Page 120 - Lanzarotto Malocello from Italy to the Canary Islands

120 from Italy to the Canary Islands

the People, who was a real representative of the people and who sat in
amongst them. The podestà was kept, but only for the forensic part. The
Guelphs were exiled for three years.” (Enrico Donaver, Storia di Genova
[History of Genoa], Mondani Ed., Genoa, 1967). The Diarchy governed
Genoa for fifteen years and this period saw the battle of Meloria, in which
the Dominant city defeated the rival Pisa, and continual skirmishes with
Charles of Anjou and the followers of the latter. All this came to an end in
1276 with the stipulation of a deed allowing the exiled Guelphs to return
to the city. “With the passing of the years, the Diarchy became stronger
and stronger and it was mainly Oberto Doria, brother of the annalist Ja-
copo, who acted with wisdom and political balance. After the settlement
of 1276, Charles of Anjou, hoping to conquer the Greek Empire, joined
up with Venice, which wanted to win back supremacy in the East. Genoa
was also invited to join forces against Palaiologos; but the Diarchies ob-
viously refused, subsequently informing their friend the emperor of the
expedition planned. Michael VIII therefore asked Peter of Aragon, the son
of James the Conqueror, to step in in Sicily. His marriage to the daughter
of Manfredi entitled Peter of Aragon to rights to the throne, formerly of the
Swabians. The diplomatic mission was carried out by Benedetto Zaccaria,
devoted feudatory of Palaiologos. The Aragonian favoured the revolt of
the Vespers, at the end of March 1282, to then occupy Sicily five months
later. The “mala signoria” of Charles I of Anjou was over and Genoa could
dedicate all its efforts to the war against Pisa, which had already broken
out and which was to be more terrible than ever before”(Gino Benvenuti,
op.cit., page 80).
The battle of Meloria is considered one of the greatest naval battles of
th
the 13 century, if not only for the number of galleys used and for the great
number of Pisan prisoners. Peace was signed in 1288 and the clauses were
rather difficult for Pisa which would renounce to its property in Sardinia,
to Corsica and to its colony of Acre, in Palestine. Furthermore, the island
of Elba was transferred to the Genoese as payment of war reparations.
Therefore, the decline of Pisa’s heyday left only Genoa and Venice to
dominate the seas; the air was charged in the aftermath of the Meloria, and
all that was needed was a spark to set off the conflict. Besides controlling
the Mediterranean, they even considered the Black Sea as a possibility for
Florentine trade with the East. The error Venice committed on that occa-
sion was perhaps not to come to the aid of Pisa, thus thinking that they had
one less rival on the seas. There were at least five years of skirmishes be-