Relief of Genoa
Encyclopedia
The Relief of Genoa took place between 28 March 1625 and 24 April 1625, during the Thirty Years' War
. It was a major naval expedition launched by Spain
against the French
-occupied Republic of Genoa
, of which the capital Genoa
was being besieged by a joint Franco-Savoyard-Dutch army composed of 30,000 men and 3,000 cavalry.
In 1625, when the Republic of Genoa, traditionally an ally of Spain, was occupied by French troops of the Duke of Savoy
, the city underwent a hard siege. It was known in Genoese governmental circles that one of the reasons why the Dutch government had offered their help to the Franco-Savoyan army was so that they could "hit the bank of the King of Spain".
However, the Spanish fleet commanded by General Álvaro de Bazán
, came to the aid of Genoa and relieved the city. Returning its sovereignty to the Republic of Genoa
and forcing the French to raise the siege, they consequently began a combined campaign against the Franco-Savoyan forces that had overrun the Genoese Republic one year before. The joint Franco-Piedmontese army was forced to leave Liguria
and Spanish troops invaded Piedmont, thereby securing the Spanish Road
. Richelieu's Invasion of Genoa
and the Valtelline had resulted in his humiliation by the Spaniards.
had followed his father's efforts to defend Catholics in the valleys of Valtellina
and the Protestants in Graubünden
. In 1622 Richelieu had arranged an anti-Spanish league with Venice
and Savoy
. With his ascendancy, the French policy changed.
They claimed that due to the alliance between them and the Duke of Savoy, they had to help Savoy, who were attacking Genoa, by attacking Valtelline and diverting the resources of the Spanish, who were supporters of Genoa. In the autumn of 1624, using the pretext that papal forces had not been withdrawn from the Valtelline as agreed, French and Swiss troops invaded the Catholic valleys of the Grey Leagues and seized the forts, to protect them, Richelieu had established the Governors of the Duchy of Milan. Consequently Spain formed an alliance with the Grand Duke of Tuscany, the Duke of Modena and Parma, and the republics of Genoa and Lucca, deciding to make a several action.
The irony of a Cardinal attacking the troops of a Pope was not lost on Rome
, Spain, and ultra-Catholics in France. In 1625 the French marshals Lesdiguières and De Crequi, joined the Duke of Savoy, invaded the territories of the dominion of Genoa. An attack on Genoa would cut the southern end of the Spanish Road
and knock out Spain's banker.
The time seemed opportune, with the apparent convergence of Protestant hostility to the Habsburgs, and explains French participation in the London talks with Mansfeld. Richelieu hoped Britain and the Dutch would send a fleet to assist his own squadron in cutting the seaway between Spain and Genoa, while Venice attacked Milan.
François Annibal d'Estrées
and 3,500 French troops crossed Protestant Swiss territory to join a similar number of Rhetians levied with French money. More subsidies and troops poured into Savoy, where the French formed a third of the 30,000-strong army that began operations against Genoa in February 1625. The attack caught the Genoese Republic unprepared. Most of the Republic was overrun, while 4,000 reinforcements from Spain were intercepted by French warships in March.
By this time Cardinal Richelieu remarked:
D'Estrées quickly conquered the Valtellina, because the Papal garrisons offered no resistance except at Riva and Chiavenna. Richelieu's elaborate plan then began to unravel. The Valtellina operation placed France in direct opposition to an essentially Francophile papacy, incensing the dévots. Don Gómez Suárez de Figueroa, 3rd Duke of Feria sent 6,000 men and Tommaso Caracciolo
as Maestro de Campo
in order to reinforce the city of Genoa, which continued to resist the Franco-Savoyard siege. Venice abstained from the fighting, while British and Dutch support failed to materialize, enabling Spain to break through the relatively weak French fleet and relieve Genoa in August.
Genoese doge
Alessandro Giustiniani, wrote:
France also sent financial help to the Dutch Republic, and subsidised the siege of Mansfeld
.
.
Despite these dangers, François de Bonne, duc de Lesdiguères and connétable of France, moved down through Piedmont to blockade Genoa with an army of 23,000 men, one third of whom were French.
At first, Richelieu sought to present the military situation to the king in the most optimistic light, maintaining in May 1625 that:
Yet even this mémoire could not avoid reference to the growing concern that Spain might widen the conflict by an attack from Flanders of up from Spain itself.
