT)
Image: Lucio Rossi (Foto R.C.R. Studio Parma), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · Byzantine and Latin wars
Battle of Demetrias Fleet battle
1272/1273 or 1274/1275 · Demetrias (modern Volos), Greece
Fought between Byzantine Empire against the Lordship of Negroponte and Venetian Crete
Commanders Alexios Philanthropenos, wounded, and John Palaiologos (Byzantine); Guglielmo da Verona, killed, and Filippo Sanudo, captured (Latin)
Forces 50 to 80 Byzantine ships against 30 to 62 Latin ships
Losses Byzantine: heavy. Latin: very heavy.
Result Byzantine victory
A Byzantine fleet fought the assembled Latin barons of Euboea and Crete at Volos. The fighting was fierce and at first went the Latins' way, until Byzantine reinforcements arrived and turned it into a crushing Byzantine victory.
Sources differ Date given as 1272/1273 or 1274/1275. Fleet sizes given as ranges.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · Reconquista
Battle of Algeciras (1278) Fleet battle
25 July 1278 · Strait of Gibraltar, off Algeciras, Spain
Fought between Kingdom of Castile and the Order of Santa María de España against the Marinid Sultanate and the Emirate of Granada
Commanders Pedro Martínez de Fe (Castile); Abu Yaqub Yusuf an-Nasr (Marinid and Granadan)
Forces 100 Castilian ships against 72 Marinid and 12 Nasrid ships
Losses Castile: all but 3 ships lost and hundreds drowned. Marinid losses unknown.
Result Marinid victory
While Infante Sancho besieged Algeciras, the Castilian fleet was attacked in the Strait of Gibraltar by the combined Marinid and Granadan fleets and destroyed, all but three of its ships being lost.
Why it is remembered Sancho abandoned the siege of Algeciras in 1279, ending the first round of the long struggle for the Strait of Gibraltar.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: User:Falconaumanni, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · Song and Yuan wars
Battle of Yamen Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of Yashan; 厓門戰役; 厓山海戰
19 March 1279 · Yamen, Xinhui, Jiangmen, Guangdong, China
Fought between Song dynasty against the Yuan dynasty
Commanders Zhang Shijie, killed, and Lu Xiufu, suicide (Song); Zhang Hongfan (Yuan)
Forces Song: over 1,000 ships, mostly transports with warship escorts, carrying some 200,000 people, mostly court officials and servants. Yuan: 20,000 soldiers and over 50 warships.
Losses Song: at least 100,000 died in the fighting or by drowning; the rest fled. Yuan losses unknown.
Result Yuan victory; death of the Song emperor Zhao Bing and fall of the Song dynasty
The Song court and its fleet made their last stand at Yamen against the Yuan fleet and were destroyed. The Song emperor Zhao Bing died, and at least 100,000 people were killed or drowned.
Why it is remembered It marked the end of the Song dynasty.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: (Long night without wind) 长夜无风, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · War of the Sicilian Vespers
Battle of Nicotera Fleet battle
1282 · Off Nicotera, Calabria, southern Italy
Fought between Crown of Aragon and Kingdom of Sicily against the Angevin Kingdom of Naples
Commanders James of Aragon, Pedro de Queralt and Ramon de Cortada (Aragon); Arrighino de' Mari (Angevin)
Forces 15 to 22 Aragonese and Sicilian galleys against 48 Angevin ships
Losses Aragonese: light. Angevin: heavy, about 20 ships captured with many crews and troops; contemporary chronicles claim 4,000 to 6,000 prisoners, probably exaggerated.
Result Aragonese and Sicilian victory
After the failed Angevin siege of Messina, the weakened Angevin fleet tried to disperse to its home ports for the winter and was intercepted along the coast of southern Italy by the Aragonese and Sicilian fleet.
Why it is remembered The first direct battle between Angevin and Aragonese forces in the war, and the start of the Aragonese naval supremacy that marked the rest of it.
Sources differ Prisoner numbers from the chronicles (4,000 to 6,000) are considered likely exaggerations.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · War of the Sicilian Vespers
Battle of Malta (1283) Fleet battle
8 July 1283 · Entrance to the Grand Harbour, Malta
Fought between Crown of Aragon against the Angevin Kingdom of Naples
Commanders Roger of Lauria (Aragon); Guillaume Cornut, killed, and Bartholomé Bonvin (Angevin)
Forces 18 to 21 galleys and 5,500 men (Aragon) against 19 to 22 galleys and 7,800 men (Angevin)
Losses Aragon: 300 dead, 200 wounded. Angevin: 3,500 dead, 860 prisoners, 10 galleys captured, 2 scuttled.
Result Aragonese victory
An Angevin galley fleet reached Malta to relieve the garrison besieged in the Castello del Mare, followed closely by Roger of Lauria's Aragonese fleet. Lauria drew the Angevin and Provençal galleys into battle at the harbour mouth and destroyed almost all of them.
Why it is remembered It forced Charles I of Naples to postpone his planned invasion of Sicily.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: 5afd4770411ca76c (talk), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · War of the Sicilian Vespers
Battle of the Gulf of Naples Fleet battle
5 June 1284 · Southern part of the Gulf of Naples, Italy
Fought between Crown of Aragon and Sicily against the Angevin Kingdom of Naples
Commanders Roger of Lauria (Aragon); Charles of Salerno, captured (Naples)
Forces 30 Aragonese galleys against 28 Angevin galleys
Losses Aragon: light. Naples: 10 galleys captured.
Result Aragonese victory
Roger of Lauria's Aragonese and Sicilian fleet defeated the Angevin fleet under Prince Charles of Salerno in the Gulf of Naples. Charles himself was captured.
Why it is remembered The victory helped secure Aragonese control of the sea around Sicily.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Giovanni Villani, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · Genoese and Pisan wars
Battle of Meloria (1284) Fleet battle
5 to 6 August 1284 · Near the islet of Meloria, Ligurian Sea, Italy
Fought between Republic of Genoa against the Republic of Pisa
Commanders Oberto Doria, Benedetto Zaccaria and Corrado Spinola (Genoa); Albertino Morosini, captured, Count Ugolino and Andreotto Saraceno (Pisa)
Forces 88 Genoese galleys against 72 Pisan galleys
Losses Genoa: moderate, according to Doria. Pisa: about 5,000 killed, about 9,000 to 11,000 captured, 35 to 37 galleys lost.
Result Genoese victory
The Genoese and Pisan fleets met off the islet of Meloria and the Pisan fleet was destroyed, with thousands killed and many more taken prisoner.
Why it is remembered It marked the decline of the Republic of Pisa as a sea power.
Sources differ One account gives 5 and 6 August 1284; another account gives 6 August.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Genoese and Pisan wars
Battle of Tavolara (1284) Fleet battle
Also known as Battaglia di Tavolara
May 1284 · Off the island of Tavolara, north east Sardinia
Fought between Republic of Genoa against the Republic of Pisa
Commanders Arrigo De Mari and Morovello Malaspina (Genoa); Count Fazio della Gherardesca (Pisa)
Forces 15 Genoese war galleys against 24 or 34 Pisan war galleys
Losses Genoa: light. Pisa: 1 galley sunk, 13 vessels captured, 1,500 prisoners.
Result Genoese victory
A Pisan fleet escorting ships towards the coast of Gallura met the Genoese fleet off Tavolara. Despite its greater numbers Pisa was beaten, losing most of its galleys and over 1,500 men taken prisoner.
Why it is remembered Pisa replaced its podestà with the Venetian Alberto Morosini, and the war ended weeks later with the far worse Pisan defeat at Meloria.
Sources differ Pisan strength given as 24 or 34 galleys.
Sources Wikipedia (IT)
Image: Mikołaj Kirschke, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · Aragonese Crusade
Battle of Les Formigues Fleet battle
4 September 1285 (probably early morning) · Near the Formigues Islands, off Girona, Catalonia, about 85 km north east of Barcelona
Fought between Crown of Aragon and Kingdom of Sicily against France and the Republic of Genoa
Commanders Roger of Lauria, Ramon Marquet and Berenguer Mallol (Aragon); Guilhem de Lodeva, captured, Henry di Mari and John de Orreo (France and Genoa)
Forces 30 plus 10 Aragonese and Sicilian galleys against 30 French and Genoese galleys
Losses France and Genoa: 15 to 20 or more galleys sunk, burnt or captured. Aragonese losses unknown.
Result Aragonese victory
The battle was fought at night, which suited Roger of Lauria, who hung two lanterns on each galley to seem stronger. Ten to sixteen Genoese galleys fled, leaving some fifteen to twenty French galleys to be captured and others sunk or burnt. About three hundred French prisoners are said to have been blinded, all but one, and sent back to France.
Why it is remembered Lauria's reported message to the King of France was that no fish could swim the Mediterranean without bearing the arms of the King of Aragon.
Sources differ Three largely different accounts exist (Ramon Muntaner, Bernat Desclot and the Gesta comitum Barchinonensium). The Gesta places the battle at Les Formigues; Muntaner places it off Roses.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Joan Serra y Pausas, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · Aragonese Crusade
Battle of Sant Feliu de Guíxols Fleet battle
Also known as Batalla naval de Sant Feliu de Guíxols
27 to 28 July 1285 · Off Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Girona, Catalonia
Fought between Crown of Aragon against the Kingdom of France
Commanders Ramon Marquet and Berenguer Mallol (Aragon); Guillem de Lodeva, captured (France)
Forces 11 Catalan galleys against 24 French galleys
Losses France: 7 galleys captured and 4,000 sailors. Aragon: 1 galley disabled and 100 sailors.
Result Aragonese victory
The Catalan galleys attacked the French head on, broke their line and isolated seven galleys, including the flagship, which crossbowmen and boarders overwhelmed; the other French galleys fled. Admiral Guillem de Lodeva was captured, and prisoners who could not be ransomed were put aboard two galleys that were then sunk.
Why it is remembered Weeks later the same squadron joined Roger of Lauria's fleet for the Battle of Les Formigues.
Sources differ Muntaner places the battle off Roses. French strength is also given as 25 galleys in a separate account.
