1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 175: Battle of Malta

Malta, an island located between Sicily and the North African continent, is small in area, with steep and towering mountains in the west and a relatively flat east side with many excellent harbors.

This mountainous island is relatively barren, with very scarce arable land, no rivers or large lakes, and the residents' daily water depends entirely on God's gift.

Similar to some residents in North Africa, the people on the island of Malta also build reservoirs to store water, storing the heavier rainfall in winter to help them survive the dry summer.

However, the strategic location of Malta Island is very important. It is located right between the Apennine Peninsula and the North African continent, and controls the Tunis Strait, which is the lifeline of Mediterranean trade.

Currently, the island of Malta and the surrounding islands belong to the King of Aragon and Navarre, Juan II of the House of Trastamara, younger brother of the late King Afonso.

Juan II was determined to monopolize power. Not only did he complain about his brother Afonso V's decision to give the throne of Naples to his illegitimate son Ferdinand, but he also refused to officially confer the throne of Navarre on his eldest son Carlos. He imprisoned him not long ago and was willing to cause unrest in order to keep his crowns firmly on his head.

Juan II was a pro-French man who married his daughter to a French nobleman in an attempt to curb domestic opposition by introducing foreign forces.

Not long ago, under pressure from the boiling public opinion, Juan II appointed his eldest son Carlos as crown prince and appointed him governor of Catalonia in order to ease the dissatisfaction of the Catalan people.

However, poor Carlos died in office under unclear circumstances not long after taking office.

As expected, the civil war broke out. The Catalans and Navarres were very dissatisfied with Juan II's pro-French policies. The Catalan nobles even blamed the death of the crown prince on Juan II's murder and immediately rose up against the king.

The Navarre nobles were not to be outdone and handed the crown to Princess Blanca, the ex-wife of King Enrique IV of Castile, and demanded that Juan II release the imprisoned Queen Blanca.

As a result, Juan II, who was keen on imprisoning his own children, eventually ended up being deserted by his friends and relatives, overwhelmed by the rebellion at home, and getting closer and closer to the Kingdom of France.

In the vigorous War of the Neapolitan Succession, John II, who was supposed to help his nephew, turned a blind eye to King Ferdinand's plight, stood on the side of the French, strongly condemned the Eastern Roman Empire's unauthorized military action, and denounced the brutal acts of the Greek pirates.

In a sea area south of Malta, Isaac stood on the deck of the Marcus Aurelius Clark battleship, looking at the distant islands.

"Juan II still hasn't responded to our request?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. Unfortunately, our envoys were scolded and driven back by him. He called us heretics and devils and demanded that we stop looting and invading the Kingdom of France."

Beside Isaac, Sfrangis gave a brief report with a very unhappy look on his face.

Because the Strait of Tunisia is very close to the North African continent, Isaac's fleet cruising around the strait can get supplies from ports throughout North Africa at any time, and transportation to and from the city of Carthage is also very convenient.

"Has he lost his mind? How can there be such a huge gap between him and old King Afonso, even though they are from the same family?"

Isaac frowned.

"According to the spy's report, King Juan II had a very friendly relationship with the French. He even met with the Venetian envoy under the matchmaking of the French envoy. The specific details are unknown."

"It is widely rumored among Catalan nobles that Juan II is even prepared to cede territory in exchange for the support of the French in order to suppress the rebellion and secure his throne."

"This is a letter that Queen Leonor asked me to pass on to you."

Sfrangis pulled out an exquisite letter that smelled of lavender.

When Isaac opened it, he laughed out of anger.

"What did you say?"

"I asked Leonor to write a letter to Juan II, trying to persuade him to stop favoring the French by virtue of our relationship as uncle and nephew."

Isaac folded the letter and put it in his pocket.

"Guess what? This old man actually advised Leonor to divorce me and let her take Justinian to the court of Aragon, and said he would help her find a French prince as a spouse."

Isaac regretted secretly. Come to think of it, this old man imprisoned even his eldest son and daughter, so how could he care about his married niece?

This is the disadvantage of aristocratic rule. Once the monarch changes, ten years of diplomacy will be in vain.

"He's a jerk! Now that he's set his sights on the Queen and the Prince, we'll be the first to disagree!"

