Siege of Corfu (1537)

Siege of Corfu
	Part of the Ottoman–Venetian War (1537–1540)
	; The French and Ottoman fleets joined at the siege of Corfu in early September 1537.
Date	August–September 1537
Location	Corfu
Result	Venetian victory Ottomans fail to capture Corfu.;
Belligerents
Ottoman Empire; France	Republic of Venice
Commanders and leaders
Suleiman the Magnificent; Şehzade Mehmed; Selim II; Ayas Mehmed Pasha; Bertrand d'Ornesan	Unknown
Strength
: 320 ships; 25,000 soldiers; 320 ships; : 13 ships	Unknown

The siege of Corfu in 1537 was led by the Ottoman Emperor Suleiman the Magnificent, against the Republic of Venice-held island of Corfu. It is part of the Ottoman–Venetian War (1537–1540), one of the numerous Ottoman–Venetian Wars of the period.

Background

For 1537 important combined operations had been agreed upon between France and the Ottoman Empire as part of the Franco-Ottoman alliance, in which the Ottomans would attack Charles V's territories southern Italy under Hayreddin Barbarossa, and Francis I would attack his territories in northern Italy with 50,000 men. Suleiman led an army of 300,000 from Constantinople to Albania, with the objective of transporting them to Italy with the fleet.^[1] The Ottoman fleet gathered in Avlona, in the Albania, with 250 galleys, accompanied by the French ambassador Jean de La Forêt.^[2] They landed in Castro, Apulia by the end of July 1537, and departed two weeks later with many prisoners.^[3] Barbarossa had laid waste to the region around Otranto, carrying about 10,000 people into slavery. However, Francis failed to meet his commitment, and instead attacked the Netherlands.

The Republic of Venice was functionally neutral, having previously rejected an alliance with Charles V against the Ottomans, but as relations with Francis and Suleiman deteriorated, their Senate ordered the Venetian admiral Girolamo Pesaro to have his fleet ready in case of a Franco-Ottoman turn against them. Venetian ships also had incidents with Barbarossa's fleet, now composed by 320 sails.^[4] At the same time, grand imperial admiral Andrea Doria defeated one of the Ottomans fleet in the Battle of Antipaxos, after which Doria let the Turks capture a forged letter where he pretended to be in alliance with Venice. By august 14, Suleiman decided to abandon southern Italy and strike against the republic.^[5]

Siege

The Ottoman fleet departed from Southern Italy and headed to Corfu in August,^[6] while Suleiman equally leaft Avlona for Corfu on 19 August 1537.^[7] The 320 ship fleet started bombarding Corfu on 26 August.^[7] Ottoman troops amounting to 25,000 men were landed on the island of Corfu.^[7] At the siege, the Ottomans were met by the French Admiral Baron de Saint-Blancard, who had left Marseille on 15 August with 12 galleys, and arrived at Corfu in early September 1537.^[3]^[8] Saint-Blancard in vain attempted to convince the Ottomans to again raid the coasts of Apulia, Sicily, and the March of Ancona, but it was of no avail.^[3]

On September 11, the Venetian senate reached to Pope Paul III, asking for the assistance Papal armada and the Knights Hospitaller. They also ordered Pesaro to renzevous with Venetian reinforcements in Brindisi, but refrain still from sailing against the great Ottoman fleet.^[2] They then called Doria to request the help of the imperial armada.^[9] The plan was for Venice, the emperor and the Pope to form a grand army.^[2] However, possibly not being informed in time, Doria failed to appear in Brindisi, where all the available Venetian ships awaited.^[9]

Eventually Suleiman, with his camp ravaged by bad weather,^[10] and worried by a plague among his troops,^[11] decided to return with his fleet to Istanbul by September 15 without having captured Corfu.^[3] Two days later, Doria arrived near Corfu with 100 ships, including the Hospitaller squad with the great carrack Santa Anna, to find discover the siege had been lifted. He was later accused of having dragged his feet due to the ancient rivalry between Genoa and Venice.^[12]

Aftermath

French ambassador Jean de La Forêt became seriously ill and died around that time.^[3] Francis I finally penetrated into Italy, and reached Rivoli on 31 October 1537.^[13] The fleet of Saint-Blancard wintered in Chios until 17 February 1538.^[14] It was decided that three ships would go to Constantinople, while the rest of the fleet returned to France. In Constantinople, they were received by the French ambassador Charles de Marillac.^[15] Barbarossa provided for the expenses, and the French galleys finally left on 11 April 1538 to return to Nice through Monastir.^[16]

A consequence of the siege was that the Venetians decided to form an alliance with the Pope and Charles V against the Ottomans.^[17] On 18 June 1538, Francis I signed the Truce of Nice with Charles V, thereby temporarily abandoning the Franco-Ottoman alliance.^[18]

Notes

^ History of the Ottoman Empire and modern Turkey Ezel Kural Shaw p.97ff [1]
^ ^a ^b ^c Setton (1984), p. 426.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Setton (1984), p. 431.
^ Setton (1984), p. 423-425.
^ Adolphus Ward, The Cambridge Modern History, 1905 p. 114
^ Lambton, Ann Katherine Swynford; Lewis, Bernard (1977-01-01). The Cambridge History of Islam: A. The central islamic lands from pre-islamic times to the First World War. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521291354.
^ ^a ^b ^c Garnier, p.135
^ Garnier, p.134
^ ^a ^b Abercrombie (2024), p. 147.
^ Abercrombie (2024), p. 148.
^ Garnier, p.138
^ Abercrombie (2024), p. 147-148.
^ Dyer, Thomas Henry (1861-01-01). The history of modern Europe: from the fall of Constantinople, in 1453, to the war in the Crimea, in 1857. J. Murray. p. 574. Saint Blancard Barbarossa.
^ Garnier, p.149
^ Garnier, p.150
^ Garnier, p.151-153
^ Garnier, p.140
^ Garnier, p.154