Sources Viquipèdia (CA)
The Middle Ages · War of the Sicilian Vespers
Battle of the Counts Fleet battle
23 June 1287 · Near Naples, Italy
Fought between Crown of Aragon and Kingdom of Sicily against the Angevin Kingdom of Naples
Commanders Roger of Lauria (Aragon and Sicily); Reynald III Quarrel of Avella and Narjot de Toucy (Naples)
Forces 40 to 45 Aragonese and Sicilian galleys against 84 Angevin galleys
Losses Naples: 5,000 crew captured and 40 galleys captured. Aragonese losses unknown.
Result Aragonese victory
Roger of Lauria's Aragonese and Sicilian fleet met an Angevin fleet of about twice its size near Naples and won a major victory, capturing 40 galleys and 5,000 men.
Why it is remembered One of the major victories of Roger of Lauria.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Mongol invasions of Vietnam (third invasion)
Battle of Bạch Đằng (1288) Fleet battle
9 April 1288 · Bạch Đằng River, Quảng Ninh province, Vietnam
Fought between Đại Việt against the Yuan dynasty
Commanders Prince Trần Hưng Đạo (Trần Quốc Tuấn) and Trần Khánh Dư (Đại Việt); Omar, captured, and Fan Yi, executed (Yuan)
Forces 50,000 (Vietnamese sources) against 94,000 men and 500 ships (Yuan)
Losses Đại Việt: 4,000 to 4,500 killed. Yuan: 80,000 killed or captured, 500 ships sunk or captured.
Result Đại Việt victory
Prince Trần Hưng Đạo laid an ambush for the Yuan fleet on the Bạch Đằng River and destroyed it, capturing its general.
Why it is remembered It ended Kublai Khan's plans to conquer Đại Việt and Champa. It is ranked with the earlier battle of Bạch Đằng in 938 among the greatest victories in Vietnamese military history.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Venetian and Genoese wars
Battle of Laiazzo Fleet battle
Also known as Battaglia di Laiazzo
27 May 1294 · Off the roadstead of Laiazzo
Fought between Republic of Genoa against the Republic of Venice
Commanders Niccolò Spinola (Genoa); Marco Basilio (Venice)
Forces 17 Genoese galleys and one smaller vessel against 32 Venetian galleys
Losses Venice: 25 galleys captured and many prisoners
Result Genoese victory
Outnumbered, the Genoese formed a line in front of the port with their flanks protected. The Venetians attacked slowly, using fireships, but the wind carried many of their galleys alongside the Genoese so they could not ram. After a full day of fighting, with missiles thrown from what may have been siege engines aboard, Genoa took 25 galleys.
Why it is remembered The Dominican Jacopo d'Acqui wrote that Marco Polo was captured here, though others place his capture at Curzola in 1298. The battle was not decisive and both sides prepared for a larger war.
Sources differ Marco Polo's capture placed at Laiazzo (1294) by Jacopo d'Acqui and at Curzola (1298) by others. The Italian account notes its sources lack precise references.
Sources Wikipedia (IT)
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · War of Curzola
Battle of Curzola Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of Korčula
9 September 1298 · Off Curzola (Korčula), southern Dalmatia, Croatia
Fought between Republic of Genoa against the Republic of Venice
Commanders Lamba Doria (Genoa); Andrea Dandolo, killed, and Matteo Quirini, killed (Venice)
Forces 66 to 75 Genoese galleys against 95 Venetian galleys
Losses Genoa: heavy. Venice: 7,000 to 9,000 killed and 65 to 83 galleys lost.
Result Genoese victory
The Genoese fleet under Lamba Doria met the larger Venetian fleet off Korčula and destroyed most of it. The Venetian commander Andrea Dandolo was killed.
Why it is remembered A disaster for Venice and one of the heaviest defeats in the long wars between Genoa, Venice and Pisa for the trade of the Mediterranean and the Levant.
Sources differ Date: 9 September 1298 in one account, 8 September in another account.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Fedele Fischetti, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · War of the Sicilian Vespers
Battle of Cape Orlando Fleet battle
Also known as Battaglia di Capo d'Orlando
4 July 1299 · Off Cape Orlando, near San Marco di Val Demone, Sicily
Fought between Crown of Aragon and the Angevins against the Kingdom of Sicily
Commanders Roger of Lauria, with King James II of Aragon present (Aragon and Anjou); Conrad d'Oria, with King Frederick III of Sicily present (Sicily)
Forces 56 Aragonese and Angevin galleys against 48 Sicilian galleys
Losses Sicily: 18 galleys captured and their crews massacred. Aragonese losses unknown.
Result Aragonese and Angevin victory
The larger Aragonese and Angevin fleet was trapped on a lee shore but won when its six galley reserve struck the rear of the Sicilian line. The Sicilians fled after their flagship, with King Frederick aboard, pulled back when he collapsed from heat and exhaustion.
Why it is remembered James II then withdrew to Aragon, and Frederick defeated the Angevins on land and secured Sicilian independence in the Peace of Caltabellotta.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Nicolás Ruiz de Valdivia y Aguilera (1829 to 1880), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · War of the Sicilian Vespers
Battle of Ponza (1300) Fleet battle
14 June 1300 · Near the islands of Ponza and Zannone, Gulf of Gaeta, north west of Naples, Italy
Fought between Angevin Naples, with Aragon and Genoese and Apulian galleys, against the Kingdom of Sicily
Commanders Roger of Lauria (Angevin fleet); Conrad d'Oria (Sicily)
Forces 59 galleys (40 Angevin, 12 Apulian, 7 Genoese) against 32 Sicilian galleys
Losses Sicily: 18 to 29 galleys captured (26 in the main account); Lauria lost one galley captured. Angevin losses otherwise unknown.
Result Angevin and Aragonese victory
Conrad d'Oria challenged Lauria to come out of Naples, but Lauria waited until Apulian and Genoese galleys joined him. He then found the Sicilians near Zannone. D'Oria attacked Lauria's flag galley directly; seven Sicilian galleys fled and five Genoese Ghibelline galleys held back, and most of the rest were captured, d'Oria's galley surrendering last when Lauria threatened to burn it.
Sources differ Sicilian galleys captured given as 18 to 29 in one account (two sources say 28) and 26 in another account.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Franco-Flemish War
Battle of Zierikzee Fleet battle
10 to 11 August 1304 · Near Zierikzee, County of Zeeland (modern Netherlands)
Fought between Kingdom of France, County of Holland and Genoese galleys against the County of Flanders
Commanders Rainier I Grimaldi (France and allies); Guy of Namur, captured (Flanders)
Forces 54 allied ships against 37 Flemish ships
Losses Flemish fleet annihilated; casualty figures unknown on both sides
Result French and Dutch victory
A Franco-Hollandic fleet under the Genoese Rainier Grimaldi met the Flemish fleet near Zierikzee and destroyed it over two days. Guy of Namur was taken prisoner.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Giovanni Villani, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · The Crusades
Battle of Amorgos (1312) Fleet battle
1312 · Amorgos, Aegean Sea
Fought between Knights Hospitaller against the Beylik of Menteshe
Forces Hospitaller strength unknown; 23 Turkish ships
Losses Hospitallers: 57 knights and 300 foot soldiers killed. Menteshe: 23 ships burned and 800 soldiers killed.
Result Hospitaller victory
The fleets of the Knights Hospitaller and the Turkish beylik of Menteshe fought at Amorgos. The Hospitallers won, burning all 23 Turkish ships, but both sides suffered heavy losses.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · Latin campaigns against Turkish pirates
Battle of Chios (1319) Fleet battle
23 July 1319 · Off Chios, eastern Aegean
Fought between Knights Hospitaller and the Lordship of Chios against the Beylik of Aydin
Commanders Albert of Schwarzburg and Martino Zaccaria (Latin); Mehmed Beg (Aydin)
Forces 31 Latin ships against 10 galleys and 18 other ships
Losses Aydin: 22 ships sunk or captured. Latin losses unknown.
Result Hospitaller and Genoese victory
A Latin Christian fleet, mainly Hospitaller, met a Turkish fleet of the Aydinid emirate off Chios and sank or captured 22 of its ships.
Why it is remembered For the Aydinids, who had turned to piracy after the collapse of Byzantine power, it was only a temporary setback in their rise.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages
Battle of Rhodes (1320) Landing or siege
1320 · Rhodes, with a sequel at Episkopi (Tilos)
Fought between Knights Hospitaller with six Genoese galleys against the Turks of Menteshe
Commanders Orhan Bey (Menteshe)
Forces 4 Hospitaller galleys and 20 smaller vessels with 6 Genoese galleys, against some 80 Turkish ships carrying and protecting an army
Losses The Turkish fleet was destroyed. At Episkopi the Turks left there, reportedly 5,000 or even 10,000 people, were slaughtered or enslaved.
Result Turkish attempt to conquer Rhodes failed
The Turks of Menteshe sent some 80 ships to carry an army against Rhodes. The Hospitaller and Genoese fleet destroyed the invasion fleet, then sailed to Episkopi where the Turks left behind were killed or enslaved.
Sources differ Some sources date it to 1321 or 1322. The historian Mike Carr suggests medieval sources may have confused it with the 1319 battle of Chios.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Auguste Étienne François Mayer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · Aragonese conquest of Sardinia
Battle of the Gulf of Cagliari Fleet battle
Also known as Batalla naval de Cagliari; Battaglia navale del Golfo di Cagliari
26 to 29 December 1325 · Gulf of Cagliari, off Capo di Sant'Elia, Sardinia
Fought between Crown of Aragon against the Republics of Pisa and Genoa
Commanders Francesco Carroz (Aragon); Gaspare Doria (Pisa and Genoa)
Forces 22 Aragonese galleys against 26 galleys and 6 boats (22 Savonese galleys, 4 armed galleys and 6 Pisan boats)
Losses Genoa and Pisa: 7 Genoese galleys seized, including Doria's, and hundreds killed or captured. Aragonese losses not given.