"Is this old man too old to live? When this battle is over, we will rush into Aragon and capture him to dance for Your Majesty!"

"Okay, okay! Count me in, too!"

The sailors nearby heard the conversation between Isaac and Sfrangis and started to curse at them. The torrent of foul language made Sfrangis, who grew up in the aristocratic circle of Constantinople, frown.

"Juan, the son of a bitch, I wish his whole family would die—"

"Oh okay, stop stop stop!"

Seeing that their words were getting more and more outrageous, Isaac spoke up to stop them.

"Sfrangis, who is ruling Malta now?"

"This place originally belonged directly to the King of Aragon, but was granted to a court viscount by Juan II as his fief."

Sfrangis said.

"The Viscount of the Palace also despised this poor and remote place and has been living in Aragon ever since. He only came here once when he took office and sent tax collectors to collect taxes every year, that's all."

"The population of the Maltese Islands is sparse, and the residents mainly believe in Roman Catholicism, some believe in Orthodox Christianity, and a small number of merchants believe in Sunni Islam."

"The Orthodox community is mostly made up of the remnants of the Eastern Empire that left Italy. There is a well-established parish in the mountains west of Valletta, but there are only about 200 believers."

Isaac twirled his beard and thought for a moment.

"Since the Kingdom of Aragon is on good terms with the Kingdom of France, it is very likely that they have reached some kind of agreement with the Venetians."

"The Venetians needed a forward base in the central Mediterranean. Palermo, the main port of Sicily, was far in the northwest corner and could not bypass the Strait of Messina. Their target was most likely the island of Malta."

"If the island is occupied by the Venetians, their fleet will be able to attack our ports at any time. Carthage, which is located deep in the Gulf of Tunisia, is fine, but Tripoli, Sousse and Sfax will not be able to escape."

"Exactly."

Isaac paced slowly.

"Since Juan II is unkind, don't blame me for being unjust!"

Isaac made up his mind.

"First, you go to Rome in person and find the new head of the Franciscan Order, Francis Rovere, and his nephew Giuliano. They have received a lot of favors from me, and their election as head of the order was also thanks to my financial support."

"Let them compile some dirty laundry and say that Juan II used the blood of his eldest son and daughter to plot a cult ritual, and that the reason Princess Blanca couldn't have children was because Juan II was stirring up trouble behind the scenes."

"Let Francis take these things to the new Pope Pius II. He is a good man and will definitely not excommunicate a king based on these groundless rumors. But as long as he orders a strict investigation, my printing houses and chambers of commerce will naturally take action."

"Half-truths are the most touching news, especially those idle noble ladies in Europe."

Sfranchis nodded repeatedly and took out a pen and paper to write it down.

Isaac thought about it and continued.

"Oh, and don't forget to accuse Juan II's second son, Ferdinando, of a crime. Say that he should have died young, but survived with the blood of his brother and sister. He is doomed to be unable to have children, and if he does, he will be cursed by the devil."

"Second, from now on, Aragon's merchant ships and transport ships will also be put on the wanted list. After the pirates have robbed France, they can go to Aragon to rob again."

"Third, all officers and men, please pay attention. All fleets are heading north, heading for Malta!"

……

On June 1460, 6, Isaac led his fleet north to the island of Malta, lined up his warships outside the port of Valletta, the capital, and claimed that one of his sailors was lost for no reason and requested to enter the port for inspection.

The Aragonese garrison in the port of Valletta naturally disagreed, denounced Isaac's invasion, and declared that they would fight to the death.

After receiving the news, Isaac ordered the warships to open fire. In a moment, hundreds of lead bullets and stone bullets hit the largest port in the Maltese Islands. After half a day of resistance, the port of Valletta fell. Isaac's landing troops entered the city one after another, and the double-headed eagle flag rose over the island of Malta.

Looking at the steep terrain and precipitous mountains around the Port of Valletta, Isaac was filled with emotion.

If the Aragonese had paid a little more attention to the defense of the island and built a large number of fortresses here like the Knights Hospitaller did in history, Isaac would have no way of taking it quickly with his strength alone.