Genoa entrusted the command of his army to the Duke of Tursi and his general field master Don Juan Jerónimo de Oria, while the Marquis of Santa Cruz was ordered to relieve the city. Spanish infantry from Naples embarked, carrying a total of 4,000 soldiers among whom 2,000 were elite infantry tercios viejos from the Army of Flanders
. Santa Cruz reached Genoa and was received with great joy by the decayed spirits of the citizens. Soon the tenacity and experience of the Tercio
s under the Duke of Feria obtained good results and the French army began to retreat, as they were besieged by two fronts and the situation was becoming unsustainable. After a month the Franco-Savoian retreated and the Spanish was able to capture the city, so very important for their economy. Álvaro de Bazán
also counter-attacked by sea, destroying three French warships at the Hyeres islands
.
on 1 February 1625, and at the walls of Asti
on the 4 March, between Genoa and Milan
. After storming Capriata
, Novi
and Rossiglione
, Lesiguières decided to slow his pace, capturing Voltaggio and preferring to lay siege to Gavi
, against the advice of the Duke of Savoy. Gavi surrendered on the 22 April, but it was too late to take Genoa. In the Tyrol, an imperial army was preparing to intervene in the Valtelline valley, while the Spanish army under the Duke of Feria prepared to come to Genoa's aid. The Spanish took Acqui then marched against Casale
, reclaiming Gavi and Novi, while Lesdiguières beat a retreat to the Piedmont. Charles-Emmanuel of Savoy, joined by Créqui, who replaced Lesdiguières beat a retreat to the Piedmont. Charles-Emmanuel, joined by Créqui, who replaced Lesidiguières as he had returned to the Dauphine, entrenched his army at Verrua
and the Duke of Feria was stopped on the 5 August 1625, shortly afterwards the Duke of Feria lifted the siege of Verrua and Lesdiguières took his troops back to the Dauphiné
. Feria managed to rescue the panicked Genoese governors that were hidden inside the walls of Savona
. French Spanish policies were lying in ruins.
At the end the force led by Charles Emmanuel and the Duke of Créquy met not easy victory but fierce resistance
from the militia of the Genoese Apennines, supported by Spanish forces from Milan. The Invaders were forced to retreat, and returned across the Alps in November.
, as suggested by the Spanish crown. Galeazzo Giustiani with four of the republic's galleys captured the Savoyard capitana and things seemed to be taking a turn for the better. Disillusion with Spanish management of the war came quickly, though. The Genoese were eager to recover their lost territories, but Santa Cruz, now with seventy galleys in the port, refused to leave the city.
The reconquest was brought about that summer and the following autumn by a fleet of forty galleys under the joint command of the republic's general, Emmanuele Garbarino, Spanish admiral Santa Cruz, and Carlo Doria. By October the republic had recuperated all its lost territory with the exception of the castle of La Penna and had even added Oneglia, Ormea, and a number of localities in Piedmont to its possessions.
Álvaro de Bazán
successfully stormed and captured the forts of Albenga
, Port Maurice, Ventimiglia
, lovan
, Gandore, Casanova, Oneglia
, Triola
, Castelfranco
, Bigran, San Remo
, Camporosso
, conquering the biggest islets of the Lérins Islands
, Île Sainte-Marguerite
and Île Saint-Honorat
. The Spanish retained both islands until they were reconquered by the French admiral Philippe de Poincy, on 12 March 1637.
All was not to go to the republic's liking, however, in 1625. In October, at the height of success against Genoa's northern neighbor, the Spanish and the French, without consulting their respective allies signed a six-month truce, which was imposed on Genoa and Savoy as well.
In early 1626, as Savoy rearmed and the Republic of Genoa began to fear that it would again become the object of French and Piedmontese appetites, Santa Cruz proposed some modifications in the alliance between Spain and the republic. Given the events of the previous year, the Genoese were particularly well disposed toward Philip IV and accepted an alliance for the mutual defense of one another's states, the republic agreeing as well to maintain 14,000 infantry and 1,500 cavalry, the expenses for which they were to be reimbursed through the alienation to the Genoese of equivalent sums from the royal revenue in Spain. Furthermore, the republic agreed to send 70,000 scudi a month to the governor of Milan against similar assignations to be specified at a later date. In the event of a Savoyard attack on the republic, Philip IV committed himself to attacking Piedmont on its exposed side from Milan. And should Milan be attacked, the Genoese would invade Piedmont from the south.