Result Aragonese victory
A Pisan and Genoese fleet under Gaspare Doria arrived off Capo di Sant'Elia on Christmas Eve. After several days of skirmishing, Admiral Carroz surprised the Pisan and Genoese galleys in front of and to the left of his line and seized seven; Doria fled and the lighter galleys escaped.
Why it is remembered After this defeat and the assault on Stampace, Pisa ceded Castel di Castro to Aragon in June 1326.
Sources differ The Catalan account on the Battle of Stampace describes the same naval defeat of Doria's relief fleet on 29 December 1325.
Sources Wikipedia (ES) · Wikipedia (IT)
The Middle Ages · Aragonese conquest of Sardinia
Battle of Stampace Landing or siege
Also known as Batalla de Stampace
29 December 1325 · Stampace, beside Cagliari, Sardinia
Fought between Crown of Aragon against the Republics of Genoa and Pisa
Commanders Francesc Carròs i de Cruïlles (Aragonese fleet) and Ramon de Peralta (Aragonese land forces); Gaspar Doria (relief fleet)
Forces Relief fleet of 24 galleys; Aragonese strength not given
Result Aragonese victory
Carròs's fleet defeated a Genoese and Pisan relief fleet of 24 galleys, the fight opening with five Genoese and two Pisan galleys attacking his ship while the rest stayed back. The Aragonese then moved against Cagliari, and Peralta stormed Stampace and massacred its people.
Sources differ Year given as 1326 in some records; the Catalan account dates it 29 December 1325. The naval action overlaps with the Battle of the Gulf of Cagliari (26 to 29 December 1325).
Sources Viquipèdia (CA)
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · The Crusades
Battle of Adramyttion (1334) Fleet battle
Autumn 1334 · Gulf of Adramyttion, Turkey
Fought between Christian naval league (Venice, Knights Hospitaller, Cyprus, the Papal States and France) against the Beylik of Karasi
Commanders Pietro Zeno (league); Yakhshi (Karasi)
Forces 34 league galleys
Losses Karasi: 150 to 200 ships destroyed and 5,000 soldiers killed
Result Christian league victory
The fleet of a Christian naval league led by Venice and the Hospitallers defeated the fleet of the Turkish beylik of Karasi in the Gulf of Adramyttion.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Luso-Castilian War of 1336 to 1339
Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1337) Fleet battle
21 July 1337 · Off Cape St. Vincent, Portugal
Fought between Crown of Castile against the Kingdom of Portugal
Commanders Alfonso Jofré Tenorio (Castile); Manuel Pessanha (Emanuele Pessagno), captured (Portugal)
Forces 30 Castilian galleys against 20 Portuguese galleys
Losses Portugal: 14 galleys lost (8 captured, 6 sunk). Castile: uncertain.
Result Castilian victory
A Castilian fleet under Alfonso Jofré Tenorio defeated the young Portuguese fleet of the Luso-Genoese admiral Manuel Pessanha, who was taken prisoner.
Why it is remembered It brought a quick end to the Luso-Castilian war begun in 1336.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Hundred Years' War
Battle of Arnemuiden Fleet battle
23 September 1338 · Off Arnemuiden, Walcheren, Zeeland (now the Netherlands)
Fought between France against England
Commanders Hugues Quiéret and Nicolas Béhuchet (France); John Kingston, killed (England)
Forces 48 French galleys against 5 English cogs
Ships Christopher (Christophe)
Losses France: 900 killed or wounded. England: 1,000 killed and 5 cogs captured.
Result French victory
A large French fleet caught five great English cogs carrying wool to Antwerp, where Edward III meant to sell it to pay his allies. Outnumbered and with some crew still ashore, John Kingston surrendered after a day's fighting. The French took the cargo and the five cogs and massacred the English prisoners.
Why it is remembered The first naval battle of the Hundred Years' War and the first recorded European naval battle using artillery: the English ship Christopher carried three cannon and one handgun.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Jean de Froissart, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · Battle of the Strait
Battle of Ceuta (1339) Fleet battle
6 September 1339 · Ceuta, Strait of Gibraltar
Fought between Crown of Aragon against the Marinid Sultanate and the Republic of Genoa
Commanders Jofre Gilabert de Cruïlles and Galceran Marquet (Aragon)
Forces 8 Aragonese galleys against 14 galleys
Result Christian victory
An Aragonese squadron of 8 galleys fought 14 Marinid and Genoese galleys at Ceuta and won.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · Reconquista
Battle of Getares Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of Algeciras (1340)
9 April 1340 · Playa de Getares, Algeciras, Spain
Fought between Marinid Sultanate against the Kingdom of Castile
Commanders Mohammed ben Ali al-Azafi (Marinid fleet); Alfonso Jofré Tenorio, killed (Castile)
Forces 79 Marinid ships against 51 Castilian ships
Losses Castile: fleet annihilated, 35 ships captured. Marinid losses unknown.
Result Marinid victory
The Marinid fleet met the Castilian fleet of Alfonso Jofré Tenorio off Getares beach near Algeciras and destroyed it. Tenorio was killed.
Sources differ One account names Mohammed ben Ali al-Azafi as Marinid commander; another account names Abu al-Hasan.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Hundred Years' War
Battle of Sluys Fleet battle
Also known as Bataille de l'Écluse
24 June 1340 · Roadstead of Sluys, a since silted inlet between Zeeland and West Flanders
Fought between England against France
Commanders King Edward III, wounded, and the Earl of Huntingdon (England); Hugues Quiéret and Nicolas Béhuchet, both executed (France)
Forces 120 to 150 English ships against 213 or 230 French ships
Losses England: 400 to 600 men and 2 ships. France: 16,000 to 20,000 men and 190 ships, of which 166 captured.
Result English victory
Edward III sailed from the River Orwell and found the French fleet blocking Sluys, its ships bound together in three lines as floating platforms. While the English manoeuvred for wind and tide, the French drifted east and became entangled; as they tried to work back west the English attacked and beat them in detail, capturing most of their ships.
Why it is remembered It gave England command of the Channel and allowed its army to land and besiege Tournai, though French raids on English shipping and coasts continued.
Sources differ French fleet given as 230 ships in one account and 213 in another account.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Kalundborg War
Siege of Kalundborg Landing or siege
Also known as Belejringen af Kalundborg; Siege of Kalundborg Castle
July to September 1341 · Kalundborg, Zealand, Denmark
Fought between Denmark, the Hanseatic League and Holstein-Plön against Norway and Holstein-Rendsburg
Commanders Valdemar IV, Peder Jensen and John III (Danish side); Ingeborg of Norway, Heine Brockdorf and Henry II of Holstein-Rendsburg (Norwegian side)
Forces Danish side: some ships, men unknown. Holstein-Rendsburg: many ships, men unknown.
Losses Danish side: many ships deserted and enclosed. Norwegian and Holstein losses unknown.
Result Norwegian and Holstein victory
Valdemar IV of Denmark besieged Kalundborg Castle, then pledged to Norway, with ships among his forces. A surprise attack on the Danish camp by Henry II, Count of Holstein-Rendsburg, forced the Danes to retreat, and many of their ships were deserted or shut in.
Why it is remembered The Kalundborg War is named after this siege.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Reconquista, Battle of the Strait
Siege of Algeciras (1342 to 1344) Landing or siege
Also known as Al-Jazeera Al-Khadra
3 August 1342 to 26 March 1344 · Algeciras, Bay of Gibraltar, southern Spain
Fought between Crown of Castile with Genoa, Aragon, Portugal, Navarre and European crusaders against the Marinid dynasty and the Emirate of Granada
Commanders Alfonso XI (Castile); Abu al-Hasan Ali (Marinids); Yusuf I (Granada)
Forces Castilian land forces supported by the fleets of the Crown of Aragon and the Republic of Genoa; the city held about 30,000 people, civilians and Berber soldiers
Result Christian victory; the city surrendered and passed to the Crown of Castile
Alfonso XI besieged Algeciras, the capital and main port of the Marinid territory in Europe, while the Aragonese and Genoese fleets helped close the city by sea. The land and sea blockade kept food out for twenty one months. A Granadan relief army was defeated beside the Río Palmones, and the city surrendered on 26 March 1344.
Why it is remembered It was one of the first military engagements in Europe in which gunpowder was used.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Breton Civil War; Hundred Years' War
Siege of Brest (1342) Landing or siege
Also known as Battle of Brest (1342); Bataille de Brest (1342)
July to 18 August 1342 (relieved 18 August) · Brest Roads, Brittany, France
Fought between England and the House of Montfort against France and the House of Blois
Commanders William of Northampton and Joanna of Flanders (English and Montfortist); Charles of Blois and Carlo Grimaldi (French and Blois)
Forces English: 260 ships (120 warships and 140 transports) with 1,350 fighting men, plus the Brest garrison. French: a large army, 14 Genoese mercenary galleys and some smaller boats.
Losses French side: 11 galleys and several smaller craft. English: few if any.
Result English and Montfortist victory
Joanna of Flanders was besieged in Brest, the last Montfortist stronghold, by Charles of Blois, with 14 Genoese galleys blockading it from the sea. On 18 August an English fleet of 260 ships under William of Northampton sailed into the Brest Roads, overwhelmed the galleys and burned 11. Seeing the crowded roadstead and the English landing on the beach, Charles expected a vast army, broke off the siege and abandoned western Brittany.
Why it is remembered The historian Jonathan Sumption called the French withdrawal extraordinary. The English held Brest until 1362.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: André du Chesne, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · Reconquista
Battle of Estepona Fleet battle
1342 · Bay of Estepona, Strait of Gibraltar, Spain
Fought between Crown of Aragon against the Marinid Sultanate
Commanders Pere de Montcada (Aragon)
Forces Aragonese strength unknown; 13 Marinid galleys
Result Aragonese victory
The Aragonese fleet under Admiral Pere de Montcada met the Marinid fleet in the Bay of Estepona and routed it.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: User:falconaumanni, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · Reconquista
Battle of Guadalmesí Fleet battle
8 April 1342 · Guadalmesí, Strait of Gibraltar
Fought between Crown of Castile and Kingdom of Portugal against the Marinid Sultanate
Commanders Alfonso XI of Castile; Abu al-Hasan Ali (Marinid)
Losses Marinid: heavy. Castilian and Portuguese losses unknown.
