Papers by Riccardo Caimmi
Lo Scoglio II , 2022
Description of the city and fortifications of Portoferraio (Elba Island), taken from an XVIII cen... more Description of the city and fortifications of Portoferraio (Elba Island), taken from an XVIII century Venetian manuscript. Article illustrated with unpublished images.
Eurostudium 3W , 2021
The main European Navies of the Eighteenth-Century saved the highest roles of the hierarchical sc... more The main European Navies of the Eighteenth-Century saved the highest roles of the hierarchical scale to the aristocracy: in that century even the Venetian Republic, according to the habits of the past, entrusted the patricians, appointed by the Great Councils, the leadership positions and, consequently, the efficiency and discipline of the fleet. The powers attributed to the main Venetian naval commanders also included the functions proper to a magistrate, such as the investigator and the judge. Moreover, the severe discipline, aimed at crews made up of free and condemned sailors, soldiers, low officers, captains and commanders, did not reach the rigour of the one used on ships of other nations, such as United Kingdom of Great Britain. That said, this contribution aims to illustrate which dynamics the Venetian justice was inspired by, on the fleet: if the repressive action against the crews concerned above all blood crimes, escape attempts and desertion, the mistakes made by those in positions of responsibility were severely prosecuted. In times of war, treachery, insubordination, cowardice and disobedience were repressed with the utmost rigour.
As the Archive sources show, the loss of a naval unit or its damage was particularly serious: in this regard, the phases of some legal actions initiated following the loss of a Governmental Warship are presented here. However, in the light of the cases examined, the rigour expressed in the sentences of the Commanders of the fleet and the Senate towards the high-ranking and low-ranking officers guilty of non-compliance, seems to be subject to a progressive process of revision, marked by benevolence and paternalism: an aspect that characterizes a large part of the judgments issued by the Venetian magistrates of the Eighteenth-Century.
Spedizioni navali della Repubblica di Venezia alla fine del Settecento, Itinera Progetti, Bassano del Grappa 2018, pp. 222
The book deals with the military and diplomatic naval expeditions carried out by the Republic o... more The book deals with the military and diplomatic naval expeditions carried out by the Republic of Venice’s fleet in the last decades of the 18th century to protect the Serenissima’s maritime trade routes that, at that time, were threatened by the corsairs of the Islamic Barbarian Regencies of North Africa. Being aware of the fact that, by then, te little North African powers were only formally subject to the Ottoman Empire, Venice signed treaties with the Regencies of Algiers (1763), Tunis, Tripoli (1764) and the Reign of Morocco (1765), and accepted to pay tributes to the Regencies to safeguard its merchant traffic. This choice, already made by other European countries, was not the decisive solution: as a matter of fact those little reigns broke the signed agreements periodically to exploit the state of danger they created and renegotiate more profitable conditions. Therefore the Venetian Senate ordered to put diplomatic and military pressures on the regencies many times. The threat of naval bombardment, or its execution, sealed or replaced the outcomes of diplomatic talks in order to safeguard the vital interests of the Serenissima, in case of need. Such a naval policy aimed at steadfastly defending Venice’s remaining areas of sovereignty in the Mediterranean Sea and, most of all, the significant trade flows that kept on feeding the Serenissima in the second half of the 18th century. Based on Venetian, Florentine and Tunisian archival sources, this military history book focuses also on political and diplomatic matters. Moreover, the volume contains an in-depth study of the Venetian sailing fleet at the end of the 18th century, the shipboard discipline, and the Venetian Navy’s rules on the procedure for the repression of crimes and the imposition of punishements. Walter Panciera, professor of Modern history at Padua University, wrote the accurate foreword. The iconography consists of original drawings of the Venetian vessels of the second half of the 18th century, and colour pictures of Venetian officers, sailors, and soldiers made by Bruno Mugnai. Some parts of the Venetian-Tunisian treaty of 1792 are also reproduced.
L' Umbria e la Grande guerra. Studi e ricerche in occasione del centenario. Aspetti militari, in "Passaggi", I (2017), pp. 155-161.
