The ''Roccafortis'' or ''Roccaforte'' (

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

for "strong fortress") was a 13th-century warship built in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

. A "round ship", it was considered one of the largest built in the 13th century, and saw service with the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia ...

and the

Kingdom of France The Kingdom of France ( fro, Reaume de France; frm, Royaulme de France; french: link=yes, Royaume de France) is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the medieval and early modern period ...

History

''Roccafortis'' was built in Venice (some sources say at the

Venetian Arsenal The Venetian Arsenal ( it, Arsenale di Venezia) is a complex of former shipyards and armories clustered together in the city of Venice in northern Italy. Owned by the state, the Arsenal was responsible for the bulk of the Venetian republic's n ...

) in the mid 13th-century. She was laid down as a

round ship Round or rounds may refer to: Mathematics and science * The contour of a closed curve or surface with no sharp corners, such as an ellipse, circle, rounded rectangle, cant, or sphere * Rounding, the shortening of a number to reduce the number ...

, and was often outfitted for war. The exact role of the ship is disputed; some sources note the ship was used to defend Venice's

Levant The Levant () is an approximation, approximate historical geography, historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology an ...

trade, and she has been placed at the

Battle of Saseno The Battle of Saseno took place on 14 August 1264 near Saseno island off the coast of Albania, between a fleet of the Republic of Genoa and a trade convoy of the Republic of Venice, during the War of Saint Sabas. So far in the war, the Genoes ...

in 1264 between the Venetian and Genoese navies. At Saseno, ''Roccafortis'' size ensured that she was the only Venetian survivor of the battle, as the smaller Genoese ships were unable to capture the large vessel. Other sources state the ship was constructed in 1268 at the behest of King Louis IX of France, who was amassing forces for the

Eighth Crusade The Eighth Crusade was the second Crusade launched by Louis IX of France, this one against the Hafsid dynasty in Tunisia in 1270. It is also known as the Crusade of Louis IX against Tunis or the Second Crusade of Louis. The Crusade did not see any ...

of 1270. In an essay on Venetian ships supplied to France during the Eighth Crusade, French naval historian

Auguste Jal Auguste Jal (12 April 1795, in Lyon – 5 April 1873) was a French author who wrote on maritime archaeology and history. Biography He was educated at the naval school in Brest, and led a company of the cadets in the defense of Paris during the H ...

noted that ''Roccafortis'' was the largest of said ships. Jal also examined Latin documents detailing the design of the vessel.

Dimensions

''Roccafortis'' was remarkably large, though sources differ on its exact size. Auguste Jal and several later historians noted that ship had a long keel, and an overall length of , with a width at prow and poop of ; other historians criticize this approximation of the ship's size as unrealistic. Historian Charles Stanton records the ship's length as , while

Frederic Lane Frederic C. Lane (born November 23, 1900, in Lansing, Michigan–died October 14, 1984) was a historian who specialized in Medieval history with a particular emphasis on the region of Venice. Early life, education, and family The son of Alfred ...

notes that the ship further had a

forecastle The forecastle ( ; contracted as fo'c'sle or fo'c's'le) is the upper deck of a sailing ship forward of the foremast, or, historically, the forward part of a ship with the sailors' living quarters. Related to the latter meaning is the phrase " b ...

and an

aftcastle An aftercastle (or sometimes aftcastle) is the stern structure behind the mizzenmast and above the transom on large sailing ships, such as carracks, caravels, galleons and galleasses. It usually houses the captain's cabin and perhaps addition ...

that were another high.

References

Sources

* * * * * * {{cite book , last = Stanton , first = Charles D. , title = Medieval Maritime Warfare , url = {{Google Books, aTmgBwAAQBAJ, plainurl=y , year = 2015 , publisher=Pen and Sword , location = Barnsley, South Yorkshire , isbn=978-1-4738-5643-1 Ships built by the Venetian Arsenal Ships of the Venetian navy 13th century in the Republic of Venice Medieval ships