Siege of Messina (1282)
| Siege of Messina | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the War of the Sicilian Vespers | |||||
| |||||
| Belligerents | |||||
|
Crown of Aragon Kingdom of Sicily Commune of Messina |
Kingdom of Naples Supported by: Papal States | ||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||
|
Commune of Messina Alaimo da Lentini Baldwin Mussone Bartolomeo Maniscalco Crown of Aragon: Peter III of Aragon Niccola di Palizzi Andrea da Procida |
Angevin Naples: Charles of Anjou Henri di Girard Hugh of Brienne Papal States: Gerardo da Parma | ||||
| Strength | |||||
|
8,000 men (Messinese garrison) 2,500 men (Aragonese reinforcements) 30 galleys |
23,000 infantry 8,000 cavalry 82 ships Numerous small watercraft | ||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||
| Heavy; Over 1,000 militia men lost at Milazzo, several hundred killed during Angevin assaults, hundreds lost to disease. | Heavy; 3,000 men claimed killed in battle, hundreds to disease, 100 watercraft and ships claimed burned. | ||||
The siege of Messina (June–September 1282) was a 13th-century military engagement. Fought during the opening months of the War of the Sicilian Vespers, the engagement began when an Angevin army led by Charles of Anjou laid siege to the city of Messina, which had rebelled against Angevin rule. Hoping to secure Messina as a bridgehead to reconquer the rest of Sicily, Charles of Anjou conducted a successful naval crossing of the Strait of Messina, but several assaults on the city failed.
After five weeks of siege, the Messinese defenders were reinforced by an Aragonese relief force. Facing mounting casualties and supply issues, the Angevin army lifted the siege and made a costly withdraw back across the strait to Calabria. The victorious Aragonese–Sicilian forces followed up the siege with a series of military actions to harass the retreating Angevins, and the failure to take Messina was an early defeat for the Angevin Kingdom in the Vesperan war.