This study presents the military aspects of a central Italian territory far from the front. The a... more This study presents the military aspects of a central Italian territory far from the front. The analysis concerns: "The province of Umbria on the eve of the conflict", "The Regio Esercito on the territory", "The Umbrians in the military units of the Regio Esercito", "The Perugia Brigade and the 122nd field hospital", "The immediate post-war period".
This contribution highlights the role played by volunteers during the period of Italy's indipend... more This contribution highlights the role played by volunteers during the period of Italy's indipendence wars. Documents from Civil and Military Archives, Conference proceedings, biblioghraphy, as well as writings by politicians and writers of the nineteenth century, were used. A particular focus is dedicated to the events that took place in the Umbria region.
Published in Quaderni di Spoletum - 11 Spoleto e l'Unità: uomini idee, immagini, by Mario Tosti and Giovanna Sapori, preface by Rita Chiacchella, Edizioni dell'Accademia Spoletina, Spoleto 2012, pp.156.
L'ESERCITO TOSCANO dagli anni della dinastia lorenese (1737) all'Italia Unita, "Rivista Militare" 1 (2014), pp. 72-79, 2014
The history of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany after the fall of the Medici dynasty: periods of peace,... more The history of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany after the fall of the Medici dynasty: periods of peace, progress and harmony alternate with wars, turbolence and insurrections.The events of the Tuscan army in the Lorraine age, in the Napoleonic era and during the military campaigns that lead to the unification of Italy.
La guerra del Friuli (1615-1617) altrimenti nota come guerra di Gradisca o degli Uscocchi, LEG, Gorizia 2007, pp.225, 2007
On the eve of the war of Gradisca numerous reasons of friction opposed the Venetians and the
Habs... more On the eve of the war of Gradisca numerous reasons of friction opposed the Venetians and the
Habsburgs of Austria, lords of Carinthia, Carniola and Styria: problems related to the irrational
Isontine and Istrian borders, to resentment for neutrality maintained by the Republic during the last
Ottoman-Imperial conflict (1593-1606) and, above all, the desire not to recognize the Venetian
naval domination of the Adriatic Sea.
In 1615, after repeated clashes in coastal and border areas, failed the last attempts to reach an
agreement, the army of the Republic of Venice and that of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria came to
arms. The triggering cause was the predatory actions of the Uskoks, Slavic refugees from the
Christian religion to whom the Archduke had allowed to settle on the coastal territories of the
Kvarner. To the Uskoks, useful to the Archduke in anti-Turk and anti-Venetian function, but
allocated by him in inhospitable and difficult to conquer places, bandits and adventurers had joined,
who, starting from Segna, carried out fierce acts of piracy, provoking serious economic damage to
Venice.
In the late summer of 1615 the general Pompeo Giustiniani, took the command of the Venetian
army, crossed the eastern terrestrial border and took possession of Cervignano, Cormons, Aquileia
and of the whole plain up to the Isonzo; the Archducal, with the help of the Uskoks (who had been
repulsed in Monfalcone), later broke into the Venetian Istria, prevailing in the clash of Zaule and
devastating the less fortified places. Soon the struggle focused on the focal point of the Austrian
offensive and defensive system: Gradisca, which, except for a short interval, was besieged from
February 1616 at the end of hostilities.
The Uskoks, unable to act on the sea, were organized in terrestrial units joined to the archducal
army, commanded by Adam of Trautsmanndorf. In April 1616, instead of contrasting the progress
of the Venetians on the Collio, the Archduke units passed the Isonzo near Gorizia and attacked
south towards Sdraussina and Sagrado, vital positions for the defense of the besieged fortress.
Giustiniani re-established the balance by obtaining the arrival of fresh troops from Dalmatia and
Friuli, whose employment forced Trautsmanndorf to split his forces. Gradisca resisted, but in both
camps, already in the middle of 1616, the payment of troops and supplies were anything but regular.