Result Castilian and Portuguese victory
A Castilian fleet supported by Portugal fought the Marinid fleet at Guadalmesí in the Strait of Gibraltar and inflicted heavy losses.
Sources differ Possibly overlaps with the Battle of Sierra Bullones (April 1342).
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Unknown, 19th century, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · Reconquista
Battle of Sierra Bullones (1342) Fleet battle
Also known as Bataille de Sierra Bullones
April 1342 · Near Ceuta, Strait of Gibraltar
Fought between Kingdom of Castile against the Marinid Sultanate
Commanders Egidio Bocanegra (Castile)
Forces Castilian strength unknown; 12 Marinid galleys
Losses Marinid: 6 galleys captured. Castilian losses unknown.
Result Castilian victory
A Castilian fleet under Admiral Egidio Bocanegra fought a Marinid fleet of 12 galleys near Ceuta and captured six of them.
Sources differ Possibly the same action as the Battle of Guadalmesí (8 April 1342), also a Castilian naval victory over the Marinids in the Strait that month; the sources do not link them.
Sources Wikipédia (FR)
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · Smyrniote crusades
Battle of Pallene Fleet battle
13 May 1344 · Pallene peninsula, Chalcidice, northern Greece
Fought between Latin Christian league (Venice, Knights Hospitaller, Cyprus and the Papal States) against Turkish raiders
Forces 24 league ships against 52 or 60 Turkish ships
Result Christian victory
The fleet of a Latin Christian league met a larger fleet of Turkish raiders at the Pallene peninsula and defeated it.
Sources differ Turkish fleet given as 52 or 60 ships.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Hundred Years' War (Crécy campaign)
Siege of Calais (1346 to 1347) Landing or siege
4 September 1346 to 3 August 1347 · Calais, northern France
Fought between England against France
Commanders Edward III and Edward the Black Prince (England); Jean de Vienne (France)
Forces England: between 5,000 and 32,000 soldiers at different times, up to 20,000 Flemish allies and up to 24,000 sailors in the supporting fleet. France: a garrison of unknown size and a field army of up to 20,000
Result English victory; Calais capitulated
A week after their victory at Crécy the English invested the fortified port of Calais. Edward's attempts to breach the walls or to storm the town from the land or seaward sides failed, and through the winter and spring the French ran supplies and reinforcements in by sea. In late April 1347 the English built a fortification commanding the harbour entrance, which cut off supply by sea. Philip VI's relief army withdrew in July, and the starving town capitulated on 3 August.
Why it is remembered Calais gave England a strategic lodgement in France for the rest of the Hundred Years' War and beyond; the French did not recapture it until 1558.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Hundred Years' War
Battle of Crotoy (1347) Fleet battle
25 June 1347 · Mouth of the Somme off Le Crotoy, France
Fought between Kingdom of England against the Kingdom of France
Commanders William de Bohun, Earl of Northampton, and Laurence Hastings, Earl of Pembroke (England); Philip VI (France)
Forces 40 French ships; English strength unknown
Result English victory
A French fleet of 40 ships gathered at the mouth of the Somme to relieve Calais, besieged by Edward III, and was defeated by an English fleet under the Earls of Northampton and Pembroke.
Why it is remembered With the relief foiled, Calais surrendered in early August 1347, giving England a lasting bridgehead on the Continent.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · Smyrniote crusades
Battle of Imbros (1347) Fleet battle
Late April 1347 · Imbros, northern Aegean
Fought between Christian naval league (Venice, Knights Hospitaller and other Latins) against Turkish raiders, possibly from the beyliks of Aydin and Sarukhan
Forces 118 Turkish galleys
Losses Most of the Turks captured on Imbros
Result Crusader victory
A Christian league fleet caught a Turkish raiding fleet near Imbros. The Turks abandoned their ships and landed on the island, where most were captured.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · Hundred Years' War
Battle of Winchelsea Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of Les Espagnols sur Mer
29 August 1350 · Off Winchelsea, south coast of England
Fought between Kingdom of England against the Crown of Castile
Commanders King Edward III and Edward the Black Prince (England); Charles de la Cerda (Castile)
Forces 50 English ships against 47 larger Castilian ships
Losses England: at least 2 ships sunk and heavy loss of life. Castile: 14 to 26 ships captured and several sunk.
Result English victory
The French had hired Castilian ships to blockade English ports. Edward III led a fleet that intercepted them off Winchelsea, capturing between 14 and 26 and sinking several.
Why it is remembered Despite the victory, English trade and ports saw little relief from French and allied raiding.
Sources differ Castilian ships captured given as between 14 and 26.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Hook and Cod wars
Battle of Veere Fleet battle
Also known as Bataille de Veere (1351)
Between 26 and 30 May 1351 · Near Veere, County of Zeeland (now the Netherlands)
Fought between Hook faction and England against the Cod faction
Commanders Margaret, Countess of Hainaut, and Edward III of England (Hooks); William V of Holland (Cods)
Result Hook victory
A small naval battle near Veere in which the Hook faction, supported by England, defeated the Cod faction.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · War of the Straits
Battle of the Bosporus Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of the Bosphorus
13 February 1352 · The narrows of the Bosporus
Fought between Republic of Genoa against Venice, the Crown of Aragon and the Byzantine Empire
Commanders Paganino Doria (Genoa); Niccolò Pisani, Pancrazio Giustinian, killed, Ponç de Santa Pau and Constantine Tarchaneiotes (allies)
Forces 60 or 64 Genoese galleys against 89 or 90 allied galleys
Losses Genoa: 16 galleys. Allies: 23 galleys.
Result Tactical draw; Genoese strategic success
The battle began late in the day and was fought mostly at night, in a storm, in the narrows of the Bosporus. The confused fighting cost both sides heavily; the Genoese, with fewer losses, held their position while the allies withdrew.
Why it is remembered It forced Emperor John VI Kantakouzenos to make terms with Genoa and leave the war, confirming the independence of the Genoese colony of Galata.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Jan van Grevenbroeck (1731 to 1807), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · War of the Straits; Sardinian and Aragonese war
Battle of Alghero Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of Porto Conte
27 August 1353 · Bay of Porto Conte, off Alghero, north west Sardinia
Fought between Crown of Aragon and Republic of Venice against the Republic of Genoa
Commanders Bernat II de Cabrera (Aragon) and Niccolò Pisani (Venice); Antonio Grimaldi (Genoa)
Forces 46 Aragonese galleys, 5 cogs and 6 smaller vessels with 20 Venetian galleys, against 50 Genoese galleys and 5 cogs
Losses Genoa: two thirds of its ships captured with their crews
Result Aragonese and Venetian victory
After Alghero declared for Genoa, Peter IV of Aragon sent Bernat de Cabrera with a fleet from Mahón, joined by Venetian galleys. The allies met the Genoese fleet in the bay of Porto Conte and captured two thirds of its ships with their crews.
Why it is remembered Alghero surrendered to Cabrera three days later.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Joan Serra y Pausas, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · War of the Straits; Sardinian and Aragonese war
Battle of Alghero (1353) Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of Porto Conte; Battle of d'Asinara
27 August 1353 · Bay of Porto Conte, off Alghero, north west Sardinia
Fought between Crown of Aragon and Republic of Venice against Republic of Genoa
Commanders Bernat II de Cabrera (Aragon, captain-general of the expedition); Niccolò Pisani (Venice); Antonio Grimaldi (Genoa)
Forces Aragon: 46 galleys, five cogs and six smaller vessels sailed from Mahón. Venice: 20 galleys. Genoa: 50 galleys and five cogs
Losses Genoa: two thirds of its ships captured with their crews. Allied losses not stated
Result Aragonese and Venetian victory
After Alghero declared its submission to Genoa in February 1353, Peter IV of Aragon sent Bernat de Cabrera with a fleet from Mahón on 18 August, and with a Venetian squadron of 20 galleys it met the Genoese fleet in the bay of Porto Conte. The allies inflicted a heavy defeat, capturing about two thirds of the Genoese ships with their crews. Three days later Alghero surrendered to Cabrera.
Why it is remembered It gave Aragon Alghero, though the town soon rose against the Aragonese garrison and was only regained later, leading to the Peace of Alghero of 1354.
Sources differ Wikidata dates the battle 17 August 1353; the English account gives 27 August 1353.
Sources Wikipedia · storiedialghero.it · Wikidata
Image: Joan Serra y Pausas, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · War of the Straits (Third Genoese-Venetian War)
Battle of Sapienza Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of Porto Longo; Battle of Zonklon
4 November 1354 · Porto Longo, Sapienza island, Greece
Fought between Republic of Genoa against the Republic of Venice
Commanders Paganino Doria (Genoa); Niccolò Pisani, captured (Venice)
Forces 35 Genoese galleys against 36 Venetian galleys, five great ships and other smaller vessels
Losses Venice: over 4,000 killed, all galleys captured, 5,400 taken prisoner. Genoa: very few casualties.
Result Genoese victory
The Genoese fleet under Paganino Doria attacked the Venetian fleet at Porto Longo on Sapienza and captured all its galleys, taking Niccolò Pisani prisoner.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · War of the Two Peters
Battle of Barcelona (1359) Fleet battle
Also known as Batalla naval de Barcelona (1359)
9 to 11 June 1359 · Off Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Fought between Crown of Aragon against the Crown of Castile, with ships from Portugal and Granada
Commanders Peter IV of Aragon, with Bernat III of Cabrera and Hug II of Cardona (Aragon); Peter I of Castile and Admiral Egidio Boccanegra, with Ambrogio and Bartolome Boccanegra (Castile)
Forces Castile: 128 warships (81 naus, 41 galleys, 3 galiots, 3 lleños). Aragon: 10 galleys, a nau, several small vessels and shore based siege weapons and bombards.
Losses Unknown on both sides
Result Aragonese victory
A great Castilian fleet sailed from Seville with King Peter I aboard, took the castle of Guardamar and appeared off Barcelona on 9 June. Peter IV organised the defence with a small fleet and a line of siege engines, and over two days the Castilian attacks were repulsed. A bombard mounted on the Aragonese nau badly damaged one of Peter I's largest naus.