In March 1626 the French and Spanish concluded the Treaty of Monzón, suspension of fighting between the Duke of Savoy and the Republic of Genoa being an integral part of the agreement.
The Treaty of Monzón on 5 March 1626, which restored the pre-1618 situation with important qualifications. Jurisdiction was nominally restored over the Valtellina
; this was now recognized as Catholic, which strengthened its autonomy and introduced doubt as to who could decide on transit through the valley. Papal troops replaced the French though the forts were supposed to be destroyed.
Monzón represented a serious reverse for Richelieu who blamed his envoy for the terms and feigned illness to avoid seeing the furious Savoyard ambassador. Abandoned, Savoy was obliged to make its own peace and now sought a Spanish alliance and intrigued with French malcontents against Richelieu, including possible involvement in the Chalais plot to murder the cardinal in 1626. The Valtelline valley was returned to the Vatican. Spanish forces scored a series of striking successes. In the spring of 1625 they regained Bahia
in Brazil and Breda in the Netherlands from the Dutch. In the autumn they repulsed the English
at Cadiz.
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
. It was a major naval expedition launched by Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
against the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
-occupied Republic of Genoa
Republic of Genoa
The Most Serene Republic of Genoa |Ligurian]]: Repúbrica de Zêna) was an independent state from 1005 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast, as well as Corsica from 1347 to 1768, and numerous other territories throughout the Mediterranean....
, of which the capital Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
was being besieged by a joint Franco-Savoyard-Dutch army composed of 30,000 men and 3,000 cavalry.
In 1625, when the Republic of Genoa, traditionally an ally of Spain, was occupied by French troops of the Duke of Savoy
Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy
Victor Amadeus I was the Duke of Savoy from 1630 to 1637. He was also titular King of Cyprus and Jerusalem. He was also known as the Lion of Susa-Biography:...
, the city underwent a hard siege. It was known in Genoese governmental circles that one of the reasons why the Dutch government had offered their help to the Franco-Savoyan army was so that they could "hit the bank of the King of Spain".
However, the Spanish fleet commanded by General Álvaro de Bazán
Álvaro de Bazán, 2nd Marquis of Santa Cruz
Álvaro de Bazán, 2nd Marquis of Santa Cruz, a.k.a. Álvaro de Bazán y Benavides, a.k.a. Alvaro II de Bazán, , was the son of Álvaro de Bazán, 1st Marquis of Santa Cruz....
, came to the aid of Genoa and relieved the city. Returning its sovereignty to the Republic of Genoa
Republic of Genoa
The Most Serene Republic of Genoa |Ligurian]]: Repúbrica de Zêna) was an independent state from 1005 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast, as well as Corsica from 1347 to 1768, and numerous other territories throughout the Mediterranean....
and forcing the French to raise the siege, they consequently began a combined campaign against the Franco-Savoyan forces that had overrun the Genoese Republic one year before. The joint Franco-Piedmontese army was forced to leave Liguria
Liguria
Liguria is a coastal region of north-western Italy, the third smallest of the Italian regions. Its capital is Genoa. It is a popular region with tourists for its beautiful beaches, picturesque little towns, and good food.-Geography:...
and Spanish troops invaded Piedmont, thereby securing the Spanish Road
Spanish Road
The "Spanish Road" was a military supply/trade route used from 1567–1620, which stretched from Northern Italy to the Low Countries. It crossed through relatively neutral territory, and was therefore Europe's most preferred military route...
. Richelieu's Invasion of Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
and the Valtelline had resulted in his humiliation by the Spaniards.
Background
In northern Italy, Philip IV of SpainPhilip IV of Spain
Philip IV was King of Spain between 1621 and 1665, sovereign of the Spanish Netherlands, and King of Portugal until 1640...
had followed his father's efforts to defend Catholics in the valleys of Valtellina
Valtellina
Valtellina or the Valtelline valley ; is a valley in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, bordering Switzerland. Today it is known for its skiing, its hot spring spas, its cheeses and its wines...
and the Protestants in Graubünden
Graubünden
Graubünden or Grisons is the largest and easternmost canton of Switzerland. The canton shares borders with the cantons of Ticino, Uri, Glarus and St. Gallen and international borders with Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein...