Isaac ignored the remnants of the Aragonese army who hid in the mountains. After leaving part of the army to guard the port of Valletta, he set sail again and disappeared into the fog of the Mediterranean with his huge fleet.

At the same time, in the Bay of Taranto, another huge fleet was sailing against the wind and waves.

The Golden Lion of St. Mark flying above the fleet revealed their identity.

The Venetian Armada!
On the sturdy deck of the flagship Venetia, Claudio Maripiero, commander of the Venetian fleet, held a sea chart and observed the direction meticulously. On the deck, the Venetian sailors were busy making a series of preparations before the naval battle. Garibuele from the Foscari family stood beside Claudio and introduced him to the basic situation of the two warring parties.

Ever since the former Doge of the Republic of Venice, Francesco Foscari, resigned and died soon after, the status of the Foscari family has plummeted. Several major families of the Republic regarded them as the culprits for the loss of Euboea and the twin ports of Modoncoloni and suppressed them severely.

Gabriel, the successor to the family head, also resigned from all his positions and stayed at home.

This time, Venice summoned all its own naval forces and those of its affiliated city-states and marched aggressively towards the western Mediterranean. The commander of the fleet was Claudio from the Malipiero family, a competent admiral.

In view of Garibie's experience in fighting Isaac, Claudio reinstated him and allowed him to make amends for his crime.

"Admiral, as far as I know, the Greek fleet is mainly composed of three parts. The strongest one is their Mediterranean Fleet, which has a total of four large carracks, namely St. Nicholas, Constantine the Great, Marcus Aurelius and Duke Morea."

"Among the four warships, the Duke of Morea and the San Nicolas are both old ships from the Genoa shipyard. The Duke of Morea, in particular, is nearly twenty years old. It has participated in the West African expedition and has suffered numerous hidden injuries. It is said that it will be retired after this naval battle."

"Aren't you afraid that pulling such an old ship out to sea will become a breakthrough for us?"

Claudio shook his head contemptuously.

In his opinion, the situation at sea was changing rapidly, and it was unwise to pull such old and obsolete but important ships to the front line. When they were sunk by concentrated fire, the morale of the entire fleet would easily collapse.

"The Constantine the Great was originally named Enrico Dandolo. It was the flagship of the Republic's fleet stationed in Euboea. After being captured by the Greek emperor, it was renamed Constantine the Great."

"The Marco Aurelius is the first large warship launched by the Carthaginian shipyard. All the wood was imported from the Netherlands. It is basically a copy of the Constantine the Great built by the Arsenal, but it is larger, has more cannons installed, and has a specially improved ram. It is our main threat."

Seeing that Claudio's expression remained unchanged, Garibuele continued.

"In addition to these four large warships, the Genoese and Neapolitans each had a smaller carrack, both under the command of the Greek emperor, the Grand Duke of Genoa and the King Afonso, which were equipped with fewer guns and had less combat capabilities."

"Furthermore, I believe you are also aware that Emperor Isaac also has a very mysterious fire warship mothership. It destroyed the fleet of the Hafsid Dynasty in the Battle of Kerkennah and disappeared without a trace since then. It was only recently launched from the warehouse and put into use again."

Claudio remembered something and sent someone to call a middle-aged man over.

"Sir Tevido, you came from the Hafsid Dynasty, so you must have seen the Greek fire warship mothership. Can you explain it to us in detail?"

The visitor was none other than Tevido, the trusted minister of Yahya, the last caliph of the Hafsid dynasty. After Yahya's death, he settled his children in Bursa of the Ottoman Empire. He himself, out of loyalty to his homeland, served the Republic of Venice and was always looking forward to defeating the Eastern Roman emperor who occupied Africa and returning to Tunis with Yahya's young son.

In his view, the current Eastern Roman Empire was a mixture of ethnicities and religious chaos, and was almost entirely held together by the prestige of Emperor Isaac. As long as he died or his prestige was lost, the entire territory would be in chaos and fall apart.

This is his chance.

"Respected Admiral, I did not participate in the Battle of Kerkennah, but after the battle, my lord sent people to interview the surviving sailors and pieced together the general course of events from their mouths."

