Upper Rhine
58-462: France Southern Italy North Germany and Scandinavia Pyrenees Americas Naval battles The Messina revolt of 1672–78 began with a revolt against the patrician government of Messina on the island of Sicily by skilled workers in 1672. When the patricians regained control in 1674 they turned the movement into a revolt against Spanish rule. They obtained support from the French, and Messina
116-672: A Gold Medal of Military Valor and one for Civil Valor by the Italian government in memory of the event and the subsequent effort of reconstruction. In June 1955 Messina was the location of the Messina Conference of Western European foreign ministers which led to the creation of the European Economic Community . The conference was held mainly in Messina's City Hall building ( it ), and partly in nearby Taormina . The city
174-501: A Roman Catholic Archdiocese and Archimandrite seat since 1548 and is home to a locally important international fair. The city has the University of Messina , founded in 1548 by Ignatius of Loyola . Founded by Greek colonists of Magna Graecia in the 8th century BC, Messina was originally called Zancle ( Ancient Greek : Ζάγκλη ), from the Greek ζάγκλον meaning " scythe " because of
232-504: A Spanish admiral in command of a Dutch-Spanish fleet, commanded the leading squadron at the Battle of Augusta in April that. At Augusta, de Ruyter was fatally wounded; the combined fleet suffered more casualties than the French, and was forced to withdraw from Messina. However, despite frustrating Dutch–Spanish fleet's blockade, the bulk of the French fleet was recalled to France later in the year, and
290-576: A base from which they ravaged the countryside, leading to a conflict with the expanding regional empire of Syracuse . Hiero II , tyrant of Syracuse, defeated the Mamertines near Mylae on the Longanus River and besieged Messina. Carthage assisted the Mamertines because of a long-standing conflict with Syracuse over dominance in Sicily. When Hiero attacked a second time in 264 BC, the Mamertines petitioned
348-434: A convoy that would reprovision Messina. At the time of de Ruyter arrival in Sicily in early January 1676, most of the larger French warships were absent from Messina with Duquesne, who was escorting the convoy to Sicily, and only the smaller ones remained at Messina under Lieutenant-Général Guillaume d'Alméras. However, de Ruyter was unable to attack Messina because of contrary winds and, on 7 January 1676, while cruising near
406-487: A general amnesty, a promise that was not kept. Messina Messina ( / m ɛ ˈ s iː n ə / mess- EE -nə , US also / m ɪ ˈ -/ miss- ; Italian: [mesˈsiːna] ; Sicilian : Missina [mɪsˈsiːna] ) is a harbour city and the capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina . It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily , and
464-453: A greater distance from Gabaret's squadron than the rest of the Dutch fleet was from its opponents, maintained a steady course instead of giving way, so a gap developed between it and de Ruyter's centre. However, as the wind had become very light during the day, the French could not exploit this gap. After about six hours of fighting, the two fleets were on parallel courses, sailing south-southwest in
522-501: A small corps of land forces under Lieutenant-General Valavoire . The French minister of foreign affairs, the Marquis de Pomponne , had instructed Vallavoire to encourage the people of Messina to form an independent republic, unless they wanted to become part of France or to accept as ruler a prince designated by Louis XIV . When they arrived on 2 January 1675 the Spanish army was camped outside
580-507: A stern wind to speed through the channel, past the galleys and into the city, bringing enough provisions for about five weeks. Valbelle helped the Messinese expel the Spanish from the last fort, the Faro at the harbour entrance. Lacking sufficient provisions and land forces to act against the Spanish, he left to ask for more effective assistance. On 1 January 1675 Valbelle's squadron returned, bringing
638-415: A very light breeze, and firing ceased in the van and centre, although it continued between the two rear squadrons for some hours longer. Three badly damaged Dutch ships were towed by Spanish galleys into Milazzo , and de Ruyter disengaged and took his fleet into Milazzo as well. He had successfully defended his inferior fleet in a tactically disadvantageous leeward position and inflicted significant damage on
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#1732855090492696-494: Is also part of the projected Berlin–Palermo railway axis . Since 2010, a suburban train service has been carried out along the Messina-Catania-Syracuse railway with routes serving the stations of Fiumara Gazzi, Contesse, Tremestieri, Mili Marina, Galati, Ponte Santo Stefano, Ponte Schiavo, San Paolo and Giampilieri. Messina's public bus system is operated by ATM Messina: starting from 8 October 2018, has reorganized
