The Battle of Focchies was a significant naval engagement that took place on 12 May 1649, in the harbour of
Focchies,
Smyrna
Smyrna ( ; , or ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, Turkey. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna ...
between a
Venetian force of nineteen
warships
A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is used for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the navy branch of the armed forces of a nation, though they have also been operated by individuals, cooperatives and corporations. As well as ...
under the command of Giacomo da Riva, and an
Ottoman force of eleven warships, ten
galleasses
A galleass was a warship that combined the sails and armament of a galleon or carrack with the maneuverability of the oared galley. While never quite matching up to the full expectations for its design, the galleass nevertheless remained in us ...
, and seventy-two
galleys
A galley is a type of ship optimised for propulsion by oars. Galleys were historically used for warfare, trade, and piracy mostly in the seas surrounding Europe. It developed in the Mediterranean world during antiquity and continued to exist ...
, with the battle resulting in a crushing victory for the
Venetian fleet
The Venetian navy () was the navy of the Venetian Republic which played an important role in the history of the republic and the Mediterranean world. It was the premier navy in the Mediterranean Sea for many centuries between the medieval and earl ...
. The battle was an episode in the
Cretan War from 1645 to 1669 between the Venetian Republic (along with its allies, the
Knights of Malta
The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, and commonly known as the Order of Malta or the Knights of Malta, is a Catholic Church, Cathol ...
, the
Kingdom of France
The Kingdom of France is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the Middle Ages, medieval and Early modern France, early modern period. It was one of the most powerful states in Europe from th ...
and the
Papal States
The Papal States ( ; ; ), officially the State of the Church, were a conglomeration of territories on the Italian peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope from 756 to 1870. They were among the major states of Italy from the 8th c ...
) and the Ottoman Empire over dominance of various territories in the
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...
. The war was one in a
series of wars between the two warring powers, which contested for control of the
Adriatic
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...
and Mediterranean
trade routes
A trade route is a Logistics, logistical network identified as a series of pathways and stoppages used for the commercial transport of cargo. The term can also be used to refer to trade over land or water. Allowing Good (economics and accounting ...
. The primary territory that was contested during the war was
Crete
Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...
, the largest and most profitable of the overseas holdings of the Venetian Republic. The battle came after a squadron of Venetian ships under the command of Giacomo da Riva, a Venetian admiral, came to the rescue of the
blockading Venetian force in the
Dardanelles Straits
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 th ...
, after the blockade had run into unexpected weather conditions and many ships sunk as a result.
[Anderson, (1952)]
Admiral da Riva moved to engage the Ottoman fleet, attempting to prevent them from sailing to Crete and reinforcing the Ottoman forces that were laying
siege
A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict charact ...
to the island. To reinforce his fleet before engaging the Ottomans, da Riva hired several
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Culture, language and peoples
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
* ''English'', an Amish ter ...
and
Dutch
Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
** Dutch people as an ethnic group ()
** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship ()
** Dutch language ()
* In specific terms, i ...
armed merchantmen
An armed merchantman is a merchant ship equipped with guns, usually for defensive purposes, either by design or after the fact. In the days of sail, piracy and privateers, many merchantmen would be routinely armed, especially those engaging in lo ...
, promising to their captains that he would compensate them for any damages or casualties that they suffered. The Venetian fleet set sail towards the harbour, with the intention to destroy the Ottoman fleet while it was trapped. When the Ottomans saw that the Venetian fleet advancing, ten galleasses were placed in front of the harbour entrance to cover the other ships. The Venetians easily broke through the galleasses, and intense combat began and lasted for four hours, with the Venetian (and hired) warships engaging the Ottoman fleet, easily overwhelming them with superior firepower. The Ottomans put up a spirited defence, but could not stop the Venetians from destroying a significant portion of the fleet. Despite the overwhelming victory, it was not a complete one, and Ottoman naval forces were able to sail to Crete to bring reinforcements, with Crete
falling to the Ottomans two decades later.
[Anderson, (1952)]
Background
After the
loss of Cyprus to the Ottomans in the fourth
Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573)
The Fourth Ottoman–Venetian War, also known as the War of Cyprus () was fought between 1570 and 1573. It was waged between the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Venice, the latter joined by the Holy League (1571), Holy League, a coalition ...
, the
island of Crete (the "Kingdom of Candia") was the last major
overseas possession
A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, belonging or connected to a particular country, person, or animal.
In international relations, international politics, a territory is usually a geographic area which has not been granted the po ...
of the Venetian Republic. Its important strategic position made it an obvious target for
future Ottoman expansion, while its size and fertile ground, together with the bad state of its fortresses, made it a more tempting prize than
Malta
Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...