In the first days of August 1616 the Archduke, reinforced by substantial mercenary forces sent by
the bishop of Bamberg, penetrated the Val Canale, threatening Chiusa(forte): an attempt to seize
Pontebba failed and these forces, in order not to remain isolated, withdrew. In the same period the
Venetian forces conquered Caporetto (Chiavoreto) and Mount Podgora to the west of Gorizia and
the reliefs of the Collio to the southwest of Mount Sabotino. The Venetians, intentioned on investing
Gorizia, however, suffered the death of their commander Giustiniani, reached on October 10, 1616
by a shot of arquebus during the recognition of a ford: the death of Giustiniani led to the suspension
of offensive maneuvers, culminating in the conquest of the castle of Vipulzano sul Collio. Both
armies, exausted, erected new fortifications near Gorizia, the Venetians to the west of the city (fort
Erizzo, Fort Santa Croce, Fort Priuli ...), the Archducal to the northwest (forts of Castagni, Torrione
bridge, ...).
Between the end of November and the middle of December, an Uskok incursion took place in the
territory of Cividale and some cavalry clashes, one of which, near Lucinico, involving also the
infantry and artillery, took on large proportions. In January 1617, the Archducal received substantial
reinforcements led by the Marquis of Austria, the natural son of Emperor Matthias, and in the same
month Don Giovanni de Medici became commander of the Venetians. The Venetian army,
reorganized, began to exert greater pressure in the Isonzo area, between Gorizia and Gradisca, while
the archducal cavalry of Don Balthasar Marradas was sent to raid Istria.
In the meanwhile, the siege of the Venetians in Gradisca got tighter: nevertheless, the fortress
managed to receive supplies. In May the archducal troops were further strengthened and the
Venetians were reached by sea, by a strong contingent of Dutch mercenaries, placed under the
orders of John of Nassau. At the beginning of June, Giovanni de Medici launched an all-out attack
on the Carso, aimed at breaking the enemy front. Large contingents of troops moved from Mariano
and Romans: Cosimo del Monte pointed towards Doberdò, the column of Giovanni Martinengo
went up the left bank of the Isonzo towards San Pietro, while the cavalry of Ferdinando Scotti,
through Romans and Monfalcone, moved on to Vermigiano, where it joined the infantrymen of
Orazio Baglioni, and reached Rubia, the headquarters of the Archducal. In the meanwhile the troops
of Francesco and Carlo di Strassoldo interrupted all communications between Gradisca and Rubia
and the Dutch conquered a series of archducal forts.
Never, the Venetians, had been so close to seize the full field victory. The bombing on Rubia killed
the Austrian general Trautsmanndorf, so that Marradas urgently returned from Istria to take over the
command. The third and final assault on Rubia was rejected on 20 June and the victory, this time,
faded because of the failure to send reinforcements to the Dutch, who had penetrated the Austrian
defenses and were overpowering the defenders. According to General Medici, they had, in fact,
moved to battle without his order. After the moment of disbanding, the Archducal reorganized and
on 11 and 12 July they attacked the Venetian undefended headquarters of Mariano, but they were
rejected.
In August 1617 the Venetian commander divided his troops differently and tightened the siege of
the fortress of Gradisca, which however continued to receive supplies and reinforcements from the
road to Merna. In one of these operations the Bohemian leader, Albrecht von Wallenstein, whose
star had to shine during the upcoming Thirty Years War, greatly distinguished himself.
In April 1617 the Venetian ambassador in Spain was given the task of finding a negotiated solution
using Spanish mediation: even the emperor, first cousin of Ferdinand of Styria, was convinced of
the need of a negotiated peace, for whose achievement the French also worked.
On September 6, 1617, the preliminary treaty was formalized, based on the articles proposed in
Madrid. At the end of November the truce was published and the contingents of the two armies
began to be withdrawn from the front. On September 26, 1617, peace was signed in Madrid: the war
thus found a diplomatic settlement. The peace forced the Venetians to withdraw from the lands
conquered in Friuli and in Istria and the Archduke to burn the boats of the Uskoks and deport the
populations far from the coasts: these aspects were treated in the following year at the Rijeka and
Krk meetings, dedicated to the execution of the part of the Treaty concerning the Uskoks.