754-595: Is home to a small Greek-speaking minority, which arrived from the Peloponnese between 1533 and 1534 when fleeing the expansion of the Ottoman Empire . They were officially recognised in 2012. Messina has a subtropical Mediterranean climate with long, hot summers with low diurnal temperature variation and consistently dry weather. In winter, Messina is rather wet and mild. Diurnals remain low and remain averaging above 10 °C (50 °F) lows even during winter. It
812-455: Is rather rainier than Reggio Calabria on the other side of the Messina Strait , a remarkable climatic difference for such a small distance. The new Messina Centrale station building was projected following the modern criteria of the futurist architect Angiolo Mazzoni , and is extended through the stations square. It is at almost contiguous with Messina Marittima station , located by
870-497: The Allied invasion of Sicily . Messina, owing to its strategic importance as a transit point for Axis troops and supplies sent to Sicily from mainland Italy, was a prime target for the British and American air forces, which dropped some 6,500 tons of bombs in the span of a few months. These raids destroyed one-third of the city, and caused 854 deaths among the population. The city was awarded
928-713: The Arabs in 842, and in 1061 by the Norman brothers Robert Guiscard and Roger Guiscard (later count Roger I of Sicily). In 1189 the English King Richard I ( "The Lionheart" ) stopped at Messina en route to the Holy Land for the Third Crusade and briefly occupied the city after a dispute over the dowry of his sister, who had been married to William the Good, King of Sicily . One of
986-631: The Battle of Augusta in April. At the end of the Franco-Spanish War , the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659 provided for Louis XIV to marry Maria Theresa , the eldest daughter of Philip IV of Spain , who was to bring a substantial dowry to Louis and who renounced her right to inherit the Spanish throne. The dowry was never paid. On the death of Philip IV in September 1665, his infant son Charles II of Spain
1044-643: The Italian Peninsula . At the end of the First Punic War it was a free city allied with Rome. In Roman times Messina, then known as Messana , had an important pharos (lighthouse). Messana was the base of Sextus Pompeius , during his war against Octavian . After the fall of the Western Roman Empire the city was successively ruled by Goths from 476, then by the Byzantine Empire in 535, by
1102-470: The Roman Republic for an alliance, hoping for more reliable protection. Although initially reluctant to assist lest it encourage other mercenary groups to mutiny, Rome was unwilling to see Carthaginian power spread further over Sicily and encroach on Italy. Rome, therefore, entered into an alliance with the Mamertines. In 264 BC, Roman troops were deployed to Sicily, the first time a Roman army acted outside
1160-539: The Second Battle of Stromboli or the Battle of Alicudi , took place on 8 January, 1676, during the Franco-Dutch War . The battle occurred between a French fleet of 20 ships under Abraham Duquesne and a combined fleet of 19 allied ships (18 Dutch and one Spanish ship) under Lieutenant-Admiral-General Michiel de Ruyter . It lasted eight hours and ended inconclusively. The fleets fought again several months later at
1218-630: The Spanish Netherlands in 1667 in the War of Devolution was initially very successful, with the ending of the Second Anglo-Dutch War , the Dutch began discussions with England and Sweden on creating a diplomatic alliance to protect Spain against France. The subsequent the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle signed in May 1668 gave Louis XIV much less Spanish territory than he had expected, and his resentment of
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#17328550904921276-657: The port and constituting a Ferry transport in the Strait of Messina to Villa San Giovanni station across the Strait of Messina . In 2021 the harbor of Messina was the busiest passenger port in Europe with over 8.232.000 passenger crossings in one year. The station is electrified and served by regional trains. For long-distance transport it counts some InterCity and ICN night trains to Rome , linking it also with Milan , Turin , Venice , Genoa , Bologna , Florence , and other cities. It
1334-528: The siege of Kaffa from infected Mongol armies led by Janibeg ; it was a departure point for many Italian merchants who fled the city to Sicily. Contemporary accounts from Messina tell of the arrival of "Death Ships" from the East, which floated to shore with all the passengers on board already dead or dying of plague. Plague-infected rats probably also came aboard these ships. The black death ravaged Messina and rapidly spread northward into mainland Italy from Sicily in
1392-828: The 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of more than 218,000 inhabitants in the city proper and about 650,000 in the Metropolitan City. It is located near the northeast corner of Sicily, at the Strait of Messina and it is an important access terminal to Calabria region, Villa San Giovanni , Reggio Calabria on the mainland. According to Eurostat the FUA of the metropolitan area of Messina has, in 2014, 277,584 inhabitants. The city's main resources are its seaports (commercial and military shipyards), cruise tourism, commerce, and agriculture (wine production and cultivating lemons, oranges, mandarin oranges , and olives). The city has been
