Siege of Corfu Ottoman-Venetian War [1716] Actions Cite verifiedCite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style MLA APA Chicago Manual of Style Copy Citation Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/event/Siege-of-Corfu-1716 Give Feedback Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

　　Print Cite verifiedCite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style MLA APA Chicago Manual of Style Copy Citation Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/event/Siege-of-Corfu-1716 Feedback Written by Tony Bunting Tony Bunting is a historian who has recently completed a research project at the University of Central Lancashire on the evolution of nineteenth-century British imperialism. He was a contributor to 1001... Tony Bunting Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Jul 26, 2024 • Article History Table of Contents

　　Venetian fort, Corfu (Kérkyra), Greece See all media Date: July 19, 1716 - August 20, 1716 (Show more) Location: Corfu Greece (Show more) Participants: Ottoman Empire Venice (Show more) See all related content → Siege of Corfu, a key encounter, from July 19 to August 20, 1716, during the Ottoman-Venetian War (1714–18), which was the last in a series of wars between the two Mediterranean powers that stretched back to the fifteenth century. The failure to take Corfu by the Ottoman forces was hailed as a great victory across Christian Europe.

　　The Ottoman Empire declared war on Venice in 1714, determined to reverse their losses in the Great Turkish War of 1684 to 1699. After victory at Thebes, the Ottomans conquered Venice’s Peloponnesian territories in June 1714, under the command of the grand vizier, Damat Ali Pasha. Venetian forces were no match for the Ottoman Empire, and, after capturing Venetian bases in the Ionian Islands, the Ottomans arrived at Corfu on July 8, 1716. The Ottoman fleet was met by a Venetian fleet, commanded by Andrea Cornaro, supported by ships and troops from Spain, Portugal, and several Italian states. The Venetians attempted to destroy the Ottoman fleet with fireships, but failed when the Ottomans withdrew slightly. After several hours, the Venetians withdrew and the Ottomans landed their invasion force. After a swift advance that overran a number of forts, the Ottomans besieged the city of Corfu on July 19.

　　Britannica Quiz Understanding the Ottoman Empire Over the next twenty-two days, the Turks launched assaults on the city’s defenses; each time the attacks were repelled after savage fighting. The Venetian garrison, led by the German Count Johann Matthias von der Schulenburg, put up a heroic defense and was victorious eventually, even though it numbered only 2,500 troops against an Ottoman besieging force of at least 30,000. However, the victory can also be attributed to the city’s formidable fortifications and a huge storm that sank many Ottoman ships and drowned hundreds of soldiers and sailors, which the defenders attributed to divine intervention through the island’s patron saint, Spyridon. The failure of the siege was a celebrated victory for Venice, but the republic never regained its losses in the Peloponnese despite Austria’s entry into the war; it retained a strong presence only on Corfu and at points on the Dalmatian and Albanian coasts. The Ottoman Empire was forced into a disadvantageous peace in 1718.

　　The victory at Corfu was widely celebrated throughout Europe. Antonio Vivaldi, the Italian composer, who was resident in Venice at the time, was commissioned to write his famed Juditha triumphans, his sole surviving oratorio, to commemorate the victory.