La guerra degli Uscocchi, "Rivista Militare" 4 (2006), pp.114-123, 2006
The Rivista Militare 4 (2006) article, briefly explains the political, diplomatic and military as... more The Rivista Militare 4 (2006) article, briefly explains the political, diplomatic and military aspects of this little-know conflict, originated from the commercial damage inflicted on the Republic of Venice by the Uscoks pirates. These people, starting from the Adriatic ports located in territories subject to their protector, the Archduke Ferdinand II of Austria, used to cause serious harassment to the Venetian naval traffic. The conflict, also know as war of Gradisca or war of Friuli, was fought for almost two years.On September 26, 1617 the peace was signed in Madrid. The peace forced the Venetians to withdraw from the lands conquered in Friuli and in Istria and forced the Archduke to burn the boats of the Uskoks and deport the populations far from the coasts.
Attualità della Storia militare dell'Età moderna, "Rivista Militare", 1 (2009), pp.108-119, 2009
This article was written for the Military Magazine 1 (2009) of the Italian Army General Staff: it... more This article was written for the Military Magazine 1 (2009) of the Italian Army General Staff: it is not only the study of military campaigns and battles in the Modern age, but an analysis of military thought in all its forms.
Books by Riccardo Caimmi
On March 22, 1848, Venice, rebelled against the Austrian domination, proclaimed the Republic of S... more On March 22, 1848, Venice, rebelled against the Austrian domination, proclaimed the Republic of San Marco. When the news reached the communities of the eastern Adriatic coast, which were closely following the ferments of the liberal revolutionary project of that year, the population did not rise up, but pro-Venetian committees were formed and volunteers took the path of the lagoons: fifty years in fact, of the French and Austrian governments had not completely erased the positive memory of the Serenissima. At that time, however, the issue concerning the national identity had already become current, so much so that the Croatian aspirations to incorporate Dalmatia did not coincide with those of the Italian population, attracted by the project of national unification of the peninsula. The paper illustrates the participation of Dalmatians and Istrians both in the Government and in the defense, equipped with arms, of the Venetian Republic of San Marco. Here are mentioned the army and navy departments where the volunteers were placed in. Also presented are some significant episodes, taken from archival documentation, which characterized the troubled history of the Dalmatian-Istrian legion. When, on 24 August 1849, Venice capitulated and the third Austrian domination began, forty civil and military authorities were banished from the city by order of the Austrian general Karl von Gorzkowskj: among them were the Dalmatians Nicolò Tommaseo, Antonio Paolucci and Federico Seismit-Doda, the Istrian Nicolò Vergottini and Demetrio Mircovich, from the Bay of Kotor (Boka Kotorska / Bocche di Cattaro).
Uploads
Papers by Riccardo Caimmi
As the Archive sources show, the loss of a naval unit or its damage was particularly serious: in this regard, the phases of some legal actions initiated following the loss of a Governmental Warship are presented here. However, in the light of the cases examined, the rigour expressed in the sentences of the Commanders of the fleet and the Senate towards the high-ranking and low-ranking officers guilty of non-compliance, seems to be subject to a progressive process of revision, marked by benevolence and paternalism: an aspect that characterizes a large part of the judgments issued by the Venetian magistrates of the Eighteenth-Century.
Published in Quaderni di Spoletum - 11 Spoleto e l'Unità: uomini idee, immagini, by Mario Tosti and Giovanna Sapori, preface by Rita Chiacchella, Edizioni dell'Accademia Spoletina, Spoleto 2012, pp.156.
Habsburgs of Austria, lords of Carinthia, Carniola and Styria: problems related to the irrational
Isontine and Istrian borders, to resentment for neutrality maintained by the Republic during the last
Ottoman-Imperial conflict (1593-1606) and, above all, the desire not to recognize the Venetian
naval domination of the Adriatic Sea.
In 1615, after repeated clashes in coastal and border areas, failed the last attempts to reach an
agreement, the army of the Republic of Venice and that of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria came to
arms. The triggering cause was the predatory actions of the Uskoks, Slavic refugees from the
Christian religion to whom the Archduke had allowed to settle on the coastal territories of the
Kvarner. To the Uskoks, useful to the Archduke in anti-Turk and anti-Venetian function, but
allocated by him in inhospitable and difficult to conquer places, bandits and adventurers had joined,
who, starting from Segna, carried out fierce acts of piracy, provoking serious economic damage to
Venice.