. On the Venetian side, the
Serenissima
aSerenissima ( heMost Serene) may refer to:
Certain countries
* , a name for the Republic of Venice
* , the official Latin name of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
Art, entertainment, and media
* La Serenissima (musical ensemble), a Britis ...
, with its weak military and great dependence on uninterrupted trade, was anxious not to provoke the Ottomans. Hence Venice scrupulously observed the terms of its treaty with the Ottomans, securing over sixty years of peaceful relations. By the early 17th century moreover, Venetian power had declined considerably. Its economy, which had once prospered because of its control over the Eastern
spice trade
The spice trade involved historical civilizations in Asia, Northeast Africa and Europe. Spices, such as cinnamon, cassia, cardamom, ginger, pepper, nutmeg, star anise, clove, and turmeric, were known and used in antiquity and traded in t ...
, had suffered as a result of the opening of the new
Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...
trade routes, and from the loss of the
important German market because of the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...
. In 1645, the war broke out as
Ottoman forces moved to capture
Crete
Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...
from the Venetians.
[Anderson, (1952)]
A Venetian fleet had been ordered to blockade the Dardanelles Straits since April of 1648. On 19 November, most of the fleet withdrew, leaving thirteen warships, under da Riva to maintain the blockade. In Spring 1649, he was joined by Bertucci Civrano with seven more warships, bringing up the total strength of his fleet to nineteen warships, as he had lost a warship to bad weather in the previous months. In early May, the Ottoman fleet appeared from the direction of
Istanbul
Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
. Only two of Riva's ships actually managed to engage them, and in the ensuing chaos, the Ottoman fleet safely made it out of the Strait and headed southwards. Giacomo da Riva, marshaling his fleet, ordered them to follow and successfully trapped the Ottoman fleet at the port of
Focchies, on the mainland. Many of the Venetian ships were hired
Dutch
Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
** Dutch people as an ethnic group ()
** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship ()
** Dutch language ()
* In specific terms, i ...
or
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Culture, language and peoples
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
* ''English'', an Amish ter ...
armed merchantmen, and da Riva had to promise to compensate their captains for any damage, due to da Riva realizing that the Dutch or English captains would be unwilling to risk their ships unless they knew that they were going to be adequately compensated for their efforts. On May 12, da Riva ordered his fleet to sail into the harbour and engage the Ottoman ships lying at anchor.
[Anderson, (1952)]
Battle
Leading the action from his
flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...
, the ''Rotta Fortuna'', da Riva led his into the harbour. The larger and taller Venetian warships easily smashed aside the galleasses, and the minuscule amount of cannon that a single galleass could carry was no match for the dozens of cannons carried by the Venetian warships. Three galleasses were destroyed, with the rest being damaged and scattered, leaving the path into the harbour clear. The warships, one by one, sailed into the harbour and began engaging the Ottoman warships, aiming to use their overwhelming power to capture the warships and sink the galleys, which carried only a few cannons. The warships moved to engage, as they could withstand the broadside of the Venetian ones in a one-on-one engagement. However, da Riva was short one warship during the engagement, as the captain of the ''Esperienza'' had refused to sail into the harbour at all, instead keeping out to sea and only rejoining the fleet on the next day. During the action, the Ottoman fleet was slowly overwhelmed and destroyed, as the crews proved no match for Venetian, English and Dutch ones in terms of gunnery skill and seamanship, with many abandoning their ships as they sunk in the harbour.
[Anderson, (1952)]
Once the battle looked to be clearly in the Venetians favour, da Riva ordered men from his ships to set alight and burn the sinking Ottoman ships, as there was still a risk they could be re-floated, and being impossible to be towed out the harbour. In an unusual occurrence during a naval engagement, the
galley slaves of one of the Ottoman galleys managed to overwhelm her crew and row towards a Venetian warship, whereupon the liberated slaves promptly surrendered the galley. Two of the smaller warships, the ''San Bartolamio'', and the ''Francese'', were abandoned by their crew due to damage incurred by Ottoman cannonade. The ''San Bartolamio'' was able to be successfully regained by the crew of the ''Tre Re'', whereas the ''Francese'' drifted onto the shore and was burnt and destroyed by Ottoman soldiers while beached. When the action was concluding, da Riva surveyed the scene to see a spectacular success- nine warships burnt, three galleasses burnt, two galleys burnt, and one of each type captured. However, at midnight, the wind changed, and the fires set by the Venetians threatened to burn their own warships to the waterline. Upon seeing this, da Riva gave the order to retreat, and the action concluded.
