War of Chioggia

[Tim]

Currently reading more about 14th Century European History.  I am also building a Hungarian army for Mohacs but as always am looking at the history of an army I build.  From both directions I came across The War of Chioggia.  A fascinating conflict that had somehow passed me by (which is odd given how much I have read of Venetian History over the years...), especially given the use of Naval gunpoweder artillery.

Which is the best English Language account of the war?

[Nick Harbud]

To be honest, I have not read a book dedicated to these wars - even ones that are supposedly concentrating on Venetian history.  It tends to get mentioned en passant in books dealing with various other aspects of medieval Italian history.  For example, Runciman's Sicilan Vespers talks about some of the earlier wars in the Guelph-Ghibbeline context.  Likewise Guilmartin's Gunpowder & Galleys reckons the Battle of Prevesa was influenced by the Genoese Captain-General wanting to leave the Ventians in the lurch as revenge for losing the Chioggian Wars.

Which book are you currently reading?

[Nick Harbud]

Charles Stanton's Medieval Maritime Warfare seems to be highly rated.  Anyone read this?

[Erpingham]

I haven't seen an English language account concentrating on the war (but I haven't looked that hard).  There are a couple of chapters covering it in City of Fortune by Roger Crowley.  Guilmartin does cover the war in a brief chapter in Galleons and Galleys, which has a map of the fighting.  I'm sure you've looked but the wiki article Battle of Chioggia is much better referenced than the one on the war - mostly general naval history but a couple of specific pieces that may be of use.

[Tim]

Thanks for the replies.  Somewhat surprisingly there is also a chapter in John J Norwich's A History of Venice.  Reading through that currently.  Will look at the other suggestions.

[Tim]

Nick

The book in which I found first mention of the war is A General History of Europe: Europe in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries by Denys Hay, a book I first read parts of for my history course at college (from the library) but which I am now reading end to end, having picked up a copy on my travels.

Regards
Tim

[Erpingham]

Somewhat surprisingly there is also a chapter in John J Norwich's A History of Venice.

Not really surprising.  This is a key turning point in Venetian fortunes, permanently changing the balance of power with her greatest rival.

[Duncan Head]

The Paduan involvement, in alliance with the Hungarians, is described in in Kohl's Padua under the Carrara. Gatari's Cronaca Carrarese has accounts of some of the actions including descriptions of banners carried, but not in English.