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CHIOGGIA
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CHIOGGIA , a See also:town and episcopal see of See also:Venetia, See also:Italy, in the See also:province of See also:Venice, from which it is 182 m. S. by See also:sea. Pop. (1901) 21,384 (town), 31,218 (See also:commune). It is inhabited mostly by fishermen, and is situated upon an See also:island at the S. end of the lagoons. It is traversed by one See also:main See also:canal, La Vena. The See also:peculiar See also:dialect and customs of the inhabitants still survive to some extent. It is of earlier origin than Venice, and indeed is probably identical with the See also:Roman See also:Portus Aedro, or See also:Ebro, though its name is derived from the Roman Fossa Claudia, a canalized See also:estuary which with the two mouths of the Meduacus (Brenta) went to See also:form the See also:harbour. In 672 it entered the See also:league of the cities of the lagoons, and recognized the authority of the See also:doge. In 809 it was almost destroyed by See also:Pippin, but in 11 to was made a See also:city, remaining subject to Venice, whose fortunes it thenceforth followed. It was captured after a deter-See also:mined resistance by the Genoese in 1379, but recovered in 1380. Chioggia is connected by See also:rail with See also:Rovigo, 35 M. to the See also:south-See also:west. (T. As.)
See also:Naval See also:War of Chioggia (r378-8o).-The naval war of 1378-138o, carried on by Venice against the Genoese and their See also:allies, the See also:lord of See also:Carrara and the See also: Four of the See also:squadron escaped, and steered for See also:Famagusta in See also:Cyprus, then held by Genoa. If Pisani had directed his course to Genoa itself, which was thrown into a panic by the defeat at Anzio, it is possible that he might have dictated See also:peace, but he thought his squadron too weak, and preferred to follow the Genoese galleys which had fled to Famagusta. During the summer of 1378 he was employed partly in attacking the enemy in Cyprus, but mainly in taking See also:possession of the Istrian and Dalmatian towns which supported the Hungarians from fear of the aggressive ambition of Venice. He was ordered to See also:winter on the See also:coast of See also:Istria, where his crews suffered from exposure and disease. Genoa, having recovered from the panic caused by the disaster at Anzio, decided to attack Venice at home while the best of her See also:ships were absent with Carlo Zeno. She sent a strong See also:fleet into the Adriatic under Luciano See also:Doria. Pisani had been reinforced See also:early in the spring of 1378, but when he was sighted by the Genoese fleet of 25 See also:sail off See also:Pola in Istria on the 7th of May, he was slightly outnumbered, and his crews were still weak. The Venetian See also:admiral would have preferred to avoid battle, and to check an attack on Venice itself, by threatening the Genoese fleet from his See also:base on the Istrian coast. He was forced into battle by the See also:commissioner (proveditore) See also:Michael See also:Steno, who as See also:agent of the senate had authority over the admiral. The Venetians were defeated with the loss of all their galleys except six. Luciano Doria See also:fell in the battle, and the Genoese, who had suffered severely, did not at once follow up their success. On the arrival of his successor, Pietro Doria, with reinforcements, they appeared off the Lido, the See also:outer barrier of the See also:lagoon of Venice, in See also:July, and in See also:August they entered on a combined naval and military attack on the city, in See also:combination with the Carrarese and the Hungarians. The Venetians had closed the passages through the outer See also:banks except at the See also:southern end, at the island of Brondolo, and the town of Chioggia. The barrier here approaches See also:close to the mainland, and the position facilitated the co-operation of the Genoese with the Carrarese and Hungarians, but Chioggia is distant from Venice, which could only be reached along the canals across the lagoon. The Venetians had taken up the buoys which marked the fairway, and had placed a See also:light squadron on the lagoon. The allies, after occupying the island of Brondolo, attacked, and on the 13th of August took the town of Chioggia with its See also:garrison of 3000 men. There appeared to be nothing to prevent the enemy from advancing to the city of Venice except the difficult See also:navigation of the lagoon. The senate applied for peace, but when the Genoese replied that they were resolved to " See also:bit and bridle the horses of See also:Saint See also:Mark " the Venetians decided to fight to the end. Vettor Pisani, who had been imprisoned after the defeat at Pola, but who possessed the confidence of the See also:people and the See also:affection of the sailors, was released and named See also:commander-in-See also:chief against the wish of the See also:aristocracy. Under his guidance the Venetians adopted a singularly bold and ingenious policy of offensive defence. The heavy Genoese vessels were much hampered by the shallow See also:water and intricate passages through the lagoon. By taking See also:advantage of their embarrassment and his own See also:local knowledge, Pisani carried out a See also:series of movements which entirely turned the tables on the invaders. Between the 23rd and 25th of August he executed a See also:succession of See also:night attacks, during which he sank vessels laden with stores not only in the canals leading through the lagoon to Venice, but in the fairways leading from Chioggia to the open sea See also:round both ends of the island of Brondolo. The Genoese were thus shut in at the very moment when they thought they were about to besiege Venice. Pisani stationed the galleys under his command in the open sea outside Brondolo, and during the See also:rest of the See also:year blockaded the enemy closely. The See also:distress of the Venetians themselves was See also:great, but the Doge See also:Andrea See also:Contarini and the nobles set an example by sharing the general hardships, and taking an See also:oath not to return to Venice till they .had recovered Chioggia. Carlo Zeno had long since been ordered to return, but the slowness and difficulty of communication and See also:movement under 14th See also:century conditions delayed his reappearance. The besiegers of Chioggia were at the end of their See also:powers of endurance, and Pisani had been compelled to give a promise that the See also:siege would be raised, when Zeno 's fleet reached the anchorage off Brondolo on the 1st of See also:January 1380. The attack on Chioggia was now pressed with vigour. The Genoese held out resolutely in the See also:hope of See also:relief from home. But the resources of Genoa had been taxed to See also:fit out the squadrons she had already sent to sea. It was not until the 12th of May 138o that her admiral,Matteo Maruffo, was able to reach the neighbourhood of Brondolo with a relieving force. By this See also:time the Venetians had recovered the island, and their fleet occupied a fortified anchorage from which they refused to be See also:drawn. Maruffo could do nothing, and on the 24th of See also:June 1380 the defenders of Chioggia surrendered. The crisis of the war was past. Venice, being now safe at home, recovered the command of the sea, and before the close of the year was able to make peace as a conqueror. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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