[Anderson, (1952)]
Aftermath

In total, the Venetian fleet suffered 105 men killed or wounded, alongside one warship destroyed, burnt by the Ottomans after it drifted onto the shore after being abandoned. The Venetian fleet suffered another loss just ten days later- the ''James'', which had captured the galleass during the battle and was dismasted during the fighting- sunk in heavy weather due to damage sustained during the battle. The casualties for the Ottoman fleet was devastating, although not absolute- they still had one warship, seven galleasses, and sixty-nine galleys still intact alongside their crews. The reason for so many ships surviving was due to the wind moving the direction of the flames away from the rest of the Ottoman fleet, and causing the Venetian fleet to withdraw. In the days following the action, da Riva made no attempt to follow up on his victory, but after waiting near Focchies ordered his fleet to weigh anchor and sail towards the
Gulf of Smyrna
A gulf is a large inlet from an ocean or their seas into a landmass, larger and typically (though not always) with a narrower opening than a bay. The term was used traditionally for large, highly indented navigable bodies of salt water that a ...
, where he hoped to prevent
Christian
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
ships from entering in the service of the Ottoman Navy. Failing to sight any ships, da Riva instead ordered his fleet to sail towards Crete, to link up with Captain General Alvise Mocenigo, who da Riva had written a letter to when he saw the Ottoman fleet leaving the Dardanelles Strait.
[Anderson, (1952)]
On May 23, da Riva, along with his fleet reached Nixa, waiting there for six days until Mocenigo joined forces with him. Mocenigo brought with him four warships, six galleasses and twenty-one galleys from Crete. Mocenigo dissuaded da Riva from launching patrols in the region to search for Ottoman ships, instead holding their position and stopping any significant Ottoman force from reaching
Chania
Chania (, , ), also sometimes romanization of Greek, romanized as Hania, is a city in Greece and the capital of the Chania (regional unit), Chania regional unit. It lies along the north west coast of the island Crete, about west of Rethymno ...
. In early June, the Kapudan Pasha left for
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 ...
, merging the ships that had not been destroyed into a larger fleet. This fleet was joined by warships and galleys from
Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
and the
Barbary States
The Barbary Coast (also Barbary, Berbery, or Berber Coast) were the coastal regions of central and western North Africa, more specifically, the Maghreb and the Ottoman borderlands consisting of the regencies in Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli, a ...
, and reached a size of eighty-three galleys and seventy-four warships, along with countless smaller vessels such as
xebecs
A xebec ( or ), also spelled zebec, was a Mediterranean sailing ship that originated in the barbary states (Algeria), it was used mostly for trading. Xebecs had a long overhanging bowsprit and aft-set mizzen mast. The term can also refer to a sm ...
and
gunboats
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.
History Pre-steam ...
. By late June his fleet arrived at Tine, and from there he sailed towards Milo in preparation for the final journey to Chania. Around the same time, da Riva was stationed at Santorin, but was able to sail to Milo to intercept the Ottoman fleet. However, neither fleet was willing to risk an all-out engagement, and both sides withdrew, the Ottoman fleet allowed to sail unmolested towards Chania. The fleet was able to assist in the ongoing siege, which eventually fell to the Ottomans in 1669, bringing an end to the war in favour of the Ottomans.
[Anderson, (1952)]
See also
*
Cretan War (1645-1669) Cretan War may refer to multiple wars involving the island of Crete, including:
*Cretan War (205–200 BC), a war between King Philip V of Macedon and Rhodes
*Cretan War (1645–1669), a war between the Republic of Venice and the Ottoman Empire
Se ...
*
Venetian Navy
The Venetian navy () was the navy of the Venetian Republic which played an important role in the history of the republic and the Mediterranean world. It was the premier navy in the Mediterranean Sea for many centuries between the medieval and ea ...
*
Ottoman Navy
The Ottoman Navy () or the Imperial Navy (), also known as the Ottoman Fleet, was the naval warfare arm of the Ottoman Empire. It was established after the Ottomans first reached the sea in 1323 by capturing Praenetos (later called KaramĂĽrsel ...
References
Bibliography
* {{cite book
, last = Anderson
, first = Roger Charles
, authorlink = R. C. Anderson
, year = 1952
, chapter =
, title = Naval Wars in the Levant 1559–1853
, publisher = Princeton University Press
, isbn = 1578985382
Focchies
Focchies
Focchies
Focchies
Phocaea
1640s in the Ottoman Empire