TheBattle of Modon was fought on 7 October 1403 between the fleets of theRepublic of Venice and of theRepublic of Genoa, then underFrench control, commanded by the French marshalJean Le Maingre, better known asBoucicaut. One of the last clashes in theVenetian–Genoese wars, the battle ended in a decisive Venetian victory.

Tensions between theRepublic of Venice and its old rival, theRepublic of Genoa, rose again in 1402, as reports came in of Genoese pirates attacking Venetian merchant shipping. The Venetians authorised thecaptain-general of the Sea,Carlo Zeno, to mobilise the fleet and take measures to combat Genoese piracy.^[1]

In April 1403, aGenoese fleet of ninegalleys, sevenround ships, agalleass, and a horse transport, had sailed from Genoa under the command of the FrenchMarshal Boucicaut, and made forCyprus, to strengthen Genoese influence there. On its way, the fleet passed by the Venetian outpost ofModon in southwesternGreece, but no hostilities took place, and Boucicaut led his fleet on to Cyprus. After carrying out his mission there, the French commander, a "fervent crusader", launched attacks on Muslim cities on theLevantine coast. Among others,Beirut was sacked, an event which angered the Venetians further since most of the booty the Genoese took there actually belonged to Venetian merchants. In September, Boucicaut, at the head of eleven galleys and two transportcogs, set sail for the return journey.^[1]

The Genoese fleet arrived at Modon on 4 October, only to find a Venetian fleet of eleven galleys and two round ships waiting for them. Anticipating a battle, Zeno moved his ships out into the bay, while the Genoese anchored at the offshore island of Sapienza.^[1] In the early morning of 7 October the Genoese started to sail north, but were pursued by the Venetians. The ensuing battle was hard-fought, particularly between the flagships of the two opposing fleets, which closed on one another and engaged in hand-to-hand combat. The battle was decided by the Venetian round shipPisana, which captured three Genoese galleys, leading Boucicaut to break off and retreat.^[1] The Genoese had 600 casualties, and a further 300 asprisoners of war aboard the three captured vessels, while the Venetians had suffered only 153 wounded.^[1]

Boucicaut scored a small revanche on the Venetians on his way back to Genoa, capturing a large Venetian merchant galley and acog.^[2] After long negotiations, on 22 March 1404 an initial agreement was reached between Venice and Genoa, stipulating on the one hand Genoese reimbursement for Venetian losses in Cyprus and Beirut, and on the other the return of the ships and prisoners captired at Modon.^[2] Due to the intransigence of Boucicaut, this agreement was never ratified, but neither were hostilities resumed, as the Genoese were opposed to a conflict with Venice. Finally, the issue was settled with the Treaty of Genoa on 28 June 1406, only a few months before Boucicaut's ouster from Genoa. Both parties agreed to recompense each other, initially appointing five arbitrators to establish the sums owed. These were soon replaced by a new mediatorAmadeus VIII of Savoy.^[2]

The internal instability of Genoa meant that the Battle of Modon was the last major challenge offered by the Genoese to Venetian maritime hegemony and its dominance of the eastern trade routes. The latter would be soon shaken, however, by theinexorable rise of theOttoman Empire.^[1]

• Balard, Michel (2017). "La lotta contro Genova".Gênes et la mer - Genova e il mare (in Italian). Vol. II. Genoa: Società Ligure di Storia Patria. pp. 575–645.ISBN 978-88-97099-42-0.
• Rogers, Clifford J., ed. (2010). "Modon, Battle of".The Oxford Encyclopedia of Medieval Warfare and Military Technology. Oxford University Press. pp. 13–14.ISBN 978-0-195334036.
• Setton, Kenneth M. (1976).The Papacy and the Levant (1204–1571), Volume I: The Thirteenth and Fourteenth Centuries. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The American Philosophical Society. pp. 378ff.ISBN 0-87169-114-0.

• 1403 in Europe
• 15th century in the Republic of Genoa
• 15th century in the Republic of Venice
• Naval battles of the Venetian–Genoese wars
• Military history of the Peloponnese
• Conflicts in 1403
• Medieval Messenia

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