1450-455: The Dutch On 7 January, de Ruyter had held the weather gauge, but either he did not attack on that day, or Duquesne foiled his attack by remaining out of range. However, during the night the wind veered to a west-southwesterly direction and, as both fleets were heading almost due south, it now favoured the French. The wind had also strengthened overnight, so the Spanish galleys had taken refuge in
1508-663: The Dutch intervention decided him to detach England and Sweden from their alliance with the Dutch and prepare for war against the United Netherlands . France then invaded the United Netherlands in May 1672, initiating the Franco-Dutch War . Louis however refused a Dutch offer of very favourable peace terms made in June 1672, and the Dutch retreated behind the Dutch Water Line , a barrier of inundations, and prepared to resist
1566-471: The First squadron in the rear. From about 9am, Duquesne's ships steered obliquely towards the Dutch fleet, a tactic that exposed them to Dutch broadside fire to which they could only respond with a few guns. De Ruyter's van and centre reacted by gradually giving way so that their French opponents could not get close to them and remained at a disadvantage, subject to full Dutch broadsides. The two French ships at
1624-419: The French by land and sea. In July 1674, the city of Messina in Sicily had revolted against Spanish rule and then asked for French protection. A small French squadron with a few troops and limited food supplies was sent to Messina in September 1674, but it withdrew before the year end in the face of a Spanish fleet of 22 ships and numerous galleys. A stronger French force of 20 ships, including nine ships of
1682-594: The French evacuated their troops from Messina early in 1678. On 10 January 1678 England and the United Provinces signed an treaty of alliance at the Hague. Louis XIV saw that he could not compete at sea with the combined Anglo-Dutch forces and decided to withdraw from Sicily, which he had never seen as more than a distraction. He sent François d'Aubusson de La Feuillade from Toulon with Duquesne's fleet, ostensibly to replace Vivonne as viceroy in Sicily but in fact to evacuate
1740-531: The French fleet. Both sides had suffered significant damage to many ships and the Dutch Essen from Verschoor's Third Squadron sank the next day. However, the Dutch had inflicted more casualties on the French during their oblique approach. During the night, the wind strengthened, and Duquesne was joined by d'Alméras with eight ships from Messina, but the next day the Spanish squadron was sighted and Duquesne did not wish to fight an action against superior numbers in
1798-428: The French troops. La Feuillade had himself proclaimed viceroy with great pomp on 28 February 1678. On 13 March 1678 he embarked the French troops on the pretence of an expedition against Palermo. He then informed the Messinese jurats that the French were leaving for good. A few hundred leading families were allowed to embark before the fleet left. The Spanish viceroy returned to Messina without opposition, having promised
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1856-520: The Greek city Messene (See also List of traditional Greek place names ). Later, Micythus was the ruler of Rhegium and Zancle, and he also founded the city of Pyxus . The city was sacked in 397 BC by the Carthaginians and then reconquered by Dionysius I of Syracuse . In 288 BC the Mamertines seized the city by treachery, killing all the men and taking the women as their wives. The city became
1914-505: The Lipari Islands, he encountered the French fleet led by Duquesne and the convoy it was escorting. The French aimed to bring the convoy into Messina intact and to preserve their fleet as a fighting force whereas the Dutch wished to prevent the fleet and convoy reaching Messina or to do as much damage to them as possible. Although ship numbers on both sides were similar, the French fleet was more powerful, with 1,500 guns against 1,200 for
1972-573: The Spanish Admiral Melchor de la Cueva's force of 15 sailing warships and 15 galleys. Vivonne himself arrived on 11 February 1675 with eight warships and three fireships. The French fleet now had 20 sailing warships, of which nine were ships of the line. The French easily defeated the Spanish in the Battle of the Lipari Islands , and captured the 44-gun frigate Nuestra Señora del Pueblo . Vivonne
2030-587: The child of Philip's second wife Mariana of Austria was proclaimed king. Mariana's nearest male relative, the Emperor Leopold might therefore have had a claim to the Spanish throne if Charles died childless, so Louis therefore claimed that, since Maria Theresa's dowry had not been paid, her renunciation was invalid, and under an obscure Netherlands law, that as child of Philip IV's she rather than Charles II should have inherited, and that Maria Theresa's rights "devolved" to him as her husband. The French invasion of
