War of Chioggia

The town of Chioggia

Date	1378-1381
Location	coasts of Adriatic Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Tyrrhenian Sea, Cyprus
Result	Venetian victory and control over Mediterranean commerce; Treaty of Turin

Belligerents

Republic of Venice
supported by Milan under Bernabò Visconti

Republic of Genoa
supported by Padua; Kingdom of Hungary; Patriarchate of Aquileia; Duchy of Austria

Commanders and leaders

Andrea Contarini, Vettor Pisani, Carlo Zeno

Luigi de' Fieschi, Matteo Maruffo, Luciano Doria†, Pietro Doria

The War of Chioggia (Italian: Guerra di Chioggia) was a conflict between Genoa and Venice which lasted from 1378 to 1381, from which Venice emerged triumphant. It was a part of the Venetian-Genoese Wars.

The two maritime powers, Genoa and Venice, had long been leading commercial powers with ties to Constantinople that had nurtured their growth during the Dark Ages. Their rivalry over trade with the Levant had generated a number of wars. Genoa, having suffered previous defeats at the hands of the Venetians, had emerged from submission to the Visconti tyrants of Milan during the 14th century, although it had also been severely weakened by the Black Death of 1348 which took a toll of 40,000 on the city. Venice had participated in the dismemberment of the Byzantine Empire in 1204 and gradually taken over land on the Adriatic, entering into conflict with Hungary; on the Italian mainland, its terrestrial acquisition had generated a rivalry with the nearby largest city, Padua.

Genoa wanted to establish a complete monopoly of trade in the Black Sea area (Consisting of grain, timber, fur, and slaves). In order to do so it needed to eliminate the commercial threat posed by Venice in this region. Genoa felt compelled to initiate the conflict because of the collapse of Mongol Hegemony over the Central Asian Trade Route which had hitherto been a significant source of wealth for Genoa. When the Mongols lost control of the area, trade became much more hazardous and far less profitable. Hence Genoa's decision to go to war to insure its trade in the Black Sea area remained under its control.

Genoa's allies included Hungary and Padua. The King of Hungary, Louis I, had conquered Dalmatia from Venice and by 1379 Hungarian forces threatened Venice itself by land from the north. Paduan forces, under the leadership of Francesco I da Carrara, cut off Venice's communications to the west. Genoa's allies also included the Patriarch of Aquileia and Leopold III, the Duke of Austria.

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