Why it is remembered It saw the first use of naval artillery.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · The Crusades
Battle of Megara (1359) Fleet battle
1359 · Gulf of Megara, Greece
Fought between Despotate of the Morea, Principality of Achaea, Knights Hospitaller and Venice against a Turkish raiding fleet
Commanders Raymond Berenguer (Christian allies)
Losses Turks: 35 vessels
Result Christian victory
An alliance of the Christian states of southern Greece defeated a Turkish raiding fleet in the Gulf of Megara, the Turks losing 35 vessels.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · War of the Two Peters
Battle of Bône (1360) Fleet battle
Also known as Batalla naval de Bona
1360 · Off the port of Bône (Bona, today Annaba), Algeria
Fought between Crown of Castile against the Crown of Aragon
Commanders El Zorzo, captain of the Seville shipyards (Castile); Mateu Mercer, captured and executed (Aragon)
Forces 5 Castilian galleys against 4 Aragonese galleys
Losses Aragon: several galleys boarded, Mercer and many of his men captured. Figures not given.
Result Castilian victory
Mateu Mercer was sent from Valencia with four galleys to help the emir of Tlemcen, attacking Castilian shipping on the way. Off Bône he met five Castilian galleys under El Zorzo; his flagship ran aground, several of his galleys were boarded, and Mercer fled ashore but was captured.
Why it is remembered Peter I of Castile had Mercer executed with other prisoners, and Peter IV of Aragon sent galleys under Ponç d'Altarriba to hunt El Zorzo.
Sources Viquipèdia (CA)
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · Danish-Hanseatic War of 1361 to 1370
Battle of Helsingborg (1362) Fleet battle
Also known as Schlacht bei Helsingborg
8 July 1362 · Øresund off Helsingborg
Fought between Denmark against the Hanseatic League
Commanders Valdemar IV, Christoffer, wounded, and Peder Nielsen (Denmark); Johann Wittenborg and Bruno Warendorp (Hanse)
Forces Danish ships able to carry 2,500 men against 50 Hanseatic ships, 5 paid for by Sweden, with 3,000 men
Losses Hanse: 12 cogs. Danish losses unknown.
Result Danish victory
The Danish and Hanseatic fleets fought in the Øresund off Helsingborg, and the Danes captured or destroyed 12 Hanseatic cogs.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Red Turban Rebellion
Battle of Lake Poyang Fleet battle
Also known as 鄱陽湖之戰 (Póyáng Hú Zhīzhàn)
30 August to 4 October 1363 · Lake Poyang, Jiujiang, China
Fought between Zhu Yuanzhang (Western Wu, later Ming) against Chen Youliang (Chen Han)
Commanders Zhu Yuanzhang; Chen Youliang, killed
Forces Chen Han: over 100 vessels and 650,000 men. Zhu: a smaller fleet and 200,000 men.
Losses Chen Han: Chen Youliang and most of his army. Zhu: 1,346 dead and 11,347 wounded.
Result Victory for Zhu Yuanzhang (Ming)
Chen Youliang besieged Nanchang with a large fleet on Lake Poyang, one of China's largest freshwater lakes, and Zhu Yuanzhang met him with a smaller fleet. After an inconclusive exchange of fire, Zhu sent in fire ships that burned Chen's tower ships and destroyed his fleet.
Why it is remembered The last major battle of the rebellion before the rise of the Ming dynasty.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Freetrashbox at Japanese Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages
Mamluk raid on Cyprus (1368) Raid
March to April 1368 · Cyprus
Fought between Mamluk Sultanate against the Kingdom of Cyprus
Commanders Ibrahim al-Tazi (Mamluk)
Forces 500 Mamluk men in 2 ships
Losses Cyprus: 35 prisoners and 1 or 2 ships
The Mamluk Sultanate sent a naval raid against Cyprus, taking 35 prisoners and one or two ships. The main sources are Leontios Makhairas, al-Maqrizi and al-Nuwayri.
Why it is remembered A delayed reply to the Alexandrian Crusade of October 1365, led by King Peter I of Cyprus.
Sources differ Cypriot ship losses given as 1 or 2.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Hundred Years' War (Caroline phase)
Battle of La Rochelle (1372) Fleet battle
22 to 23 June 1372 · Off La Rochelle, France
Fought between Castile against England
Commanders Ambrosio Boccanegra (Castile); John Hastings, Earl of Pembroke, captured (England)
Forces 22 Castilian ships against an English fleet estimated at 14 to 57 ships and barges
Losses England: the whole fleet sunk or captured (48 ships), 800 men killed and between 160 and 400 knights taken prisoner. Castile: minor.
Result Castilian victory
A Castilian fleet was sent against the English at La Rochelle, then besieged by Castile's French allies. Pembroke was bringing fewer than 200 soldiers and £12,000 in silver to raise an army in Aquitaine. The Castilians captured or destroyed the entire English fleet, and Boccanegra took four more English ships off Bordeaux on his way home.
Why it is remembered It undermined English sea trade and supply and threatened Gascony; some historians call it the worst defeat ever inflicted on the English navy.
Sources differ English strength: 12 galleys according to López de Ayala, 40 sailing ships and 13 barges according to Froissart, 14 to 57 in the main account. Prisoner figures range from 160 to 400 knights, and the main account also gives 400 knights and 8,000 soldiers captured.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Second Fernandine War
Battle of Lisbon (1373) Fleet battle
Also known as Seeschlacht von Lissabon
7 March 1373 · Off Lisbon, Portugal
Fought between Castile against Portugal
Commanders Ambrosio Boccanegra (Castile); Lanzarote Pessanha (Portugal)
Forces 12 Castilian galleys against more than 6 Portuguese galleys and 15 naos
Losses Portugal: high, only 4 galleys escaped. Castile: low.
Result Castilian victory
A Castilian fleet under Ambrosio Boccanegra defeated the Portuguese fleet off Lisbon, and only four Portuguese galleys escaped.
Why it is remembered It led to the capture and sack of Lisbon and contributed decisively to Castile's victory in the war.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · War of Chioggia (fourth Genoese and Venetian war)
Battle of Pola Fleet battle
Also known as Seeschlacht bei Pola; Battle of Pula
7 May 1379 · Off Pola (Pula), southern tip of Istria, Croatia
Fought between Republic of Genoa against the Republic of Venice
Commanders Luciano Doria, killed, then Ambrogio Doria (Genoa); Vettor Pisani (Venice)
Forces Not stated; the Venetians were outnumbered
Losses Venice: 700 killed and 2,400 captured, of whom 800 were killed after the battle; 15 galleys taken. Genoese losses not given.
Result Genoese victory
After the Genoese destroyed Grado and Caorle they appeared off Pola, and Pisani's captains pressed him to attack despite his doubts. The fight first went Venice's way: the Genoese flagship was taken and Luciano Doria killed. His brother Ambrogio took command and drove the Venetians back, and Pisani returned to Venice with only seven galleys.
Why it is remembered Pisani was imprisoned for six months, but was restored to command when Venice itself was threatened and went on to win at Chioggia in 1380.
Sources Wikipedia (DE)
The Middle Ages · Hundred Years' War
Castilian attack on Gravesend Raid
Summer 1380 · Gravesend, about 20 miles from London
Fought between Castile against England
Commanders Fernando Sánchez de Tovar (Castile); English commander unknown
Forces Castile: 20 galleys
Result Castilian victory
In the summer of 1380 a Castilian galley force under Admiral Fernando Sánchez de Tovar, serving Juan I of Castile, raided Gravesend; his soldiers looted the town and set it on fire.
Why it is remembered The raid, one of several on the English coast during the Hundred Years' War, raised fears for the safety of London about 20 miles away.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Luis García (Zaqarbal), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · War of Chioggia
Battle of Chioggia Fleet battle
Culminated 24 June 1380 · Lagoon off Chioggia, Venetian Lagoon, Italy
Fought between Republic of Venice against the Republic of Genoa
Commanders Vettor Pisani, Doge Andrea Contarini and Carlo Zeno (Venice); Pietro Doria, killed, and Matteo Maruffo (Genoa)
Forces 34 Venetian galleys under Pisani and Contarini and 14 under Zeno, against 23 Genoese galleys under Pietro Doria plus reinforcements
Losses Genoa: much of the fleet destroyed, 17 galleys captured and 4,000 men taken prisoner
Result Venetian victory
The Genoese had taken the fishing port of Chioggia in August 1379, threatening Venice from an inlet of its own lagoon. The Venetians under Vettor Pisani and Doge Andrea Contarini, helped by the timely arrival of Carlo Zeno's force from the east, defeated the Genoese fleet and retook the town.
Why it is remembered It turned the war in Venice's favour. Genoese shipping was not seen in the Adriatic after Chioggia, and the battle is noted for the new technologies the two sides used.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · Wokou raids on Goryeo
Battle of Jinpo Raid
Also known as 진포 해전 (鎭浦海戰)
1380 (sixth year of King U) · Jinpo, mouth of the Geum River between South Chungcheong and North Jeolla, Korea
Fought between Goryeo navy against Wokou pirates
Commanders Sim Deok-bu, Na Se and Choe Mu-seon (Goryeo)
Losses The pirate ships were burned
Result Goryeo victory
The Wokou had landed at Jinpo and left their ships at the river mouth. The Goryeo navy burned the pirate ships with shipborne gunfire and cut off the raiders' line of retreat.
Why it is remembered The first battle in which gunpowder made by Choe Mu-seon was used, recorded as the first use of naval gunpowder weapons in Korean history.
Sources Wikipedia (KO)
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · Third Fernandine War
Battle of Saltes Island Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of Saltes; Batalla de la Isla Saltés
17 July 1381 · Off Saltes Island, near Huelva, Spain
Fought between Crown of Castile against the Kingdom of Portugal
Commanders Fernando Sánchez de Tovar (Castile); João Afonso Telo (Portugal)
Forces 17 Castilian galleys against 23 Portuguese galleys
Losses Portugal: 22 galleys and their crews captured. Castile: minimal.
