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Military history of the Mediterranean

  • French conquest of CorsicaThe island of Corsica had been ruled by the Republic of Genoa since 1284. In the 18th century, Corsicans started to develop their own nationalism and seek…
  • Unification of ItalyIn the year 1454, a treaty known as the Italic League appeared to offer a glimmer of unity among Italian states. Yet this fragile peace dissolved quickly…
  • Gothic War (535–554)In 535, Emperor Justinian I entered a war that would consume two decades of the Italian peninsula. His goal was to recover provinces lost during the…
  • History of Islam in southern ItalyThe year 827 marked the beginning of a seventy-five-year struggle for control over Sicily. A Byzantine commander named Euphemius fled to Africa after being…
  • French invasion of Egypt and SyriaNapoleon Bonaparte departed from Toulon in May 1798 with a fleet of around 36,000 troops. His goal was to undermine British trade routes and expand French…
  • Hundred Years' WarIn 1328, Charles IV of France died without any sons or brothers. This death triggered a succession crisis that would eventually ignite the Hundred Years' War.
  • Vandalic WarIn May 429, King Geiseric led his entire people across the straits of Gibraltar into Roman North Africa. The group numbered approximately 80,000 individuals…
  • Afrika KorpsThe German Africa Corps formed on the 11th of January 1941. Adolf Hitler designated Erwin Rommel as commander on the 11th of February.
  • Regia MarinaOn the 17th of March 1861, the Regia Marina emerged from the unification of various Italian state navies. The new navy inherited a chaotic mix of equipment…
  • Maritime republicsIn 839, the city of Amalfi threw off Lombard rule to become a free republic. This moment marked the beginning of a new political order along the Italian…
  • Yugoslav WarsIn 1980, Josip Broz Tito died and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia began to fracture. Relations between the six republics deteriorated rapidly…
  • Italian invasion of AlbaniaItalian naval strategists coveted the port of Vlorë and the island of Sazan because of their location at the entrance to the Bay of Vlorë.
  • Fall of the Republic of VeniceIn April 1796, General Napoleon Bonaparte crossed the Alps with 45,000 men to confront Austrian and Piedmontese forces. He chose to march through Venetian…