In the late summer of 1615 the general Pompeo Giustiniani, took the command of the Venetian
army, crossed the eastern terrestrial border and took possession of Cervignano, Cormons, Aquileia
and of the whole plain up to the Isonzo; the Archducal, with the help of the Uskoks (who had been
repulsed in Monfalcone), later broke into the Venetian Istria, prevailing in the clash of Zaule and
devastating the less fortified places. Soon the struggle focused on the focal point of the Austrian
offensive and defensive system: Gradisca, which, except for a short interval, was besieged from
February 1616 at the end of hostilities.
The Uskoks, unable to act on the sea, were organized in terrestrial units joined to the archducal
army, commanded by Adam of Trautsmanndorf. In April 1616, instead of contrasting the progress
of the Venetians on the Collio, the Archduke units passed the Isonzo near Gorizia and attacked
south towards Sdraussina and Sagrado, vital positions for the defense of the besieged fortress.
Giustiniani re-established the balance by obtaining the arrival of fresh troops from Dalmatia and
Friuli, whose employment forced Trautsmanndorf to split his forces. Gradisca resisted, but in both
camps, already in the middle of 1616, the payment of troops and supplies were anything but regular.
In the first days of August 1616 the Archduke, reinforced by substantial mercenary forces sent by
the bishop of Bamberg, penetrated the Val Canale, threatening Chiusa(forte): an attempt to seize
Pontebba failed and these forces, in order not to remain isolated, withdrew. In the same period the
Venetian forces conquered Caporetto (Chiavoreto) and Mount Podgora to the west of Gorizia and
the reliefs of the Collio to the southwest of Mount Sabotino. The Venetians, intentioned on investing
Gorizia, however, suffered the death of their commander Giustiniani, reached on October 10, 1616
by a shot of arquebus during the recognition of a ford: the death of Giustiniani led to the suspension
of offensive maneuvers, culminating in the conquest of the castle of Vipulzano sul Collio. Both
armies, exausted, erected new fortifications near Gorizia, the Venetians to the west of the city (fort
Erizzo, Fort Santa Croce, Fort Priuli ...), the Archducal to the northwest (forts of Castagni, Torrione
bridge, ...).
Between the end of November and the middle of December, an Uskok incursion took place in the
territory of Cividale and some cavalry clashes, one of which, near Lucinico, involving also the
infantry and artillery, took on large proportions. In January 1617, the Archducal received substantial
reinforcements led by the Marquis of Austria, the natural son of Emperor Matthias, and in the same
month Don Giovanni de Medici became commander of the Venetians. The Venetian army,
reorganized, began to exert greater pressure in the Isonzo area, between Gorizia and Gradisca, while
the archducal cavalry of Don Balthasar Marradas was sent to raid Istria.
In the meanwhile, the siege of the Venetians in Gradisca got tighter: nevertheless, the fortress
managed to receive supplies. In May the archducal troops were further strengthened and the
Venetians were reached by sea, by a strong contingent of Dutch mercenaries, placed under the
orders of John of Nassau. At the beginning of June, Giovanni de Medici launched an all-out attack
on the Carso, aimed at breaking the enemy front. Large contingents of troops moved from Mariano
and Romans: Cosimo del Monte pointed towards Doberdò, the column of Giovanni Martinengo
went up the left bank of the Isonzo towards San Pietro, while the cavalry of Ferdinando Scotti,
through Romans and Monfalcone, moved on to Vermigiano, where it joined the infantrymen of
Orazio Baglioni, and reached Rubia, the headquarters of the Archducal. In the meanwhile the troops
of Francesco and Carlo di Strassoldo interrupted all communications between Gradisca and Rubia
and the Dutch conquered a series of archducal forts.
Never, the Venetians, had been so close to seize the full field victory. The bombing on Rubia killed
the Austrian general Trautsmanndorf, so that Marradas urgently returned from Istria to take over the
command. The third and final assault on Rubia was rejected on 20 June and the victory, this time,
faded because of the failure to send reinforcements to the Dutch, who had penetrated the Austrian
defenses and were overpowering the defenders. According to General Medici, they had, in fact,
moved to battle without his order. After the moment of disbanding, the Archducal reorganized and
on 11 and 12 July they attacked the Venetian undefended headquarters of Mariano, but they were
rejected.