Result Decisive Castilian victory
The Castilian fleet of Fernando Sánchez de Tovar met the larger Portuguese fleet off Saltes Island and captured 22 of its 23 galleys with their crews.
Why it is remembered It destroyed Portugal's naval offensive capability and gave Castile naval supremacy in the Atlantic.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Wokou raids on Goryeo
Battle of Gwaneumpo Fleet battle
Also known as 관음포 전투 (觀音浦戰鬪); Great Victory of Gwaneumpo
1383 (ninth year of King U) · Waters off Gwaneumpo, north of Namhae county, Gyeongsang province, Korea
Fought between Goryeo against Wokou pirates
Commanders General Jeong Ji (Goryeo)
Forces 47 Goryeo warships against 120 large pirate ships, each carrying 140 soldiers
Losses Wokou: 17 ships destroyed by cannon fire and over 2,000 killed
Result Goryeo victory
General Jeong Ji led 47 warships against a pirate fleet of 120 large ships and defeated it, the Goryeosa recording that floating bodies covered the sea. His cannon burned 17 enemy ships.
Why it is remembered Counted among the four great victories over the Wokou in late Goryeo. The Namhae Jeong Ji stone pagoda in Tapdong village, Gohyeon-myeon, said to have been carved by local people to mark the victory, still stands.
Sources Wikipedia (KO)
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · Hundred Years' War (Caroline phase)
Battle of Margate Convoy battle
Also known as Battle of Cadzand (1387)
24 to 25 March 1387 · English Channel, from off Margate to Cadzand and Sluis
Fought between Kingdom of England against a French, Castilian and Flemish wine fleet
Commanders Richard FitzAlan, Earl of Arundel (England); Sir Jean de Bucq, surrendered (wine fleet)
Forces 51 English ships and 2,500 men against 250 to 360 ships and 2,500 men
Losses England: minimal. Franco-Castilian-Flemish fleet: over 12 ships sunk or burned, 80 to 126 captured, many men killed or taken prisoner.
Result English victory
An English fleet under the Earl of Arundel attacked a large French, Castilian and Flemish wine fleet off Margate and pursued it to Cadzand and Sluis, capturing many ships.
Why it is remembered The booty included 8,000 to 9,000 tuns of wine.
Sources differ Wine fleet given as 250 to 360 ships; ships captured given as 80 to 126.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · Venetian and Genoese wars
Battle of Modon (1403) Fleet battle
7 October 1403 · Off Modon, Greece
Fought between Republic of Venice against the Republic of Genoa, then under French control
Commanders Carlo Zeno (Venice); Marshal Jean Le Maingre, called Boucicaut (Genoa)
Forces 11 galleys and 2 round ships each side (Genoa: 11 galleys and 2 transports)
Losses Venice: 153 wounded. Genoa: 600 killed and wounded, 300 captured, 3 galleys captured.
Result Decisive Venetian victory
The Venetian fleet under Carlo Zeno met the Genoese fleet of Marshal Boucicaut off Modon and captured three galleys.
Why it is remembered One of the last clashes of the long wars between Venice and Genoa.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Hundred Years' War
Battle of Saint-Mathieu (1403) Fleet battle
Also known as Bataille du Raz de Saint-Mahé
12 July 1403 · Off the Pointe Saint-Mathieu, Brittany, France
Fought between France and Brittany against England
Commanders Guillaume du Chastel, Jean de Penhoët (Admiral of Brittany) and Olivier V de Clisson (Constable of France)
Forces 30 French and Breton ships with 1,500 men against 41 English ships with 2,000 men
Losses England: 41 ships captured, 1,000 dead and 1,000 captured. French losses unknown.
Result French and Breton victory
A Franco-Breton fleet under Guillaume du Chastel, Jean de Penhoët and Olivier de Clisson met an English fleet off the Pointe Saint-Mathieu and won a clear victory, capturing all 41 English ships.
Sources Wikipédia (FR)
Image: Auteur inconnuUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · Reconquista; campaign of the regent Infante Fernando against Granada
Battle of Gibraltar (1407) Fleet battle
Also known as Batalla de Gibraltar (1407)
23 to 26 August 1407 · Bay of Algeciras, near Gibraltar
Fought between Castile and León against the combined fleets of Tlemcen, Tunis and Granada
Commanders Juan Enríquez, vice-admiral (Castile)
Forces 26 Castilian naos and 14 galleys against 21 galleys, 6 zabras and various horse transports
Losses Castile: no ships lost. Muslim fleet: 12 galleys destroyed, 3 captured and 1 sunk, 6 zabras sunk and several transports destroyed; only 5 galleys escaped.
Result Castilian victory
After skirmishes on 23 and 24 August, the Muslim fleet left Gibraltar on 26 August, hugging the coast towards Málaga. Near Torre Carbonera the Castilian galleys, reinforced with the ships' boats, attacked, ramming, boarding and capturing several galleys. The rest beached at La Alcaidesa and were burned by their own crews that night, while five galleys escaped to Málaga.
Why it is remembered An eight month truce with Granada followed.
Sources Wikipedia (ES)
Image: Josep Serra i Porsón, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · Ming treasure voyages
Battle of Palembang (1407) Fleet battle
1407 · Palembang, Sumatra, Indonesia
Fought between Ming China against the pirate fleet at Palembang
Commanders Admiral Zheng He (Ming); Chen Zuyi (pirates)
Losses Pirates: 5,000 killed, 10 ships destroyed, 7 ships captured. Ming losses unknown.
Result Ming victory
Zheng He's treasure fleet fought the pirate fleet of Chen Zuyi at Palembang and defeated it. Chen Zuyi was captured and sent to China for execution.
Why it is remembered A battle of Zheng He's treasure voyages.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Ottoman and Venetian wars
Battle of Gallipoli (1416) Fleet battle
29 May 1416 · Off Gallipoli, between Gallipoli and Marmara Island
Fought between Republic of Venice against the Ottoman Empire
Commanders Pietro Loredan, wounded (Venice); Çali Bey, killed (Ottoman)
Forces 10 Venetian galleys against 32 Ottoman galleys and galliots
Losses Venice: 12 killed, 340 wounded. Ottoman: 4,000 killed, 1,100 captured (several hundred executed), 12 to 27 ships captured.
Result Venetian victory
Pietro Loredan's fleet was carrying an embassy to the sultan, with leave to fight if the Ottomans refused to talk. After exchanges of fire on 27 and 28 May, the Ottoman fleet came out on 29 May and was crushed: its commander was killed, much of the fleet taken, and many prisoners, especially Christians serving voluntarily, were executed.
Why it is remembered It confirmed Venetian naval superiority in the Aegean for decades, though peace waited until 1419. The battle is known chiefly from Loredan's own letter.
Sources differ Ottoman ships captured given as 12 to 27.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Giuseppe Lorenzo Gatteri and Francesco Zanotto, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · Hundred Years' War
Battle of the Seine Fleet battle
Also known as Battle of Chef-de-Caux
15 August 1416 · Estuary of the Seine, off Harfleur, France
Fought between Kingdom of England against France and the Republic of Genoa
Commanders John of Lancaster, Duke of Bedford (England)
Forces 4 English carracks with 7,000 soldiers against 16 French and Genoese ships (8 galleys and 8 carracks) with soldiers including 600 Genoese crossbowmen
Losses France and Genoa: 3 carracks captured and 1 wrecked while fleeing. English losses unknown.
Result Decisive English victory
An English fleet under the Duke of Bedford fought the French and their Genoese allies in the Seine estuary off Harfleur, capturing three carracks. The main primary source is Thomas Walsingham.
Why it is remembered It opened the way for Henry V's second invasion of France in 1417.
Sources differ The French account on the Battle of Chef-de-Caux, the same engagement, gives 300 English ships and 15,000 men against 38 French ships, and French losses of 8 ships, 1,500 killed and 400 prisoners.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Hundred Years' War
Battle of La Rochelle (1419) Fleet battle
30 December 1419 · Coast and port of La Rochelle, France
Fought between Crown of Castile against Flanders and the Hanseatic League
Commanders John II of Castile (Castile)
Losses Flemish and Hanseatic: 40 ships captured
Result Castilian victory
A Castilian fleet defeated an allied Flemish and Hanseatic fleet at La Rochelle, capturing 40 ships. The Castilians made notable use of guns.
Why it is remembered It gave Castile naval supremacy in the Bay of Biscay but began a long conflict with Flanders and the Hanse, ended in 1443 with further trade concessions to Castile.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages
Battle of Foce Pisana Fleet battle
Also known as Batalla de la Hoz Pisana; Foç Pisana
October 1421 · Mouth of the Arno, Italy
Fought between Crown of Aragon against the Republic of Genoa
Commanders Romeu de Corbera (Aragon); Battista di Campofregoso (Genoa)
Forces About nine Aragonese galleys against a Genoese fleet of similar size
Losses Genoa: 5 galleys captured with their admiral. Aragonese losses not given.
Result Decisive Aragonese victory
A Genoese squadron intending to attack Naples was met at the mouth of the Arno by an Aragonese squadron organised by Alfonso V and commanded by Romeu de Corbera. Five Genoese galleys and their admiral were captured.
Why it is remembered The defeat was so heavy that in November Tomaso di Campofregoso surrendered Genoa to Filippo Maria Visconti.
Sources Wikipedia (ES)
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · Dano-Hanseatic War
Battle of Copenhagen (1427) Fleet battle
Also known as Seeschlacht im Öresund (Battle of the Øresund); Battle of Køge Bay
11 to 25 July 1427 · Near the island of Amager, between the Øresund and Køge Bay, Denmark
Fought between Kalmar Union (Denmark, Norway, Sweden), supported by Pomerania-Barth, against the Hanseatic League (Hamburg, Lübeck, Rostock, Wismar)
Commanders Barnim VIII and Greger Magnusson (Union); Tidemann Steen, Hein Hoyer, Johann Bantzkow and Hinrik van Haren (Hanse)
Forces 33 smaller Union ships against 36 larger Hanseatic ships with 8,000 men
Result Danish victory
Danish, Swedish and Hanseatic squadrons of warships and merchant ships fought in manoeuvres that stretched from the Øresund to the coast of Copenhagen and into Køge Bay. The Danes captured a large Hanseatic merchant fleet.