References

Abercrombie, Gordon Ellyson (2024). The Hospitaller Knights of Saint John, 1523-1565. Pen and Sword. ISBN 9781399039345.
Garnier, Edith L'Alliance Impie Editions du Felin, 2008, Paris ISBN 978-2-86645-678-8 Interview
Setton, Kenneth M. (1984). The Papacy and the Levant, 1204-1571. American Philosophical Society.

[Shaw97-1] History of the Ottoman Empire and modern Turkey Ezel Kural Shaw p.97ff [1]

[FOOTNOTESetton1984426-2] Setton (1984), p. 426.

[FOOTNOTESetton1984431-3] Setton (1984), p. 431.

[FOOTNOTESetton1984423-425-4] Setton (1984), p. 423-425.

[5] Adolphus Ward, The Cambridge Modern History, 1905 p. 114

[6] Lambton, Ann Katherine Swynford; Lewis, Bernard (1977-01-01). The Cambridge History of Islam: A. The central islamic lands from pre-islamic times to the First World War. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521291354.

[Garnierp.135-7] Garnier, p.135

[8] Garnier, p.134

[FOOTNOTEAbercrombie2024147-9] Abercrombie (2024), p. 147.

[FOOTNOTEAbercrombie2024148-10] Abercrombie (2024), p. 148.

[11] Garnier, p.138

[FOOTNOTEAbercrombie2024147-148-12] Abercrombie (2024), p. 147-148.

[13] Dyer, Thomas Henry (1861-01-01). The history of modern Europe: from the fall of Constantinople, in 1453, to the war in the Crimea, in 1857. J. Murray. p. 574. Saint Blancard Barbarossa.

[14] Garnier, p.149

[15] Garnier, p.150

[16] Garnier, p.151-153

[17] Garnier, p.140

[18] Garnier, p.154

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v t e Major sieges involving the Ottoman Empire by century
13th-14th	1285 Kulaca Hisar 1326 Bursa 1328–1331 Nicaea 1333–1337 Nicomedia 1360s Adrianople 1385 Sofia 1393 Tarnovo 1394–1402 Constantinople
15th	1411 Constantinople 1422 Constantinople 1422–1430 Thessalonica 1428 Golubac 1440 Belgrade 1440–41 Novo Brdo 1448 Svetigrad 1450 Krujë 1453 Constantinople 1455 Berat 1456 Belgrade 1461 Trebizond 1462 Mytilene 1463 Jajce 1464 Jajce 1466–67 Krujë 1467 Krujë 1470 Negroponte 1474 Scutari 1477–78 Krujë 1478–79 Scutari 1480 Rhodes 1481 Otranto 1484 Chilia
16th	1500 Cephalonia 1517 Cairo 1521 Belgrade 1522 Knin 1522 Rhodes 1529 Peñón of Algiers 1529 Vienna 1531 Diu 1532 Güns (Kőszeg) 1532 Maribor 1533–34 Coron 1534 Tunis 1534 Baghdad 1537 Klis 1537 Corfu 1538 Diu 1539 Castelnuovo 1541 Buda 1543 Nice 1543 Esztergom 1548 Aden 1548 Van 1551 Tripoli 1552 Muscat 1552 Hormuz 1552 Temesvár 1552 Eger 1556 Oran 1559 Bahrain 1563 Oran 1565 Malta 1566 Szigetvar 1570–71 Famagusta 1574 Tunis 1578 Gvozdansko 1592 Bihać 1593 Sisak 1596 Eger
17th	1601 Nagykanizsa 1621 Khotyn 1603 Tabriz 1606 Ganja 1607 Shamakhi 1624 Baghdad 1625–1626 Baghdad 1630 Baghdad 1635 Erivan 1636 Erivan 1638 Baghdad 1663 Uyvar 1664 Novi Zrin 1648–1669 Candia 1672 Kamenets 1683 Vienna 1684 Buda 1684 Santa Maura 1685 Érsekújvár 1686 Buda 1686 Pécs 1688 Negroponte 1688 Belgrade 1690 Belgrade 1695 Azov 1696 Azov
18th	1708 Oran 1711 Brăila 1715 Nauplia 1716 Corfu 1716 Temeşvar 1717 Belgrade 1732 Oran 1733 Baghdad 1734–35 Ganja 1737 Ochakov 1739 Belgrade 1788 Ochakov 1788 Khotin 1789 Belgrade 1789–90 Izmail 1792 Oran 1799 El Arish 1799 Jaffa 1799 Acre
19th	1801 Cairo 1806 Belgrade 1821 Patras 1821–22 Acropolis 1821 Tripolitsa 1822 Missolonghi 1823 Missolonghi 1825–26 Missolonghi 1826–27 Acropolis 1828 Kars 1828 Varna 1854 Calafat 1854 Silistra 1854–55 Sevastopol 1855 Kars 1877 Plevna
20th	1912–13 Scutari 1912–13 Adrianople 1915 Van 1915–16 Kut 1916–1919 Medina
Ottoman defeats shown in italics.