In August 1617 the Venetian commander divided his troops differently and tightened the siege of
the fortress of Gradisca, which however continued to receive supplies and reinforcements from the
road to Merna. In one of these operations the Bohemian leader, Albrecht von Wallenstein, whose
star had to shine during the upcoming Thirty Years War, greatly distinguished himself.
In April 1617 the Venetian ambassador in Spain was given the task of finding a negotiated solution
using Spanish mediation: even the emperor, first cousin of Ferdinand of Styria, was convinced of
the need of a negotiated peace, for whose achievement the French also worked.
On September 6, 1617, the preliminary treaty was formalized, based on the articles proposed in
Madrid. At the end of November the truce was published and the contingents of the two armies
began to be withdrawn from the front. On September 26, 1617, peace was signed in Madrid: the war
thus found a diplomatic settlement. The peace forced the Venetians to withdraw from the lands
conquered in Friuli and in Istria and the Archduke to burn the boats of the Uskoks and deport the
populations far from the coasts: these aspects were treated in the following year at the Rijeka and
Krk meetings, dedicated to the execution of the part of the Treaty concerning the Uskoks.
Books by Riccardo Caimmi
As the Archive sources show, the loss of a naval unit or its damage was particularly serious: in this regard, the phases of some legal actions initiated following the loss of a Governmental Warship are presented here. However, in the light of the cases examined, the rigour expressed in the sentences of the Commanders of the fleet and the Senate towards the high-ranking and low-ranking officers guilty of non-compliance, seems to be subject to a progressive process of revision, marked by benevolence and paternalism: an aspect that characterizes a large part of the judgments issued by the Venetian magistrates of the Eighteenth-Century.
Published in Quaderni di Spoletum - 11 Spoleto e l'Unità: uomini idee, immagini, by Mario Tosti and Giovanna Sapori, preface by Rita Chiacchella, Edizioni dell'Accademia Spoletina, Spoleto 2012, pp.156.
Habsburgs of Austria, lords of Carinthia, Carniola and Styria: problems related to the irrational
Isontine and Istrian borders, to resentment for neutrality maintained by the Republic during the last
Ottoman-Imperial conflict (1593-1606) and, above all, the desire not to recognize the Venetian
naval domination of the Adriatic Sea.
In 1615, after repeated clashes in coastal and border areas, failed the last attempts to reach an
agreement, the army of the Republic of Venice and that of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria came to
arms. The triggering cause was the predatory actions of the Uskoks, Slavic refugees from the
Christian religion to whom the Archduke had allowed to settle on the coastal territories of the
Kvarner. To the Uskoks, useful to the Archduke in anti-Turk and anti-Venetian function, but
allocated by him in inhospitable and difficult to conquer places, bandits and adventurers had joined,
who, starting from Segna, carried out fierce acts of piracy, provoking serious economic damage to
Venice.
In the late summer of 1615 the general Pompeo Giustiniani, took the command of the Venetian
army, crossed the eastern terrestrial border and took possession of Cervignano, Cormons, Aquileia
and of the whole plain up to the Isonzo; the Archducal, with the help of the Uskoks (who had been
repulsed in Monfalcone), later broke into the Venetian Istria, prevailing in the clash of Zaule and
devastating the less fortified places. Soon the struggle focused on the focal point of the Austrian
offensive and defensive system: Gradisca, which, except for a short interval, was besieged from
February 1616 at the end of hostilities.
The Uskoks, unable to act on the sea, were organized in terrestrial units joined to the archducal
army, commanded by Adam of Trautsmanndorf. In April 1616, instead of contrasting the progress
of the Venetians on the Collio, the Archduke units passed the Isonzo near Gorizia and attacked
south towards Sdraussina and Sagrado, vital positions for the defense of the besieged fortress.
Giustiniani re-established the balance by obtaining the arrival of fresh troops from Dalmatia and
Friuli, whose employment forced Trautsmanndorf to split his forces. Gradisca resisted, but in both
camps, already in the middle of 1616, the payment of troops and supplies were anything but regular.
