Uskok War facts for kids
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The Uskok War was a conflict that happened a long time ago, between 1615 and 1617. It's also called the War of Gradisca or the War of Friuli. On one side were the Austrians, Slovenes, Croats, and Spanish. On the other side were the Venetians, Dutch, and English. The war is named after the Uskoks. These were soldiers from Croatia who fought in a special, less organized way.
The Uskoks were soldiers who didn't always get paid. So, they started acting like pirates. They attacked ships from the Venetian Republic. Venice tried to stop them with guards and watchtowers. But it cost too much money. By 1615, Venice was spending a huge amount each year. This led to the war. In December 1615, Venetian soldiers attacked a town called Gradisca.
Venice looked for friends to help them. The Uskoks were under the rule of Archduke Ferdinand. He was the ruler of Inner Austria. Ferdinand could ask his uncle, Holy Roman Emperor Matthias, and his brother-in-law, King Philip III of Spain, for help. In September 1616, a Dutch count named John Ernest of Nassau-Siegen agreed to send 3,000 soldiers from the Dutch Republic to help Venice. They arrived in May 1617. Six months later, 2,000 more soldiers came, including some English volunteers. Spanish help was stopped by Dutch and English warships at sea.
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How the War Started
The fighting began in January 1616. It started in the Gorizia Hills. Uskok and Segnani soldiers were there, supporting the Austrian side. Venetian forces gained control in Mariano. Then, they moved to Gradisca d'Isonzo on February 24, 1616. They set up camp in Farra.
The Venetian Republic was very strong at sea. They controlled the Adriatic Sea. Austria had only a small part of the coast near Trieste and Croatia. Venice blocked this coast. No ship could pass without paying taxes to Venice. In January 1616, Uskoks and Segnani guarded the Gorizia Hills. Venetian soldiers stayed in Mariano. On February 24, 1616, they moved towards Gradisca. The attack on Gradisca lasted for 29 days.
Uskok troops, led by Vuk Frankopan, attacked Monfalcone on November 26, 1615. They took many things from the town. The Venetian soldiers inside the fortress were trapped. On the Karst Plateau, near Lokev, 1,200 Croatian soldiers, 500 horsemen, and 500 Uskoks faced 3,000 Venetians. The Duke of Savoy offered to be allies with Venice. But the Venetian Senate said no.
The Venetians got more soldiers, about 3,000 men. The Uskoks started raiding villages around the Habsburg Gradisca fortress. In the first part of the war, Venice used fast attacks and surprise. The Archduke left many towns to defend stronger places. The Uskoks took things from the villages. Venice sent more soldiers to protect the south from these attacks. Towns like Poreč and Rovinj sent cannons. Pula sent food and weapons. The armies gathered in Svetvinčenat.
Battle of Zaule
Venetian commander Lezze landed in the Muggia valley with ships. Venetian soldiers, led by Captain Fabio Gallo, took over the Zaule salt pan. They started to destroy it. Captain Daniel Francol arrived from the Karst Plateau. He was followed by Vuk Frankopan and musketeers. The Venetians were surprised. They tried to escape to their ships. But Lezze stopped them.
The Venetian ships fired their cannons. Both sides lost soldiers. The Austrians lost their leader of the Croats, Verdonoviz. He was killed by a cannonball from a ship.
First Attack on Gradisca
In 1616, the Venetians attacked Farra and Gradisca. The Archduke attacked from Gorizia and Lucinico. Farra had strong cannons. Even though its buildings were damaged, it fought back the enemy cannons. The Venetians tried another attack, but it failed. Commander Giustiniani then stopped the attack and went back to Mariano.
In September, John Ernest of Nassau-Siegen agreed to bring 3,000 Dutch soldiers to help Venice. They arrived in May 1617. Six months later, 2,000 more came, including English volunteers. Spanish help was stopped at sea by 12 Dutch and 10 English warships. It was also stopped on land by another war. Archduke Ferdinand only had 4,000 soldiers to defend Gradisca. But he got military, political, and money help from Spain. Spain's King Philip agreed to fight Venice and help Ferdinand become the next Holy Roman Emperor. In return, Ferdinand would give Spain some lands. This led to a peace agreement. Many Uskok pirates were punished or sent away. An Austrian army was placed in Senj to keep an eye on the Uskoks.
Battle of Lucinico
Pompeo Giustiniani led the Venetian forces. Marcantonio of Manzano and other cavalry groups started raiding again. They killed 60 people near the castle of St. Florian. Adam von Trautmannsdorf got more soldiers. He crossed the Isonzo River and made Lucenico and Gradisca stronger.