"The Fire Warship is an extremely evil combat tool. The God-cursed Emperor Isaac specifically selected slaves with their families, lured them with the promise of abolishing slavery and offering them land and wealth, and forced them to carry out suicide attacks."

"Oh?"

Claudio was somewhat interested.

"Even if they threaten their families, it is impossible for these people to remain steadfast in the face of the fear of death, right?"

"Emperor Isaac would tie them to the fire ships with iron chains. The nozzles of the Greek fire were also one-way valves. When they began to feel fear, they could no longer stop."

"If the Greek fire device is forcibly shut down, the fire warship will explode directly, and the kerosene will ignite all the flammable materials around it. This is also the main reason why our main fleet was directly wiped out."

"It seems that this is indeed a very evil weapon."

Claudio crossed himself with an expression of pity.

"I wonder if there is any way to deal with the fire warship?"

"Although the fire warship is invincible, its scope of application is not large. It can be said that this is a special weapon designed to deal with the Hafsid Dynasty fleet."

Gary Bueley added.

"Yes. When facing a fleet with powerful long-range firepower and a large number of escorting galleys, the fire warships cannot get close to the main battleships at all, and I am afraid they will not be able to play much of a role."

"Besides, this weapon is most powerful when it first appears. If the opponent is prepared, the effect will be greatly reduced."

Claudio thought for a moment.

"No matter what, you still have to be careful."

"Inform all officers and soldiers of the details of the fire warship so that they can have a psychological expectation in advance."

"The overall strength of our invincible fleet is far superior to that of the Greek fleet. The Greek emperor's cleverness is nothing compared to the absolute suppression of strength."

"Of course, your Excellency."

There was a gleam of resentment in Gabriel's eyes.

The experience of being captured on the island of Euboea was a lifelong pain for Gabriele. He thought he would die a heroic death and even thought of his last words before his death. However, he was not received by Isaac at all. He was directly thrown onto the Venetian ship that came to pick him up along with the captives, and the ransom was very low.

As a nobleman, he must wash away his past shame with a great victory.

He had waited for this day for a long time, and Venice had also waited for it for a long time.

For this naval battle, the Venetian Council finally united and reached an agreement with the French and Ottomans, and promised trade privileges to the Aragonese in exchange for the right to station troops in Palermo and Valletta.

"Sail at full speed! We will first take a short break on the island of Malta and observe the movements of the Greek fleet before deciding whether to cross the Strait of Tunisia!"

On the deck, Admiral Claudio shouted loudly.

"Your Excellency Admiral, something bad has happened!"

A messenger ship came speeding over, and the sailors on it waved their arms.

"The Greek emperor took the lead and occupied the port of Valletta. I'm afraid we can't just barge in like this!"

Claudio frowned.

"Admiral, it seems that they also know that they cannot fight us head-on, so they choose to block the Tunis Strait, take advantage of the terrain, and wait for our attack."

Gabriel gnashed his teeth in anger.

"That's fine. We can temporarily dock at the port of Catania in eastern Sicily and launch harassment against North Africa to force them to fight!"

"The Greek emperor has caused a big mess this time. Juan II will definitely fight him to the death. We have gained a reliable ally."

"But if they stay in hiding, it will always be a problem."

Claudio opened the map and quickly searched for remedies.

"My Lord Admiral!"

"What's the matter again?"

Claudio couldn't help but yell.

"The Greek fleet has appeared on the sea in the southwest and is heading towards us at full speed!"

"Good! Good! Good!"

Claudio threw the map away and laughed heartily.

"If they had kept dragging it out, we really wouldn't have had any good solutions. We didn't expect to bump into them!"

"All soldiers, listen up. The opportunity to avenge the Republic has come. Send your entire army forward and annihilate their main fleet!"

Claudio walked up to the platform, with the golden lion flag of St. Mark fluttering above his head, looking very high-spirited.

"This time, we must teach the Greek emperor a lesson so that he can recognize his own position and see who is the real overlord of the ocean!"

……

On June 1460, 6, the combined fleet of the Eastern Roman Empire collided head-on with the Venetian Armada in the waters northeast of Malta. The two sides, who had long held deep hatred for each other, skipped the unnecessary pre-war negotiations and just fought each other.

The Battle of Malta broke out.

(End of this chapter)