Atlas of Battles

siege, medieval

Siege of Messina

Siege of Messina was a siege conducted in May 1282 at Messina, in what is now Italy. It was part of the War of the Sicilian Vespers, which ran from 1282 to 1302. The recorded result: Messinese–Aragonese–Sicilian victory.

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FoughtMay 1282
WhereMessina, Italy38.183N, 15.550E
OutcomeMessinese–Aragonese–Sicilian victory
BelligerentsCrown of Aragon; Kingdom of Sicily; Commune of MessinaagainstKingdom of Naples; Supported by: Papal States
Part ofWar of the Sicilian Vespers1282 to 1302

Where it sits in the War of the Sicilian Vespers

Siege of Messina, 1282Battle of Nicotera, 1282Battle of Malta, 1283Battle of the Gulf of Naples, 1284Siege of Augusta, 1287Battle of the Counts, 1287Capture of Squillace, 1297Battle of Falconaria, 1299Battle of Gagliano, 1300Battle of Ponza, 130012821300Siege of Messina, 1282
10 placed engagements of the War of the Sicilian Vespers in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

DateMay 1282 (month precision)
to August 1282
PlaceMessina, Italy
38.183N, 15.550E
KindSiege, medieval
Strength8,000 men (Messinese garrison); 2,500 men (Aragonese reinforcements); 30 galleys23,000 infantry; 8,000 cavalry; 82 ships; Numerous small watercraft
Casualties and lossesHeavy; Over 1,000 militia men lost at Milazzo, several hundred killed during Angevin assaults, hundreds lost to disease.Heavy; 3,000 men claimed killed in battle, hundreds to disease, 100 watercraft and ships claimed burned.
Commanders
  • Alaimo da Lentini
  • Baldwin Mussone
  • Bartolomeo Maniscalco
  • Peter III of Aragon
  • Niccola di Palizzi
  • Andrea da Procida
  • Charles I of Anjou
  • Henri di Girard
  • Hugh, Count of Brienne
  • Gerardo da Parma
Siege of MessinaSiege of MessinaBattle of MesseneSiege of MessinaSiege of MessinaSiege of MessinaSiege of MessinaCataniaSiracusaCatanzaroCrotoneVibo Valentia100 km38.183N, 15.550E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 8 times between 397 BC and 1847.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1282

Siege of Messina is one of 590 engagements of the 13th century in the atlas and one of 942 in present-day Italy.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q15884336, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of Messina (1282), revision 1370743474, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.