. In 1622 Richelieu had arranged an anti-Spanish league with Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
and Savoy
Savoy
Savoy is a region of France. It comprises roughly the territory of the Western Alps situated between Lake Geneva in the north and Monaco and the Mediterranean coast in the south....
. With his ascendancy, the French policy changed.
They claimed that due to the alliance between them and the Duke of Savoy, they had to help Savoy, who were attacking Genoa, by attacking Valtelline and diverting the resources of the Spanish, who were supporters of Genoa. In the autumn of 1624, using the pretext that papal forces had not been withdrawn from the Valtelline as agreed, French and Swiss troops invaded the Catholic valleys of the Grey Leagues and seized the forts, to protect them, Richelieu had established the Governors of the Duchy of Milan. Consequently Spain formed an alliance with the Grand Duke of Tuscany, the Duke of Modena and Parma, and the republics of Genoa and Lucca, deciding to make a several action.
The irony of a Cardinal attacking the troops of a Pope was not lost on Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Spain, and ultra-Catholics in France. In 1625 the French marshals Lesdiguières and De Crequi, joined the Duke of Savoy, invaded the territories of the dominion of Genoa. An attack on Genoa would cut the southern end of the Spanish Road
Spanish Road
The "Spanish Road" was a military supply/trade route used from 1567–1620, which stretched from Northern Italy to the Low Countries. It crossed through relatively neutral territory, and was therefore Europe's most preferred military route...
and knock out Spain's banker.
The time seemed opportune, with the apparent convergence of Protestant hostility to the Habsburgs, and explains French participation in the London talks with Mansfeld. Richelieu hoped Britain and the Dutch would send a fleet to assist his own squadron in cutting the seaway between Spain and Genoa, while Venice attacked Milan.
François Annibal d'Estrées
François Annibal d'Estrées
François-Annibal d'Estrées, duc d'Estrées was a French diplomat, military and Marshal of France.-Life:François-Annibal was the son of Antoine d'Estrées and brother of Gabrielle d'Estrées, the lover of Henry IV of France...
and 3,500 French troops crossed Protestant Swiss territory to join a similar number of Rhetians levied with French money. More subsidies and troops poured into Savoy, where the French formed a third of the 30,000-strong army that began operations against Genoa in February 1625. The attack caught the Genoese Republic unprepared. Most of the Republic was overrun, while 4,000 reinforcements from Spain were intercepted by French warships in March.
By this time Cardinal Richelieu remarked:
D'Estrées quickly conquered the Valtellina, because the Papal garrisons offered no resistance except at Riva and Chiavenna. Richelieu's elaborate plan then began to unravel. The Valtellina operation placed France in direct opposition to an essentially Francophile papacy, incensing the dévots. Don Gómez Suárez de Figueroa, 3rd Duke of Feria sent 6,000 men and Tommaso Caracciolo
Tommaso Caracciolo
Tommaso Caracciolo, Count of Roccarainola , was among others a Field Marshal who commanded parts of the Spanish forces in the Thirty Years' War.-Early years:...
as Maestro de Campo
Maestro de Campo
Maestro de Campo was a rank created in 1534 by the Emperor Carlos V, inferior in rank only to the Capitán General and acted as a chief of staff. He was chosen by the monarch in the Council of State, and commanded a tercio. Their powers were similar to those of the old Marshals of the Kingdom of...
in order to reinforce the city of Genoa, which continued to resist the Franco-Savoyard siege. Venice abstained from the fighting, while British and Dutch support failed to materialize, enabling Spain to break through the relatively weak French fleet and relieve Genoa in August.
Genoese doge
Doge of Genoa
The Republic of Genoa, in what is now northern Italy, was technically a communal republic in the early Middle Ages, although it was actually an oligarchy ruled by a small group of merchant families, from whom were selected the Doges of Genoa.- History :...
Alessandro Giustiniani, wrote:
France also sent financial help to the Dutch Republic, and subsidised the siege of Mansfeld
Mansfeld
Mansfeld is a town in the Mansfeld-Südharz district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the river Wipper, 10 km northwest of Eisleben....
.
