Corsair Tactics and Lofty Ideals: the 1607 Tuscan Raid on Cyprus

On the dawn of the 24th of June 1607, a small force comprising of Tuscan, Corsican, Spanish, English and other soldiers, mercenaries and corsairs, attempted to storm the fort of Famagusta in an attempt to take it by surprise. Finding that their ladders were too short, their petards ineffective and their numbers cut short by insufficient organisation, the attackers retreated by the end of the day, having lost 21 men. After roaming the south-eastern coast of Cyprus, waiting in vain for the promised support by the local Christian populace, they departed under a cloud of failure, dispute and blame.
This paper tracks the progress of this doomed expedition on the map, providing precise information as to its preparations, information, the route it followed, the tactics employed and ultimately assessing the reasons why it failed. It is also an attempt to place the expedition on the map in terms of its approach to the Famagusta walls and the focus of its attack. It will discuss the background to this raid, and juxtapose the aspirations of Cypriot post-Venetian notables with the more pragmatic aims of the Tuscan and Spanish courts in the context of the Mediterranean corso.
Based on manuscripts from Venice, Florence and Siena, this paper focuses on the military aspects of the expedition and goes in search for the towers, bastions and gates of Famagusta in order to corroborate documentary evidence based on the evidence found on the landscape