Why it is remembered The defeat brought down the mayors of Lübeck and Wismar. A Union flag captured by Lübeck in the battle was kept in Lübeck's Marienkirche until 1942.
Sources Wikipedia (DE)
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · Byzantine and Latin wars
Battle of the Echinades (1427) Fleet battle
1427 · Echinades islands, off western Greece
Fought between Byzantine Empire against Carlo I Tocco
Commanders Demetrios Laskaris Leontares (Byzantine); Torno (Tocco)
Losses Tocco: many dead, several ships and over 150 men captured. Byzantine losses unknown.
Result Decisive Byzantine victory
The fleets of the Byzantine Empire and of Carlo I Tocco fought among the Echinades islands, and the Byzantines won decisively.
Why it is remembered The last Byzantine naval victory; it led to the consolidation of the Peloponnese under the Despotate of the Morea.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · Dano-Hanseatic War of 1426 to 1435
Bombardment of Copenhagen (1428) Raid
6 April to 15 June 1428 · Copenhagen, Denmark
Fought between Hanseatic League (Hamburg, Lübeck, Lüneburg, Rostock, Stralsund, Wismar) and Holstein-Rendsburg against the Kalmar Union
Commanders Gerhard VII of Holstein, Johann Beere, Jakob Bramstede, Jan Russenberg and Tideman Soling (Hanse); King Eric and Queen Philippa (Denmark)
Forces Hanse: 260 ships with 12,000 men in April and 80 ships with 6,800 men in June. Denmark: an unknown number of ships manned by 3,000 soldiers and sailors.
Losses Denmark: 30 killed; only three ships escaped undamaged. Hanseatic losses unknown.
Result Hanseatic victory
Ships from six Hanseatic towns attacked Copenhagen twice. The first attack in April was beaten off, but the second on 15 June succeeded and the Danish fleet at anchor in the harbour was mostly destroyed.
Why it is remembered The first time in northern European naval warfare that ships' guns were used at longer range.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Dano-Hanseatic War
Battle of Dänholm Fleet battle
Also known as Seegefecht beim Dänholm
4 to 8 May 1429 · Dänholm island, Strelasund, near Stralsund, Germany
Fought between Hanseatic towns of Stralsund, Lübeck and Wismar against the Kalmar Union (Denmark and Sweden), supported by Pomerania-Barth
Commanders Klaus von der Lippe, Evert von Huddessem, Lorenz von Lunden, Grome Ahrends, Herrmann Leuwes and Meister Paul (Hanse); Kurd von Hagen (Union)
Forces 3 Lübeck, 3 Wismar and 7 Stralsund ships against 75 Union ships with 1,400 men
Losses Union: a third of the crews, including 300 prisoners; only three or four ships escaped. Hanseatic losses unknown.
Result Stralsund victory
A Danish and Swedish fleet entered the Strelasund near Stralsund and was defeated at the island of Dänholm by ships of Stralsund, Lübeck and Wismar. Only three or four Union ships escaped.
Sources differ One account gives 4 to 8 May 1429; another gives 8 May.
Sources Wikipedia (DE)
Image: Lüder Arenhold (1854 to 1915), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · Wars in Lombardy
Battle on the Po (1431) Fleet battle
6 June 1431 · River Po near Cremona, Lombardy, Italy
Fought between Duchy of Milan against the Republic of Venice
Commanders Francesco Sforza, Niccolò Piccinino, Pacino Eustachio and Giovanni Grimaldi (Milan); Niccolò Trevisani and the Count of Carmagnola (Venice)
Forces Venice: 85 galleys in one account, or 37 galleys and 100 small craft in another. Milan: somewhat more vessels, smaller and weaker.
Losses Venice: about 2,500 killed, 8,000 captured including 16 patricians, 28 galleys and 42 transports lost (70 ships looted) and 600,000 florins. Milanese losses unknown.
Result Milanese victory
A Venetian river fleet under Niccolò Trevisani was sent up the Po towards Cremona to support Carmagnola's army. It was attacked by a larger Milanese flotilla and defeated, and Carmagnola's field army could not help it.
Sources differ Venetian strength: 85 galleys in one account, 37 galleys and 100 small craft in another account.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Aragonese conquest of Naples
Battle of Ponza (1435) Fleet battle
5 August 1435 · Off the island of Ponza, Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy
Fought between Republic of Genoa and the Duchy of Milan against the Crown of Aragon
Commanders Biagio Assereto and Jacopo Giustiniani, for Filippo Visconti (Genoa and Milan); Alfonso V of Aragon, John II of Navarre and Prince Henry of Aragon, all captured (Aragon)
Forces Genoese fleet: 3 galleys, 13 vessels and 2,400 soldiers. Aragonese fleet: 11 galleys, 14 vessels and 6,000 soldiers.
Losses Genoa: 90 killed. Aragon: 600 killed, about 100 nobles captured, 13 vessels lost.
Result Genoese victory
The Duke of Milan sent the Genoese navy to relieve Gaeta, besieged by the King of Aragon. Off Ponza the Genoese defeated the larger Aragonese fleet and captured King Alfonso V, the King of Navarre and Prince Henry.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages
Action of 1440 Fleet battle
Also known as Johannita-mamlúk tengeri csata (1440); Hospitaller and Mamluk naval battle of 1440
1440 · Off the Anatolian coast near Rhodes, Aegean Sea
Fought between Knights Hospitaller, with the Burgundian Geoffroy de Thoisy, against the Mamluk Sultanate
Commanders Grand Master Jean de Lastic and Geoffroy de Thoisy (Hospitallers)
Forces 18 Mamluk galleys against 7 Hospitaller galleys, 4 other ships and 6 smaller vessels, with Thoisy's 4 warships
Losses Mamluk: 12 ships. Hospitaller losses unknown; many died on both sides.
Result Hospitaller victory
Sultan az-Zahir Jaqmaq sent a fleet against the Hospitallers after raids from Rhodes on Muslim shipping. The Hospitallers attacked it at anchor near Rhodes, then followed it to the Anatolian coast and attacked again where their galleys could not manoeuvre well; the fighting ended only at nightfall. The account comes from a letter of Grand Master Jean de Lastic dated 6 November 1440.
Why it is remembered The Mamluks then raided Kos, and in 1444 returned in greater strength to besiege Rhodes.
Sources hu.wikipedia.org
The Middle Ages · Voyage of Eleanor of Portugal
Battle of Marseille-Nice (1451) Single-ship action
December 1451 · Off Marseille and near Nice
Fought between Portugal against pirates
Commanders Marquis of Valença (Portugal)
Forces Portugal: 2 warships, 5 smaller ships and 2 caravels with 3,000 men. Pirates: 3 ships and 2 galleys off Marseille; many small boats and over 100 armed men near Nice.
Losses Portugal: 9 killed, 16 wounded. Pirates: 1 ship burned, 1 sunk, 2 captured.
Result Portuguese victory
The Portuguese fleet escorting Princess Eleanor of Portugal to Italy fought two actions against pirates, one off Marseille and one near Nice, and won both.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Fall of Constantinople (1453)
Battle of the Bosphorus (1453) Fleet battle
Also known as Bataille du Bosphore
20 April 1453 · The Bosphorus near Constantinople (now Istanbul)
Fought between Republic of Genoa and the Byzantine Empire against the Ottoman Empire
Commanders Maurice of Genoa (Genoese and Byzantine ships); Baltoglu Süleyman Bey (Ottoman)
Forces 3 Genoese ships and 1 Byzantine transport against an Ottoman fleet of disputed size, from 126 to 320 galleys, or even 430
Result Byzantine and Genoese victory
During the Ottoman siege of Constantinople, three Genoese ships and a Byzantine transport fought their way through the Ottoman fleet in the Bosphorus, which was badly beaten.
Why it is remembered The unexpected defeat pushed Mehmed II to his bold plan of carrying his ships overland into the Golden Horn.
Sources differ Ottoman fleet size is disputed: from 126 to 320 galleys, or even 430.
Sources Wikipédia (FR)
The Middle Ages · Byzantine and Ottoman wars
Fall of Constantinople Landing or siege
Also known as Siege of Constantinople (1453)
6 April to 29 May 1453 · Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey)
Fought between Ottoman Empire against the Byzantine Empire, with Genoa, Venice and other Western allies
Commanders Sultan Mehmed II, with Suleiman Baltoghlu, wounded, commanding at sea (Ottoman); Emperor Constantine XI, killed, Giovanni Giustiniani, died of wounds, Loukas Notaras, executed, and Alviso Diedo, wounded (defenders)
Forces Ottoman: about 100,000 soldiers; at sea 31 galleys and 95 large rowing boats. Defenders: about 8,000 soldiers; at sea 26 ships (10 Byzantine, 8 Venetian, 5 Genoese, 1 Catalan, 1 Anconitan, 1 Provençal).
Losses Heavy on both sides
Result Ottoman victory; fall of the Byzantine Empire
Mehmed II besieged Constantinople for 53 days from 6 April 1453, with an army and a fleet; the defenders had 26 ships of their own. Ottoman cannon firing balls of about 500 kg breached the Theodosian walls, and the city was taken on 29 May. Constantine XI died in the fighting.
Why it is remembered It ended the Byzantine Empire and is widely taken to mark the end of the Middle Ages. Mehmed made the city his capital.
Sources differ Ottoman land strength given as 100,000; some contemporary Western sources gave 160,000 to 300,000.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Thirteen Years' War
Battle of Bornholm (1457) Convoy battle
Night of 14 August 1457 · Near the island of Bornholm, Baltic Sea
Fought between Privateers of Gdańsk (Danzig) against a Danish and Livonian transport convoy
Commanders Jakub Heine, Jocki Lenyn and Bartz Lenyn (Gdańsk)
Forces 3 Gdańsk ships against 16 Danish and Livonian ships
Losses Gdańsk: 12 soldiers. Danish and Livonian: 300 soldiers and 1 ship.