French threat
The number of galleys of the Genoese republic were increased from eight to ten, and the republic was defended by around 11,000 soldiers consisting of German mercenaries and men raised within the walls of the republic. By February the invaders were within sight of the city and began to occupy the western riviera. In March Genoa was attacked by the combined army and the French fleet threatened to cut communications with Spain, capturing three Genoese ships carrying nearly 650,000 pieces of eightPieces of Eight
Pieces of Eight is the eighth studio album and second concept album by Styx, released September 1, 1978.The album was the band's follow-up to their Triple Platinum selling The Grand Illusion album....
.
Relief of Genoa
Yet while the strategic importance of the city and port of Genoa to the Spanish military system ensured that an attack would certainly succeed in drawing off Spanish troops, it presented France with military difficulties that were as considerable as those of the Valtelline theatre. Above all, Spanish naval superiority would make an effective seaward blockade of Genoa impossible, and greatly reduce the likelihood of success if the siege proved to be lengthy. Moreover, an attack on a third party, albeit a firm ally of Spain, was hard to reconcile with the rhetoric of liberating the peninsula from the yoke of Habsburg servitude; other secondary powers such as Mantua, Modena, Parma and especially France's habitual ally, Venice, drew the obvious conclusion and declined to join the Franco-Savoyard initiative.Despite these dangers, François de Bonne, duc de Lesdiguères and connétable of France, moved down through Piedmont to blockade Genoa with an army of 23,000 men, one third of whom were French.
At first, Richelieu sought to present the military situation to the king in the most optimistic light, maintaining in May 1625 that:
Yet even this mémoire could not avoid reference to the growing concern that Spain might widen the conflict by an attack from Flanders of up from Spain itself.
Genoa entrusted the command of his army to the Duke of Tursi and his general field master Don Juan Jerónimo de Oria, while the Marquis of Santa Cruz was ordered to relieve the city. Spanish infantry from Naples embarked, carrying a total of 4,000 soldiers among whom 2,000 were elite infantry tercios viejos from the Army of Flanders
Army of Flanders
The Army of Flanders was a Spanish Habsburg army based in the Netherlands during the 16th to 18th centuries. It was notable for being the longest standing army of the period, being in continuous service from 1567 until its disestablishment in 1706...
. Santa Cruz reached Genoa and was received with great joy by the decayed spirits of the citizens. Soon the tenacity and experience of the Tercio
Tercio
The tercio was a Renaissance era military formation made up of a mixed infantry formation of about 3,000 pikemen, swordsmen and arquebusiers or musketeers in a mutually supportive formation. It was also sometimes referred to as the Spanish Square...
s under the Duke of Feria obtained good results and the French army began to retreat, as they were besieged by two fronts and the situation was becoming unsustainable. After a month the Franco-Savoian retreated and the Spanish was able to capture the city, so very important for their economy. Álvaro de Bazán
Álvaro de Bazán, 2nd Marquis of Santa Cruz
Álvaro de Bazán, 2nd Marquis of Santa Cruz, a.k.a. Álvaro de Bazán y Benavides, a.k.a. Alvaro II de Bazán, , was the son of Álvaro de Bazán, 1st Marquis of Santa Cruz....
also counter-attacked by sea, destroying three French warships at the Hyeres islands
Îles d'Hyères
The Îles d'Hyères is a group of three islands off Hyères in the Var département, in the south-east of France. The three mediterranean islands are named Porquerolles, Port-Cros and Île du Levant. Together, they make up an area of .-See also:...
.
Piedmontese theatre
Richelieu arrived at TurinTurin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
on 1 February 1625, and at the walls of Asti
Asti
Asti is a city and comune of about 75,000 inhabitants located in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy, about 55 kilometres east of Turin in the plain of the Tanaro River...
on the 4 March, between Genoa and Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
. After storming Capriata
Capriata d'Orba
Capriata d'Orba is a comune in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 90 km southeast of Turin and about 25 km south of Alessandria...
, Novi
Novi
- Places:In Bosnia and Herzegovina:* Bosanski Novi, a town in northwestern region of the country.In Italy:* Novi di Modena, a commune in the province of Modena...
and Rossiglione
Rossiglione
Rossiglione is a comune in the Province of Genoa in the Italian region Liguria, located about 41 km northwest of Genoa....
, Lesiguières decided to slow his pace, capturing Voltaggio and preferring to lay siege to Gavi
Gavi
Gavi is a tiny island in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the westcoast of Italy. With a length of about 700 metres, it is thesmallest of the Pontine Islands and is located 120 metres off thenorth shore of Ponza.The island is quite rugged and uninhabited by humans...
