TRENDEAtlas of the Sultans · Wars, battles and treaties
Naval battle · 1499
The naval Battle of Zonchio took place on four separate days: 12, 20, 22, and 25 August 1499. It was a part of the Ottoman–Venetian War of 1499–1503. During its course, the Venetians attempted to intercept an Ottoman fleet en route to conquer Lepanto, but were hampered by miscoordination and repeatedly failed to engage the Ottomans. With their failure at checking their advance, Lepanto fell shortly after. The Ottomans emerged as a serious naval force in the Mediterranean with their victory, followed by a series of similar successes during the war.
| Date | 14–25 August 1499 |
|---|---|
| Location | Zonchio, Ionian Sea |
| Result | Ottoman victory |
| Belligerents | Ottoman Empire | Republic of Venice |
|---|---|---|
| Commanders | Küçük Davud Pasha Kemal Reis Feriz Beg | Antonio Grimani Andrea Loredan Nicolo da Pesaro |
| Strength | 60 light galleys 3 heavy galleys 30 galiots 40 fustas 21 carracks 111 barges | 46 light galleys 17 heavy galleys 15 carracks 4 caravels 11 brigantines |
The result of Zonchio was a disaster for the Venetian armada, dealing a severe blow to the Venetian morale. It revealed the systemic faults that weighed it down, like appointing unexperienced admirals and captains unmotivated to compromise. The major participants wrote reports blaming each other for wasting the chance on August 12, with Grimani's own claiming about his captains: "the whole fleet with one voice cried 'Hang them! Hang them!' God knows that they deserved it, but it would have been necessary to hang four-fifths of our fleet". Grimani was blamed for the failure and labeled a traitor.
Took place during the reign of Bayezid II (1481–1512). Bayezid II
Open the reign of Bayezid II on the mapText: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), adapted for the atlas.