2088-410: The city and also the modern Messina tramway (at "Repubblica" stop, on station's square), opened in 2003. This line is 7.7 kilometres (4.8 mi) and links the city's central railway station with the city centre and harbour. The industrial plan provides for the purchase of about 66 buses in the three-year period 2020–2022 to improve the environmental performance and comfort of the fleet. Furthermore,
2146-604: The city, had retaken some of the forts and seemed to be about to take the city. The Spanish had a fleet of 22 ships and 19 galleys cruising at the entrance to the Strait of Messina . Valbelle, with six warships and three fire ships, boldly attempted the passage and entered the port unharmed on 8 January. Although the Spanish troops withdrew some distance from the city, Valavoire did no have the resources to advance inland, and provisions soon ran low again. Vivonne sent another squadron under Capitaine de Tourville . He joined Valbelle, but together they were still not strong enough to attack
2204-518: The ensuing twenty-year War of the Sicilian Vespers , and was besieged a second time in 1302. In 1345 Orlando d'Aragona , the illegitimate son of Frederick II of Sicily was the strategos of Messina. In 1347 Messina was one of the first points of entry for the black death into Western Europe. Genoese galleys travelling from the infected city of Kaffa carried plague into the Messina ports. Kaffa had been infected via Asian trade routes and
2262-451: The five forts were taken. Messina sent deputies to the French ambassador in Rome and to Admiral Louis Victor de Rochechouart de Mortemart , Compte de Vivonne, on the coast of Catalonia. On 27 September 1674 Vivonne sent Jean-Baptiste de Valbelle to help the rebels with a convoy of supply vessels guarded by a squadron of seven warships and three fire ships. Valbelle took advantage of the tide and
2320-576: The following few months. In 1548 St. Ignatius founded there the first Jesuit college in the world, which later gave birth to the Studium Generale (the current University of Messina ). The Christian ships that won the Battle of Lepanto (1571) left from Messina: the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes , who took part in the battle, recovered for some time in the Grand Hospital . The city reached
2378-474: The front of Preuilly d'Humières, van, Prudent and Parfait suffered most severely from heavy Dutch fire during their oblique approach, and both had to pull out of the line of battle, disordering the van, masking the fire of some if its ships and causing their commander in Saint Michel to be exposed to the simultaneous fire of several Dutch warships. Although Duquesne was wounded, he managed to restore order to
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2436-531: The lee of the Lipari Islands: Duquesne therefore sent the convoy ahead and prepared to attack the Dutch. Each fleet comprised three squadrons with its commander in the centre. The French van was commanded by Marquis de Preuilly d'Humières, a chef d'escadre and the rear by Louis Gabaret, another chef d'escadre. The Dutch Third Squadron led the Dutch fleet, commanded by its Schout-bij-nacht , Nikolaas Verschoor, with Vice-Admiral Jan den Haan commanding
2494-510: The line, and supply convoy managed to break through the Spanish blockade and defeat the more numerous Spanish fleet in a battle off the Lipari Islands on 11 February 1675, capturing one Spanish warship, and it brought the Spanish blockade of Messina to an end and provided considerable food supplies to the city. This battle is sometimes referred to as the First Battle of Stromboli. The Spanish then asked for Dutch assistance. Michiel de Ruyter
2552-612: The major cities on Sicily, Messina was heavily involved in the rivalry between the Anjou dynasty in Naples and the Aragonese House of Barcelona . Initially a stronghold of Anjou support on Sicily, in 1282 the city joined the revolt of the Sicilian Vespers , resulting in the city being subjected to a major siege by Charles I of Anjou . Messina remained a major naval base for the remainder of
2610-429: The morning of 28 December 1908, killing about 100,000 people and destroying most of the ancient architecture. The city was largely rebuilt in the following year. However, thousands of residents displaced by the earthquake lived in shanty towns outside the city until the late 1930s, when further reconstruction finally commenced. It incurred further damage from the massive Allied air bombardments of 1943; before and during
2668-462: The nobility and upper bourgeoisie of the city became hostile to the Spanish. The Spanish captain-general Luis de Hojo conceived the plan of turning the common people against the upper classes through a display of charity and devotion, and through engineering an artificial shortage for which the senate of the city would be blamed. The artisan workers threw out the patricians in 1672, but did not dispute Spanish rule. The Prince de Ligne , Viceroy of Sicily,