The Venetians attacked Trautmannsdorf at dawn. They came from Mariano, Corona, San Lorenzo, and Mossa. Orazio Baglioni led them. The Albanians were in the middle of the fight. The cavalry was on the right. There were 4,000 men in total. The Albanians took the enemy trenches in Lucinico. But instead of moving forward, they took things from the dead soldiers. The other groups lost many men and had to retreat. The Venetians slowed down their fighting. The Austrians got more soldiers.
War in the Alps
Antonio Priuli became the new Venetian commander on June 2. Priuli got fresh soldiers from Friuli and Dalmatia. He made his defenses stronger. He also led attacks in Istria to distract the Austrians. The Austrians fought back with attacks in Monfalcone. In Monfalcone, the Albanian soldiers faced a strong Venetian attack. They lost many men.
The war spread into the Alps. The Venetians took things from Kobarid and Tolmin. An English captain named Schmit, with 400 men, took Pontebba on August 8. Five days later, Marcantonio of Manzano led a counterattack. They took back Pontebba and Malborghetto Valbruna. The Austrians became weak from illness. They lost a third of their army. They went back across the Isonzo River. The Venetians then took Lucenico.
Second Attack on Gradisca
Count John Ernest of Nassau-Siegen arrived in Monfalcone. He brought 4,000 Dutch soldiers. This made the Venetian army grow to 20,000 men. English volunteers also joined. The Venetians got ready for a big attack on June 1. Giovanni de Medici moved to Monfalcone. Giovanni Martinego moved from Mariano to San Pier d'Isonzo. The cavalry moved from Mariano to Vermegliano. They were joined by Orazio Baglioni's foot soldiers.
The Dutch soldiers moved towards the Karst Plateau. On June 2, the Dutch took San Martino del Carso. The Austrians left their positions between Gradisca and the plateau to the Venetians. With a thousand men, Camillo Trevigliano fought the Austrians in Gorizia. Six Venetian ships attacked Duino Castle.
The next day, the Dutch took Forte Delle Donne. This opened a gap in the defenses. Its 42 defenders gave up. On June 5, 400 men at Fort Imperial surrendered to the Dutch. The Venetians built small forts. They placed 40 cannons. They prepared for a final attack on Rubbia, the Austrian headquarters. People started leaving Gorizia. But on June 6, Henry of Nassau refused to continue the attack. His men were too tired.
The Austrians made their defenses stronger. On June 7, commander Trautmansdorf was killed by cannon fire during an inspection. Baltasar Marradas took his place. He used tricks to capture Venetians. The Austrians fought off attacks on Rubbia from June 9 to 12. Henry of Nassau, who was wounded, brought food to Gradisca.
The Venetians stopped their attacks. They focused on blocking Gradisca. Sickness cut the Dutch forces in half. Austrian soldiers arrived, led by Albrecht von Wallenstein. The Austrians attacked in three groups. They caused heavy losses to the Albanian forces. One group attacked the Venetians blocking Fort Stella. They killed Orazio Baglioni. They also took the trenches on Monte San Michele.
Giovanni de Medici left his command because he was sick. Prince Luigi d'Este took over. The Venetians surrounded Fort Stella. But Albrecht von Wallenstein brought in more soldiers and supplies. He used his own money to help Archduke Ferdinand. He brought 200 horses for the war. He also helped free the fortress of Gradisca from the Venetian attack.
To stop Austrian supplies, the Venetians thought about taking Sdraussina and Fogliano. This plan was made by Don Giovanni de' Medici on August 25, 1617. But it was not carried out. It was thought to be too dangerous. Supplies still reached the fort from the plateau.
Ferdinand only had 4,000 soldiers to defend Gradisca. But he got military, political, and money help from Spain. King Philip agreed to fight Venice and help Ferdinand become the next Holy Roman Emperor. In return, Ferdinand would give Spain some lands. This led to a peace agreement. Many Uskok pirates were punished or sent away. A permanent Austrian army was placed in Senj.
Peace Treaty
Both sides wanted peace. Ferdinand wanted to end the war with Venice. He had other problems in Germany. Venice also wanted peace. They were afraid Spain would get more involved.
On November 6, a ceasefire was signed. On November 28, soldiers started to go home. But peace talks took a long time. The Netherlands kept hiring soldiers.
A peace treaty was finally made. It was helped by Philip III, Holy Roman Emperor Matthias, Archduke Ferdinand, and the Republic of Venice. This treaty is known as the Preliminary Treaty of Paris and the Treaty of Madrid. It said that pirates would be removed from the Austrian sea areas. The Venetians gave back all the places they had taken in Istria and Friuli.
The Venetians did get the Uskoks removed. They also got their control over the Gulf recognized. But times were hard. In the early 1600s, Friuli suffered from poverty, hunger, sickness, animal diseases, and wolf attacks.
