The Conspiracy of Gianluigi Fieschi, or, Genoa in the sixteenth century.Celesia, Emanuele
History
The Conspiracy of Gianluigi Fieschi, or, Genoa in the sixteenth century.
Celesia, Emanuele
Fiéschi, Gian Luigi, conte di Lavagna, 1522-1547; Genoa (Italy) -- History
In the spring of 1539, Prince Doria was with the army in Sicily, and
Torghud took advantage of his absence to make a piratical cruise in the
Ligurian sea. Andrea, as soon as he received notice of the movement,
sent his nephew to oppose the Corsair. The latter had already began
his depredations along the coast, and had desolated Capraia, carrying
off seven hundred prisoners and a large Genoese galleon. Gianettino,
having a fleet of twenty galleys and a frigate commanded by a certain
Fra Marco, acted upon his knowledge of the Corsair’s habit of beating
up against the wind, and pursued him by the use of his oars. At the
same time he sent his lieutenant, Giorgio Doria, with six galleys and
the frigate to the bay of Giralatte where he believed the pirate to
have run for shelter. His calculations proved to be accurate. Torghud,
believing these galleys to be the principal fleet of the Genoese, left
two vessels to guard his booty, and sailed to attack Giorgio Doria with
nine ships, two of which he had captured from the Venitians at Prevesa.
Hearing the sound of the engagement, Gianettino, who was not far
distant, sailed into the waters of Giralatte and joined his lieutenant.
The Corsair seeing himself outnumbered, retired from the contest and
endeavoured to escape; but Gianettino pursued him so closely that he
soon saw flight to be impossible and resolved to sell his life as
dearly as possible.
He raised his oars to the sound of trumpet and tymbal, according to
Barbary customs and accepted the battle. The numbers and weight of
vessels were equal, and both parties had equal enthusiasm, courage and
obstinacy. But a cannon ball from a Genoese galley opened the side of
the corsair’s flag-ship, and a tempest of fire battered the rest into
shapeless wrecks. Some of the pirates flung themselves desperately
into the waves, and others turned the prows of their shattered vessels
and attempted a new retreat. Among the latter was the terrible pirate
Mami Rais de’ Monasteri, in Africa who had once before been a prisoner
of Antonio Doria and had been liberated on payment of a ransom.
Giorgio pursued him now without success; but with this exception the
whole fleet was captured including the two vessels left by Torghud to
guard his booty. These last were captured by Count Anguillara who was
fighting under Doria’s flag.
The losses of Doria were small, but that of the enemy was terrible,
since every one of them who swam to shore was mercilessly put to the
sword by the Sicilians. Torghud was made prisoner and the chronicles
say that “after having been well flogged he was put in chains.” He
offered without avail fifteen thousand ducats for his ransom.
On the 22nd of June 1539, at vespers, Gianettino entered the port of
Genoa with the galleys captured from the corsair. The citizens flocked
in crowds to welcome the victors and two thousand christians who had
been delivered from captivity, and to see the humbled lord of the main.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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