2726-467: The offer of public transport, introducing a bus line (line 1 - Shuttle 100) which with a frequency of approx. 15 minutes, it crosses 38 of the total 50 km of the coast of the City of Messina. Thus, a comb service is created, with interchange stops at which the buses to and from the villages terminate, and with the tram which reaches a frequency of about 20 minutes. About 36 different routes reach every part of
2784-505: The peak of its splendour in the early 17th century, under Spanish domination: at the time it was one of the ten greatest cities in Europe. In 1674 the city rebelled against the foreign garrison . It managed to remain independent for some time, thanks to the help of the French king Louis XIV , but in 1678, with the Peace of Nijmegen , it was reconquered by the Spaniards and sacked: the university,
2842-502: The reigning Bourbons , but was heavily suppressed again. Only in 1860, after the Battle of Milazzo , the Garibaldine troops occupied the city. One of the main figures of the unification of Italy , Giuseppe Mazzini , was elected deputy at Messina in the general elections of 1866. Another earthquake of less intensity damaged the city on 16 November 1894. The city was almost entirely destroyed by an earthquake and associated tsunami on
2900-521: The resources equal to 1.82 million euros, coming from the PON Metro 2014-2020 will allow: List of notable people from Messina or connected to Messina, listed by career and then in alphabetical order by last name. Numerous writers set their works in Messina, including: Battle of Stromboli Upper Rhine France Southern Italy North Germany and Scandinavia Pyrenees Americas Naval battles The Battle of Stromboli , also known as
2958-538: The senate and all the privileges of autonomy it had enjoyed since the Roman times were abolished. A massive fortress was built by the occupants and Messina decayed steadily. In 1743, 48,000 died of a second wave of plague in the city. In 1783 an earthquake devastated much of the city, and it took decades to rebuild and rekindle the cultural life of Messina. In 1847 it was one of the first cities in Italy where Risorgimento riots broke out. In 1848 it rebelled openly against
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#17328550904923016-414: The shape of its natural harbour (though a legend attributes the name to King Zanclus ). A comune of its Metropolitan City, located at the southern entrance of the Strait of Messina , is to this day called 'Scaletta Zanclea'. Solinus wrote that the city of Metauros was established by people from Zancle. In the early 5th century BC Anaxilas of Rhegium renamed it Messene ( Μεσσήνη ) in honour of
3074-458: The van and tried several times to break the Dutch line with the French van and centre, although de Ruyter's close linear formation, his manoeuvering and the weight of Dutch broadsides prevented this. To the rear, some vessels in Gabaret's squadron were mishandled and ran into one another and the French rear as a whole failed to close with den Haan's ships. Den Haan's squadron, which had initially been
3132-476: The year end with only one Spanish ship added to his fleet. This delay may have saved Messina, as its food supplies were short and, had de Ruyter not been delayed, the Dutch fleet may have prevented its reprovisioning. The news that de Ruyter was on his way prompted the French viceroy of Messina, firstly to send a force to attack Augusta by land and sea, as its capture would deny the Dutch a suitable harbour near Messina and, secondly, to send Duquesne to France to escort
3190-402: Was alarmed by the disturbances, and had Hojo removed. When the disturbances continued and there was talk of using force against the rebels, Ligne also resigned. On 7 July 1674 the trades companies united with the patricians in a revolt against the Spanish, and besieged Captain-General Crispano in his palace. They drove out the Spanish garrison and gained control of almost all of the city. Four of
3248-439: Was independent until the end of the Franco-Dutch War of 1672–78, when the Spanish regained control. The city of Messina had a population of 120,000 in the mid-17th century, with the city council dominated by a few patrician families. The Spanish government granted Messina a monopoly on the export of silk in 1663, but after loud protests from other ports of Sicily withdrew it the next year. There were no immediate disturbances, but
3306-488: Was now able to sail into Messina, delivering large quantities of food. In the remainder of 1675 the French increased their strength in Sicily and along the southern coast of Italy. In 1676, Michiel de Ruyter in command of a combined Dutch fleet, with one Spanish warship attached, which was intended to blockade Messina fought a French fleet, under Abraham Duquesne , at the indecisive battle of Stromboli in January 1676 and, under
3364-488: Was sent to the Mediterranean with eighteen larger warships and a number of smaller vessels although, because Dutch resources had been strained by the continuing Franco-Dutch War, these were not fully manned and de Ruyter thought the force was insufficient. After waiting for two months on the Spanish coast for the supplies promised by the Spanish authorities and for a Spanish squadron to join him, de Ruyter sailed for Sicily at
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