Result Gdańsk victory
Three Gdańsk privateer ships attacked by night a convoy of 16 Danish and Livonian ships carrying supplies and reinforcements to the Teutonic Knights in Prussia, and won.
Why it is remembered It showed the value of light, fast ships and surprise, and helped establish the blockade of the Teutonic state that, with the Vistula Lagoon victory, contributed to Poland's victory in the war.
Sources differ Some records give the year as 1456; the main account dates it 14 August 1457.
Sources Wikipedia
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages
Siege of Amasra Landing or siege
16 to 17 October 1460 · Amasra, Turkey
Fought between Ottoman Empire against the Republic of Genoa
Commanders Mehmed II and Grand Vizier Mahmud Pasha, commanding the navy (Ottoman)
Forces Ottoman: 100 galleys, 50 transports, 30,000 marines and 5,000 infantry. Genoese strength unknown.
Result Ottoman victory
The Ottoman army under Mehmed II and the Ottoman navy under Mahmud Pasha besieged the Genoese colony of Amasra by land and sea and took it.
Why it is remembered Amasra was annexed to the Ottoman Empire.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Thirteen Years' War
Battle of Bornholm (1460) Single-ship action
Also known as Second Battle of Bornholm
8 July 1460 · Off the coast of Bornholm, Baltic Sea
Fought between Prussian Confederation (Gdańsk fleet) against the Teutonic Order
Commanders Szymon Lubbelow (Prussian Confederation)
Forces 1 ship and 70 armed men against 3 ships and 120 armed men
Losses Teutonic Order: 20 killed, 100 captured, 3 ships captured
Result Prussian Confederation victory
The Teutonic Order, left without Danish help, tried to build a privateer fleet with help from Amsterdam. Its core of three ships was captured near Bornholm by a single Prussian Confederation privateer under Szymon Lubbelow.
Why it is remembered The Order lost all its privateers, ending Grand Master Ludwig von Erlichshausen's attempt to build a fleet and its armed operations at sea in the war.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Radosław Drożdżewski (Zwiadowca21), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · Wars of the Roses
Battle of Sandwich (1460) Fleet battle
15 January 1460 · At sea off Sandwich, Kent, England
Fought between House of York against House of Lancaster
Commanders Sir John Dynham, Sir John Wenlock and the Earl of Warwick, Captain of Calais (York); Baron Rivers, surrendered (Lancaster)
Forces 800 Yorkists; Lancastrian strength unknown
Losses Several Lancastrian ships captured
Result Yorkist victory
A Yorkist force from Calais defeated a Lancastrian fleet in a naval skirmish off Sandwich and captured several of its ships. Little evidence of the battle survives.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Amédée Forestier, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages · Thirteen Years' War
Battle of Vistula Lagoon Fleet battle
Also known as Bitwa na Zalewie Wiślanym; Bitwa w Zatoce Świeżej
15 September 1463 · Vistula Lagoon, Poland
Fought between Polish Crown and the Prussian Confederation against the Teutonic Order
Commanders Vincent Stolle, Matthew Kolmener and Jacob Vochs (Polish and Prussian); Ludwig Erlichshausen and Bernard Szumborski (Teutonic)
Forces 30 Polish and Prussian ships against 44 Teutonic ships
Losses Polish and Prussian: light. Teutonic: 200 killed and wounded, 550 captured, 44 ships sunk or captured.
Result Polish and Prussian victory
The fleets of the Prussian Confederation and of the Teutonic Order met on the Vistula Lagoon, and the entire Teutonic fleet was sunk or captured.
Why it is remembered The largest naval battle of the war and, with the Battle of Świecino, one of the two battles that decided its outcome.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages
Battle of Ischia (1465) Fleet battle
Also known as Batalla de Ischia
1465 · Near the island of Ischia, Gulf of Naples, Italy
Fought between Ferdinand I of Naples against Carlos de Torrelles, supporter of René of Anjou
Commanders Galceran de Requesens and Joan de Soler (Naples); Carlos de Torrelles, captured (Angevin party)
Forces Naples: 10 ships, 10 galleys and 6 smaller vessels (per Pontano). Torrelles: 8 galleys and other ships.
Ships Delfina
Losses Torrelles's ships captured; no casualty figures given
Result Neapolitan victory
Torrelles sent his fastest galley, the Delfina, to help his brother Joan, besieged for about two years, and followed with four ships. Sancio Samudio caught and took the Delfina and another ship, and Carlos de Torrelles was pursued and captured with his nephew. Both admirals were Catalans from Barcelona.
Why it is remembered It ended Ferdinand I's war to recover his kingdom.
Sources Wikipedia (ES)
The Middle Ages · War of the Castilian Succession; Burgundian Wars
Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1476) Convoy battle
Also known as Batalla del Cap de Sant Vicent (1476)
13 August 1476 · Off Cape St. Vincent, Portugal
Fought between French fleet of Guillem de Casanova with Portuguese ships against a Genoese and Flemish convoy
Commanders Guillem de Casanova (French and Portuguese)
Forces 13 of Casanova's ships and 4 Portuguese ships against 3 large Genoese naus, 1 Genoese galley and 1 Flemish urca bound from Cádiz for England
Losses Two Genoese ships, the Flemish urca, both Portuguese galleys and two of Casanova's ships destroyed by fire; about 2,500 French and Portuguese died
Result Franco-Portuguese victory, according to the Catalan account
Casanova's fleet tried to capture a Genoese and Flemish convoy and a fight followed. French incendiary weapons started a fire that destroyed ships on both sides. The two surviving Genoese ships reached Cádiz.
Why it is remembered Christopher Columbus is said to have been present and to have swum ashore to the Portuguese coast.
Sources differ The Catalan account calls it a Franco-Portuguese victory, but its account is inconsistent about which side attacked and the losses fell mainly on the French and Portuguese.
Sources Viquipèdia (CA)
No free image of this battle has been found yet.
The Middle Ages · War of the Castilian Succession
Battle of Gibraltar (1476) Fleet battle
Also known as Batalla de Gibraltar (1476)
April or May 1476 · Strait of Gibraltar
Fought between Crown of Castile and Crown of Aragon against the Kingdom of Portugal
Commanders Carlos de Valera (Castile) and Andreu Sunyer (Aragon); Álvar Mendes (Portugal)
Forces 3 naus, 5 caravels and 4 Catalan galleys against 2 galleys, 2 caravels and a Genoese carrack
Ships La Borralla
Losses Portugal: 1 galley and 2 caravels captured, 1 galley and 1 carrack sunk
Result Castilian victory
A Castilian and Catalan fleet intercepted the Portuguese squadron of Álvar Mendes. The great galley La Borralla, said to carry 500 men, was set on fire to prevent her capture, and a galley and two caravels were taken. A Genoese carrack bringing armour from Pisa was sunk while the victors argued over her cargo.
Why it is remembered Carlos de Valera then sailed on a counter expedition to Cape Verde, sacking Santo Antão.
Sources Viquipèdia (CA)
The Middle Ages · War of the Castilian Succession
Battle of Guinea Fleet battle
Spring or summer 1478 · Near Elmina, Gulf of Guinea, West Africa
Fought between Kingdom of Portugal against the Crown of Castile
Commanders Jorge Correia and Mem Palha (Portugal); Pedro de Covides and Joanot Boscà, both captured (Castile)
Forces 11 Portuguese ships against 11 to 35 Castilian ships
Losses Portugal: no ships lost. Castile: all ships, crews and guns captured, with a huge cargo of gold.
Result Portuguese victory
A Portuguese fleet met a Castilian fleet in the Gulf of Guinea near Elmina and captured all its ships, crews and a large cargo of gold.
Why it is remembered It secured Portuguese dominance of the Atlantic and a favourable Peace of Alcáçovas (1479), which left Guinea, Cape Verde, Madeira and the Azores to Portugal.
Sources differ Castilian strength given as 11 to 35 ships.
Sources Wikipedia
The Middle Ages · Clan MacDonald internal conflicts
Battle of Bloody Bay Fleet battle
Also known as Blàr Bàgh na Fala
c. 1480 or 1483 · Coast of Mull, 2 miles (3 km) north of Tobermory, north end of the Sound of Mull, Scotland
Fought between John MacDonald of Islay, Lord of the Isles, with the Macleans, MacNeils and MacLeods, against his son Angus Òg and the Macdonalds of Clanranald, Sleat and Keppoch and the MacLeods of Lewis
Commanders John of Islay, Lord of the Isles; Angus Òg Macdonald
Losses Many clansmen killed and nearly half the clan's fleet sunk
Result Victory for Angus Òg
John MacDonald, Lord of the Isles, and his son Angus Òg fought a sea battle off Mull near Tobermory. Angus won and took power from his father.
Why it is remembered The losses left the Lordship of the Isles greatly weakened; Angus, the last independent Lord of the Isles, was murdered in 1490.
Sources differ Date given in sources from 1480 to 1483.
Sources Wikipedia
Image: Sarah Charlesworth, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Middle Ages
Battle of the Firth of Forth (1489) Single-ship action
Also known as Battle of Dunbar (1489); Bitwa morska pod Dunbar
1489 · Firth of Forth near the Isle of May, Scotland
Fought between Kingdom of Scotland against the Kingdom of England
Commanders Sir Andrew Wood (Scotland); Sir Stephen Bull (England)
Forces Yellow Carvel and Flower, with 500 men and 50 guns, against 3 well armed English privateers
Ships Yellow Carvel, Flower
Losses English ships surrendered; no casualty figures recorded
Result Scottish victory
Henry VII offered a pension to anyone who captured Andrew Wood, and Stephen Bull laid an ambush near the Isle of May as Wood returned from Flanders. Gunnery gave way to close fighting until darkness fell; at dawn Wood attacked again and Bull, with no escape, surrendered.
Why it is remembered James IV pardoned Bull and sent him home in the captured ships with a message that Scotland had as many brave men as England. Henry VII sent no more naval expeditions against Scotland, and Wood became known as the Scottish Nelson.
Sources Wikipedia (PL)
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