In the first days of August 1616 the Archduke, reinforced by substantial mercenary forces sent by
the bishop of Bamberg, penetrated the Val Canale, threatening Chiusa(forte): an attempt to seize
Pontebba failed and these forces, in order not to remain isolated, withdrew. In the same period the
Venetian forces conquered Caporetto (Chiavoreto) and Mount Podgora to the west of Gorizia and
the reliefs of the Collio to the southwest of Mount Sabotino. The Venetians, intentioned on investing
Gorizia, however, suffered the death of their commander Giustiniani, reached on October 10, 1616
by a shot of arquebus during the recognition of a ford: the death of Giustiniani led to the suspension
of offensive maneuvers, culminating in the conquest of the castle of Vipulzano sul Collio. Both
armies, exausted, erected new fortifications near Gorizia, the Venetians to the west of the city (fort
Erizzo, Fort Santa Croce, Fort Priuli ...), the Archducal to the northwest (forts of Castagni, Torrione
bridge, ...).
Between the end of November and the middle of December, an Uskok incursion took place in the
territory of Cividale and some cavalry clashes, one of which, near Lucinico, involving also the
infantry and artillery, took on large proportions. In January 1617, the Archducal received substantial
reinforcements led by the Marquis of Austria, the natural son of Emperor Matthias, and in the same
month Don Giovanni de Medici became commander of the Venetians. The Venetian army,
reorganized, began to exert greater pressure in the Isonzo area, between Gorizia and Gradisca, while
the archducal cavalry of Don Balthasar Marradas was sent to raid Istria.
In the meanwhile, the siege of the Venetians in Gradisca got tighter: nevertheless, the fortress
managed to receive supplies. In May the archducal troops were further strengthened and the
Venetians were reached by sea, by a strong contingent of Dutch mercenaries, placed under the
orders of John of Nassau. At the beginning of June, Giovanni de Medici launched an all-out attack
on the Carso, aimed at breaking the enemy front. Large contingents of troops moved from Mariano
and Romans: Cosimo del Monte pointed towards Doberdò, the column of Giovanni Martinengo
went up the left bank of the Isonzo towards San Pietro, while the cavalry of Ferdinando Scotti,
through Romans and Monfalcone, moved on to Vermigiano, where it joined the infantrymen of
Orazio Baglioni, and reached Rubia, the headquarters of the Archducal. In the meanwhile the troops
of Francesco and Carlo di Strassoldo interrupted all communications between Gradisca and Rubia
and the Dutch conquered a series of archducal forts.
Never, the Venetians, had been so close to seize the full field victory. The bombing on Rubia killed
the Austrian general Trautsmanndorf, so that Marradas urgently returned from Istria to take over the
command. The third and final assault on Rubia was rejected on 20 June and the victory, this time,
faded because of the failure to send reinforcements to the Dutch, who had penetrated the Austrian
defenses and were overpowering the defenders. According to General Medici, they had, in fact,
moved to battle without his order. After the moment of disbanding, the Archducal reorganized and
on 11 and 12 July they attacked the Venetian undefended headquarters of Mariano, but they were
rejected.
In August 1617 the Venetian commander divided his troops differently and tightened the siege of
the fortress of Gradisca, which however continued to receive supplies and reinforcements from the
road to Merna. In one of these operations the Bohemian leader, Albrecht von Wallenstein, whose
star had to shine during the upcoming Thirty Years War, greatly distinguished himself.
In April 1617 the Venetian ambassador in Spain was given the task of finding a negotiated solution
using Spanish mediation: even the emperor, first cousin of Ferdinand of Styria, was convinced of
the need of a negotiated peace, for whose achievement the French also worked.
On September 6, 1617, the preliminary treaty was formalized, based on the articles proposed in
Madrid. At the end of November the truce was published and the contingents of the two armies
began to be withdrawn from the front. On September 26, 1617, peace was signed in Madrid: the war
thus found a diplomatic settlement. The peace forced the Venetians to withdraw from the lands
conquered in Friuli and in Istria and the Archduke to burn the boats of the Uskoks and deport the
populations far from the coasts: these aspects were treated in the following year at the Rijeka and
Krk meetings, dedicated to the execution of the part of the Treaty concerning the Uskoks.