Michael Baizerman Author

A few days ago, I uploaded the final version of my article on the battle in which the Catalan-Sicilian fleet, led by Admiral Roger de Lauria, achieved victory over the Angevin armada. https://www.academia.edu/144389334/The_Battle_of_the_Formigues_Islands In my article, I discuss the background and implications of this battle—a series of conflicts that allowed the Crown of Aragon to regain its independence and repel foreign aggression. I also explain why the Crusade against Aragon ended in failure and highlight the strategies that helped Admiral Roger overwhelm his adversaries. This paper is the seventh in a series on the tactics of naval battles in the medieval Mediterranean. For the first time, I am citing sources and secondary literature written in languages other than English, primarily French, Italian, Spanish, and Catalan. In addition, I am preparing a Zoom lecture about the Fourth Crusade based on my findings. Just to clarify, there will be only one lecture, not three! https://w...

Mariano Barbasán Laguerue   King Pedro of Aragon at the Pass of Pass of Panissars I have nearly completed the draft of a new chapter telling the story of the Crusade against Aragon undertaken by Philip, king of France, with the papal endorsement in 1285. As personal matters played a significant role in the train of events, I put the ousting of Charles of Anjou from the Sicilian throne as one of the main reasons for this enterprise.  Admiral Roger of Lauria cast a long shadow on Catalan maritime activities, and my account devotes some time to his tactics, especially in the Battle of Las Formigues. The ill-fated Crusade ended with the French recognition (de facto) of the Catalan dominance in the Western Mediterranean Sea. I follow the plot issued by Ramon Muntaner's Chronicle.  My next topic is the sack of Constantinople by the participants of the Fourth Crusade. I've just started collecting the data. I will speak briefly of the zigzags of the Crusade and focus on the amphi...

  I'm not ready yet to unveil the outline of my current project titled " The Fright and Thrill of Navigation:  Seafaring in the Medieval and Renaissance Mediterranean,"  but I will disclose a few details. The first part will be "The Age of the Galley." It consists of the intro, A Tale of the Two Watercraft Brands, and two chapters, Early War Galleys and Late War Galleys.  The introduction is ready, at least as a magazine version, and I even uploaded it on the Academia site, not as one but as three articles: https://www.academia.edu/104456432/War_galleys_in_the_Medieval_Mediterranean https://www.academia.edu/107397680/Sailing_Ships_in_the_Medieval_Mediterranean https://www.academia.edu/109918628/Galleys_vs_Sailing_Ships_Comparison_and_Contrast I am currently editing Chapter 1: Early War Galleys, which I divided into portions for possible magazine publication.  I am also assessing the material collected for a new chapter based on the Battle of   Los Form...

 A friend asked me whether I retell the known circumstances in my writing. I find it a tricky issue. Of  course, I base my narrative on familiar descriptions, trying to relate the events in my words. I search for lively expressions to convey the meaning. However, I check the well-known descriptions with the sources, applying logic to estimate the value of both the sources and modern rendering.  I have recently finished writing a new chapter, The Battle of Meloria (August 6, 1284), which pitted the Pisan and Genoese fleets in the view of Porto Pisano.  Before that, the Pisan fleet made an abortive effort to blockade the port of Genoa, taking advantage of the fact that a decent-sized Genoese squadron under Benedetto Zaccaria engaged elsewhere. The Ligurian war council recalled the ships, and Zaccaria entered the harbor unharmed. How could it be when the Pisans surrounded the entrance to the port? Why didn't the Genoese attempt to squeeze the less powerful rival navy an...