Andrea Morisco (in , ''Andreas Mouriskos'') was a Genoese pirate active in the

Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans and Anatolia, and covers an area of some . In the north, the Aegean is connected to the Marmara Sea, which in turn con ...

in the late 13th century, who in 1304 entered the service of the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

. As an admiral and corsair, he was active under Byzantine colours until 1308, when he was captured and executed in

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

Life

Morisco was a Genoese pirate, active at least since 1279, who had had a successful career fighting against both the Turks and the Venetians.PLP 19516. Mουρίσκος ἈνδρέαςLaiou (1972), p. 151 In late 1304, Morisco with his two ships entered the service of the

Byzantine emperor The foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, which Fall of Constantinople, fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as legitimate rulers and exercised s ...

Andronikos II Palaiologos Andronikos II Palaiologos (; 25 March 1259 – 13 February 1332), Latinization of names, Latinized as Andronicus II Palaeologus, reigned as Byzantine emperor from 1282 to 1328. His reign marked the beginning of the recently restored em ...

, who gave him the rank of '' vestiarios''. The Venetians in retaliation attacked him and burned one of his ships, but in 1305, he attacked the island of

Tenedos Tenedos (, ''Tenedhos''; ), or Bozcaada in Turkish language, Turkish, is an island of Turkey in the northeastern part of the Aegean Sea. Administratively, the island constitutes the Bozcaada, Çanakkale, Bozcaada district of Çanakkale Provinc ...

, and with the aid of some passing Genoese ships recovered it for the Empire. At this time, the Byzantines became involved in open war against the mercenaries of the Catalan Company, whom they had invited to fight against the Turks, but who now had turned against Byzantium. In this war, Morisco supplied the town of Madyta, which was besieged by the Catalans, with food, and intercepted the passage of some Turkish allies of the Catalans from crossing over the

Hellespont The Dardanelles ( ; ; ), also known as the Strait of Gallipoli (after the Gallipoli peninsula) and in classical antiquity as the Hellespont ( ; ), is a narrow, natural strait and internationally significant waterway in northwestern Turkey t ...

back into

Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

—the latter a dubious success, as they proceeded to raid the Byzantine province of

Thrace Thrace (, ; ; ; ) is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe roughly corresponding to the province of Thrace in the Roman Empire. Bounded by the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Aegean Sea to the south, and the Black Se ...

instead. For his service, Andronikos II made Morisco an admiral and gave him and his brother Lodovico the islands of

Rhodes Rhodes (; ) is the largest of the Dodecanese islands of Greece and is their historical capital; it is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, ninth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Administratively, the island forms a separ ...

Karpathos Karpathos (, ), also Carpathos, is the second largest of the Greek Dodecanese islands, in the southeastern Aegean Sea. Together with the neighboring smaller Saria Island it forms the municipality of Karpathos, which is part of the regional unit ...

and

Kasos Kasos (; , ), also Casos, is a Greek island municipality in the Dodecanese. It is the southernmost island in the Aegean Sea, and is part of the regional unit Karpathos-Kasos. The capital of the island is Fri. , its population was 1,223. ...

as fiefs. During one of his fights with the Catalans in the

Sea of Marmara The Sea of Marmara, also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, is a small inland sea entirely within the borders of Turkey. It links the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea via the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, separating Turkey's E ...

, he was defeated and captured by the Catalans, but was able to buy his freedom and returned to Tenedos. In 1306, he was back in action, and along with the Byzantines' Genoese allies participated in the unsuccessful siege of

Gallipoli The Gallipoli Peninsula (; ; ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles strait to the east. Gallipoli is the Italian form of the Greek name (), meaning ' ...

, which was held by the Catalans. In 1307 and 1308, along with other Byzantine-sponsored pirates, Morisco was active in the Aegean, attacking Venetian shipping off the

Peloponnese The Peloponnese ( ), Peloponnesus ( ; , ) or Morea (; ) is a peninsula and geographic region in Southern Greece, and the southernmost region of the Balkans. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmus of Corinth land bridg ...

.Laiou (1972), p. 235 In 1308, Morisco was captured by King

Henry II of Cyprus Henry II (June 1270 – 31 March 1324) was the last crowned Kingdom of Jerusalem, King of Jerusalem (after the fall of Acre on 28 May 1291, this title became empty) and also ruled as Kingdom of Cyprus, King of Cyprus. He was of the Lusignan ...

, and executed by hanging in

Famagusta Famagusta, also known by several other names, is a city located on the eastern coast of Cyprus. It is located east of the capital, Nicosia, and possesses the deepest harbour of the island. During the Middle Ages (especially under the maritime ...

References

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Morisco, Andrea 13th-century births 1308 deaths 14th-century Byzantine military personnel 14th-century Genoese people Byzantine admirals People executed by Cyprus by hanging 13th-century Genoese people People executed for piracy Medieval pirates Year of birth unknown Lords of Rhodes Medieval Aegean Sea