Nanami Shiono - The Siege of Rhodes

In April of 1522, a single, large sailing vessel made its way north with the Isle of Rhodes, aglow in the setting sun, visible on its starboard side. Rhodes rested upon the sea like a long nut stretching from north to south. From the sea there was no sign of human habitation, perhaps because Rhodess western coast was not blessed with any good harbors offering shelter from the overpowering northwesterly winds that blew through the Aegean Sea between spring and fall. The soft light of approaching sunset washed over nothing but the thick stands of trees, the craggy faces of rocks, and the expansive, uninhabited beach.

Skillful operation of its sails allowed the Genoese merchant ship to make progress despite headwinds. This journey to the Orient had been at the behest of the Order of the Knights of St. John, based on Rhodes, who had hired it to carry ammunition and wheat to the island. After loading ammunition purchased in Milan and leaving from the port at Genoa, it had stopped in Naples. It also stayed briefly in the Sicilian port of Messina, but only to purchase wheat. Ships piloted by Genoese sailors could easily handle a month-long voyage without making a call at port. They could therefore reasonably sail with their specialized cargo directly from Messina to Rhodes without stopping by Crete, which was controlled by the Republic of Venice.

The main cities of Crete were all concentrated on its northern shore, and a ship could not traverse those waters without drawing the attention of the Venetian naval patrol. To avoid unnecessary trouble with the Venetians, they had to take a long detour around Cretes southern coast and then cut north and head for Rhodes. The Republic of Venice intended to uphold its goodwill treaty with Turkey and maintain a position of neutrality, unlike the Order of the Knights of St. John, which had ignored the Ottoman Sultans order to surrender and were preparing for war.

A young man named Antonio was aboard ship, accompanied by his valet. He was the second son of the Marquis del Carretto, lord of the Finale Estate near Genoa. He had curly, dark brown locks, and dark brown eyes that made his pale forehead especially conspicuous. He had a calm demeanor and spoke infrequently. This seemed unusual for someone so young, but not so much that it made anyone uncomfortable during the month he had shared the captains table as guest of honor. The ships crew and the other passengers, all merchants, quickly grew accustomed to this young man who always had a book open or gazed quietly at the distant horizon.

Antonio del Carretto always wore the uniform of the Order of the Knights of St. John. It was all black except for a white cross embroidered on the chest, and was both the everyday clothing and the clerical robe of the knights of the order. Though he was clad entirely in black, the graceful curve of his legs revealed the twenty-year-olds youthfulness.

Attires of the Order of St. John

There was a great fluttering of the sails and the ship changed course. The sailors sprang into action. Since they were coming into port with the northwesterly winds at their backs, they had to slow down by replacing the triangular sail with a smaller one and furling the lower half of the square sail.

By then, a shoreline shrouded in lavender mist was visible on the port side of the ship, which had turned hard to the right. That land stretched far to the east. It was the southern shore of Asia MinorTurkish territory. Both Rhodes and, further to the east, Cyprus were positioned on the front line where Islam and Christendom collided. The distance between Rhodes and the southern extreme of Asia Minor was no more than eighteen kilometers. Since the port of Rhodes in the capital city was located at the northernmost point of the island, the captain of the ship once again turned the rudder starboard as he took the ship around the cape that jutted out from the northern shore.