Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

MELORIA

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V18, Page 99 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
» Make a correction to this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

MELORIA , a rocky islet, surrounded by a shoal, almost opposite See also:

Leghorn. It was the See also:scene of two See also:naval battles of the r Transverse See also:section of the See also:fruit of the See also:melon (Cucumis melo), showing the placentas (pi), with the seeds attached to them. The three carpels forming the pepo are separated by partitions (ci). From the centre, processes (s) go to circumference(t), ending in curved placentaries bearing the ovules. See also:middle ages. The first, on the 3rd of May 1241, was fought between the See also:fleet of the See also:emperor See also:Frederick II. See also:Hohenstaufen, surnamed Stupor Mundi, in See also:alliance with See also:Pisa, against a Genoese See also:squadron bringing a number of See also:English, See also:French and See also:Spanish prelates to attend the See also:council summoned to meet at the Lateran by See also:Gregory IX. Three Genoese galleys were sunk and twenty-two taken. Several of the prelates perished, and many were carried prisoners to the See also:camp of the emperor. The second, fought on See also:Sunday the 6th of See also:August 1284, was of higher See also:historical importance. It was a typical See also:medieval See also:sea-fight, and accomplished the ruin of Pisa as a naval See also:power. The See also:long rivalry of that See also:city and of See also:Genoa had broken out for the last See also:time in 1282, the immediate cause being the incompatible claims of the two cities to See also:sovereignty over the islands of See also:Sardinia and See also:Corsica.

The earlier conflicts of the See also:

war in 1282, 1283 and the See also:spring of 1284, had been unfavourable to Pisa. Though the city was See also:united with the Catalans and with See also:Venice in hostility to Genoa, and though it had chosen a Venetian, Alberto See also:Morosini, as its See also:Podesta, it received no help from either. The Genoese, who had the larger and more efficient fleet, sent their whole power against their enemy. When the Genoese appeared off Meloria the Pisans were lying in the See also:river See also:Arno at the mouth of which See also:lay See also:Porto See also:Pisano the See also:port of the city. The See also:Pisan fleet represented the whole power of the city, and carried members of every See also:family of See also:mark and most of the See also:great See also:officers of See also:state. The Genoese, desiring to draw their enemy out to See also:battle, and to make the See also:action decisive, arranged their fleet in two lines abreast. The first was composed according to See also:Agostino See also:Giustiniani of fifty-eight galleys, and eight panfili, a class of See also:light galleys of eastern origin named after the See also:province of See also:Pamphylia. Uberto See also:Doria, the Genoese See also:admiral, was stationed in the centre and in advance of his See also:line. To the right were the galleys of the See also:Spinola family, and of four of the eight " companies " into which Genoa was divided—See also:Castello, Piazzalunga, Macagnana and Son Lorenzo. To the See also:left were the galleys of the Dorias, and of the other four companies, Porta, Soziglia, Porta Nuova and Il Borgo. The second line of twenty galleys, under the command of Benedetto Giacaria (or Zaccharie), was placed so far behind the first that the Pisans could not see whether it was made up of war-vessels or of small See also:craft meant to See also:act as tenders to the others. Yet it was near enough to strike in and decide the battle when the action had begun.

The Pisans, commanded by the Podesta Morosini and his lieutenants Ugolino della Gherardescha and Andreotto Saraceno, came out in a single See also:

body. It is said that while the See also:archbishop was blessing the fleet the See also:silver See also:cross of his archiepiscopal See also:staff See also:fell off, but that the See also:omen was disregarded by the irreverence of the Pisans, who declared that if they had the See also:wind they could do without divine help. They advanced in line abreast to meet the first line of the Genoese, fighting according to the medieval See also:custom to See also:ram and See also:board. The victory was decided for Genoa by the squadron of Giacaria which fell on the flank of the Pisans. Their fleet was nearly annihilated, the Podesta was taken, and Ugolino fled with a few vessels. As Pisa was also attacked by See also:Florence and See also:Lucca it could never recover the disaster. Two years later Genoa took Porto Pisano, and filled up the See also:harbour. The See also:count Ugolino was afterwards starved to See also:death with several of his sons and grandsons in the manner made See also:familiar by the 32nd See also:canto of See also:Dante's Inferno. See Annali della republica di Genova, by Agostino Giustiniani (ed. Canepa, Genoa, 1854). (D.

End of Article: MELORIA

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
MELON (Late Lat. melo, shortened form of Gr. p XoaE... 		[next]
MELOZZO DA FORLI (c.1438–1494)

Site © 2006 - Net Industries