, against the advice of the Duke of Savoy. Gavi surrendered on the 22 April, but it was too late to take Genoa. In the Tyrol, an imperial army was preparing to intervene in the Valtelline valley, while the Spanish army under the Duke of Feria prepared to come to Genoa's aid. The Spanish took Acqui then marched against Casale
Casale
Casale, Italian from the late Latin casalis for an isolated house, or group of houses, in the countryside, may refer to:-People:*Gerald Casale musician*Giovanni Casale , an Italian judoka*Giuseppe Casale Italian bishop...
, reclaiming Gavi and Novi, while Lesdiguières beat a retreat to the Piedmont. Charles-Emmanuel of Savoy, joined by Créqui, who replaced Lesdiguières beat a retreat to the Piedmont. Charles-Emmanuel, joined by Créqui, who replaced Lesidiguières as he had returned to the Dauphine, entrenched his army at Verrua
Verrua Savoia
Verrua Savoia is a comune in the Province of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 35 km northeast of Turin.-External links:*...
and the Duke of Feria was stopped on the 5 August 1625, shortly afterwards the Duke of Feria lifted the siege of Verrua and Lesdiguières took his troops back to the Dauphiné
Dauphiné
The Dauphiné or Dauphiné Viennois is a former province in southeastern France, whose area roughly corresponded to that of the present departments of :Isère, :Drôme, and :Hautes-Alpes....
. Feria managed to rescue the panicked Genoese governors that were hidden inside the walls of Savona
Savona
Savona is a seaport and comune in the northern Italian region of Liguria, capital of the Province of Savona, in the Riviera di Ponente on the Mediterranean Sea....
. French Spanish policies were lying in ruins.
At the end the force led by Charles Emmanuel and the Duke of Créquy met not easy victory but fierce resistance
from the militia of the Genoese Apennines, supported by Spanish forces from Milan. The Invaders were forced to retreat, and returned across the Alps in November.
Reconquest of the French Riviera
After the Spanish had relieved Genoa, the Genoese allowed their troops to be placed under the command of the Neapolitan noble Tommaso CaraccioloTommaso Caracciolo
Tommaso Caracciolo, Count of Roccarainola , was among others a Field Marshal who commanded parts of the Spanish forces in the Thirty Years' War.-Early years:...
, as suggested by the Spanish crown. Galeazzo Giustiani with four of the republic's galleys captured the Savoyard capitana and things seemed to be taking a turn for the better. Disillusion with Spanish management of the war came quickly, though. The Genoese were eager to recover their lost territories, but Santa Cruz, now with seventy galleys in the port, refused to leave the city.
The reconquest was brought about that summer and the following autumn by a fleet of forty galleys under the joint command of the republic's general, Emmanuele Garbarino, Spanish admiral Santa Cruz, and Carlo Doria. By October the republic had recuperated all its lost territory with the exception of the castle of La Penna and had even added Oneglia, Ormea, and a number of localities in Piedmont to its possessions.
Álvaro de Bazán
Álvaro de Bazán, 2nd Marquis of Santa Cruz
Álvaro de Bazán, 2nd Marquis of Santa Cruz, a.k.a. Álvaro de Bazán y Benavides, a.k.a. Alvaro II de Bazán, , was the son of Álvaro de Bazán, 1st Marquis of Santa Cruz....
successfully stormed and captured the forts of Albenga
Albenga
Albenga is a city and comune situated on the Gulf of Genoa on the Italian Riviera in the Province of Savona in Liguria, northern Italy.left|thumb|220px|Towers of Albenga.The economy is mostly based on tourism, local commerce and agriculture-History:...
, Port Maurice, Ventimiglia
Ventimiglia
Ventimiglia is a city and comune in Liguria, northern Italy, in the province of Imperia. It is located southwest of Genoa by rail, and 7 km from the French-Italian border, on the Gulf of Genoa, having a small harbour at the mouth of the Roia River, which divides the town into two parts...
, lovan
Lovan
Lovan may refer to:* a trade name of fluoxetine, a pharmaceutical drug* Lövəyin, Azerbaijan...
, Gandore, Casanova, Oneglia
Oneglia
Oneglia was a town in northern Italy on the Ligurian coast that was joined to Porto Maurizio to form the Comune of Imperia in 1923....
