1256 – 1270 · Acre
War of Saint Sabas
In 1256 a dispute over property belonging to the monastery of Saint Sabas in Acre turned into a war between Venice and Genoa that split the Latin East in two. The barons and military orders also took sides; the Genoese were expelled from Acre in 1258, and the conflict continued intermittently until 1270.
RESEARCH DOSSIER
Historical analysis of the event
Background
Venice, Genoa and Pisa each had walled quarters in Acre. These cities were fierce rivals in the trade of the eastern Mediterranean. A dispute in 1256 over who owned a property of the monastery of Saint Sabas, on the boundary between the Genoese and Venetian quarters, turned this rivalry into armed conflict.
Course of events
When the Genoese seized the disputed property, the Venetians counterattacked. The barons and military orders of Acre split in two: Venice was supported by Pisa, the Templars, the Teutonic Knights and most of the Ibelins, while Genoa was supported by the Hospitallers and Philip of Montfort, lord of Tyre.
In June 1258, in a great naval battle off Acre, the Venetian fleet defeated Genoa. The Genoese were expelled from Acre and their quarter destroyed; they moved their centre to Tyre. In 1261 Genoa signed the Treaty of Nymphaion with the Byzantine emperor Michael VIII, displacing Venice in the Black Sea trade.
Outcome and significance
The war broke the unity of the Latin East at a time when the Mamluk sultan Baybars was increasing his pressure on the Latin coastal cities. Street fighting and catapult bombardment in Acre caused great destruction in the city. Even in the face of the Mongol threat, the Latin powers could not pursue a common policy.
A lasting peace between the parties was reached only in 1270, but the rivalry of the Italian cities continued until the fall of Acre in 1291.
Sources and debates
The Gestes des Chiprois, the Rothelin continuation and the Genoese annals describe the war from the points of view of different parties. Venetian and Genoese sources defend their own city's cause. The war's start and end dates differ between sources.
Dates, places and figures in this record compare the principal narrative sources with modern scholarship. Where the sources disagree this is stated in the text; for a thesis or publication, consult the relevant edition and page reference.