The Problem of Tenedos

Tenedos (now called Bozcaada and a Turkish possession) is an island in the northeast of the Aegean Sea. It was mentioned in the Iliad and the Odyssey. Virgil's Æneid claims Tenedos is where the Greeks hid their ships to convince the Trojans that they had departed after they dropped off the Trojan Horse. Its location is important as an outpost to see any traffic from the Mediterranean through the Dardanelles to the Sea of Marmara, which gives access to Constantinople and then the Black Sea.

It was possessed by many different entities over the centuries, but we are interested in how Venice held it before the Battle of Chioggia, part of the conflict between Venice and Genoa. The Treaty of Turin in 1381 that ended the war handed Tenedos over to Count Amadeus VI of Savoy, who negotiated the treaty. He then destroyed any fortifications on it so that it could not be used for military purposes. He also evacuated all the Venetians and others, who were to be compensated financially. Genoa was supposed to pay for the effort to destroy the structures.

It was only a decade after the Treaty that concerns arose about the spread of the Ottomans. The island was completely deserted and without any functional buildings, so there were discussions about re-occupying and re-fortifying it.

Genoa and Venice were still the two greatest maritime republics with lots of ships going in and out of Marmara and the Black Sea. Genoa invoked the Treaty of Turin and put its foot down against any occupation by Venice. Venice likewise said they would not agree to any suggestion of shared management. Venice also spoke against granting rights to the papacy, the Knights of St. John, or the Byzantine Empire. (A case of "If I can't play the game my way, I'll prevent anyone else from playing.")

The disputes stretched out until it was too late and the Ottoman Turks had spread to the whole area. Genoa was able to maintain the biggest share of Black Sea trade up to and even after the Fall of Constantinople in 1453.

I mentioned yesterday that Amadeus of savoy was chosen to mediate between Genoa and Venice because of his ability to deal with conflicts, and that some of those were within his own family. Tomorrow I'll tell you about Amadeus and his numerous conflicts.

The Treaty of Turin

After the final phase of the decades-long war between Genoa and Venice, the man brought in to mediate a permanent truce between the two maritime republics was Amadeus VI, Count of Savoy. Amadeus (1334 - 1383) was respected for his ability to rule fairly and find ways to resolve disputes (many of which were in his own family over the right of succession). 

The Treaty of Turin, or Peace of Turin, had four steps to it that will indicate how complex the political hostilities had been. Turin was in the County of Savoy at the time, and easily reachable by representatives of both Genoa and Venice.

For one, Genoa's dominance in the Black Sea had been threatened by Venice setting up a base on the island of Tenedos, a location that allowed them to threaten Genoese ships from entering the Black Sea. Tenedos had to be turned over to Amadeus. Amadeus removed the Venetian inhabitants and destroyed the fortifications so that it could never be used as a military base.

Genoa was at war with Peter II of Cyprus and Byzantine Emperor John V Paleologos, both of whom were allies of Venice. The Treaty required Venice to sever ties with these two so that they would not be involved in supporting hostility against Genoa. John V's son Andronikos was allied with Genoa, seeking Genoa's help to take over the throne. Venice was required to maintain an embargo against John V until he settled his issues with Andronikos, eliminating the need for Genoa's military support of the son.

Venice also had to forego using their own trading post on the Black Sea. They were forced to share Genoa's ports in the Crimea, and abide by any taxes or duties imposed (fairly!) by Genoa.

Hungary had been an ally of Genoa in the final battle. Venice was required to pay 7000 ducats annually to Hungary. In exchange, Hungary would avoid certain rivers that flowed into the Adriatic, allowing Venice to trade along that part of the Adriatic coast and its rivers. Venice was required to acknowledge that Hungary now owned Dalmatia.

Padua had been on Genoa's side, and the Treaty also saw Venice and Padua make peace with each other.

The decision in the first point about the island of Tenedos had repercussions that were detrimental to Europe's future. I'll explain tomorrow.