, Triola
Triola
The Triola is a children's musical instrument, a hand-tuned single tone wind harmonica. The Triola is manufactured by C. A. Seydel Söhne in Klingenthal, Germany....
, Castelfranco
Castelfranco
-Italian towns:*Castelfranco Veneto*Castelfranco Emilia*Castelfranco in Miscano*Castelfranco di Sotto-Art:*Madonna of Castelfranco, a Renaissance masterpiece by Giorgione*Giorgio Castelfranco, art collector, historian, and critic...
, Bigran, San Remo
Sanremo
Sanremo or San Remo is a city with about 57,000 inhabitants on the Mediterranean coast of western Liguria in north-western Italy. Founded in Roman times, the city is best known as a tourist destination on the Italian Riviera. It hosts numerous cultural events, such as the Sanremo Music Festival...
, Camporosso
Camporosso
Camporosso is a comune in the Province of Imperia in the Italian region Liguria, located about 160 km southwest of Genoa and about 45 km west of Imperia...
, conquering the biggest islets of the Lérins Islands
Lérins Islands
The Lérins Islands are a group of four Mediterranean islands off the French Riviera, near Cannes. The two largest islands in this group are the Île Sainte-Marguerite and the Île Saint-Honorat...
, Île Sainte-Marguerite
Île Sainte-Marguerite
The Île Sainte-Marguerite is the largest of the Lérins Islands, about half a mile off shore from the French Riviera town of Cannes. The island is approximately 3km in length and 900m across....
and Île Saint-Honorat
Île Saint-Honorat
The Île Saint-Honorat is the second largest of the Lérins Islands, about a mile off shore from the French Riviera town of Cannes. The island is approximately 1.5 kilometers in length and 400 meters wide....
. The Spanish retained both islands until they were reconquered by the French admiral Philippe de Poincy, on 12 March 1637.
Aftermath
The relief on Genoa lasted one month, but Spanish aid had been prompt and effective. The reversal of Genoese sorts when all seemed lost, the continued arrival of silver shipments even in Spanish galleys, and the unwavering behavior of Doria and his fellow asentistas de galeras all seemed to substantiate the positions of those who, like Doge Alessandro Giustiani in 1613, saw perfect union and harmony of intents in the alliance with Spain and the bonds between the Genoese nobility and Philip IV.All was not to go to the republic's liking, however, in 1625. In October, at the height of success against Genoa's northern neighbor, the Spanish and the French, without consulting their respective allies signed a six-month truce, which was imposed on Genoa and Savoy as well.
In March 1626 the French and Spanish concluded the Treaty of Monzón, suspension of fighting between the Duke of Savoy and the Republic of Genoa being an integral part of the agreement.
The Treaty of Monzón on 5 March 1626, which restored the pre-1618 situation with important qualifications. Jurisdiction was nominally restored over the Valtellina
Valtellina
Valtellina or the Valtelline valley ; is a valley in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, bordering Switzerland. Today it is known for its skiing, its hot spring spas, its cheeses and its wines...
; this was now recognized as Catholic, which strengthened its autonomy and introduced doubt as to who could decide on transit through the valley. Papal troops replaced the French though the forts were supposed to be destroyed.
Monzón represented a serious reverse for Richelieu who blamed his envoy for the terms and feigned illness to avoid seeing the furious Savoyard ambassador. Abandoned, Savoy was obliged to make its own peace and now sought a Spanish alliance and intrigued with French malcontents against Richelieu, including possible involvement in the Chalais plot to murder the cardinal in 1626. The Valtelline valley was returned to the Vatican. Spanish forces scored a series of striking successes. In the spring of 1625 they regained Bahia
Recapture of Bahia
The recapture of Bahia was a joint Spanish-Portuguese military expedition in 1625 to retake the city of Salvador da Bahia in Brazil from the forces of the Dutch West India Company .In May 1624, Dutch WIC forces under Jacob Willekens captured Salvador Bahia from the Portuguese...
in Brazil and Breda in the Netherlands from the Dutch. In the autumn they repulsed the English
Cádiz Expedition (1625)
The Cádiz Expedition of 1625 was a naval expedition against Spain by English and Dutch forces.The plan was put forward because after the Dissolution of the Parliament of 1625, the Duke of Buckingham, Lord High Admiral wanted to undertake an expedition that would match the exploits of the heroes of...
at Cadiz.
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