Key Facts
- Date
- 12, 13, and 16 June 1717
- Duration of engagement
- Nearly 10 days
- Location
- Near Imbros, Aegean Sea
- Venetian commander
- Lodovico Flangini (died of wounds 22 June 1717)
- Ottoman commander
- Kapudan Pasha Hodja Ibrahim Pasha
- Outcome
- Inconclusive; both fleets retired badly damaged
Strategic Narrative Overview
On 12, 13, and 16 June 1717, the Venetian Armada Grossa under Capitano Straordinario delle Navi Lodovico Flangini engaged the Ottoman fleet under Kapudan Pasha Hodja Ibrahim Pasha near Imbros. Despite being outnumbered, the Venetian force used manoeuvre tactics effectively over the course of the multi-day action, managing to hold its own against the larger Turkish force through several distinct phases of fighting.
01 / The Origins
The Battle of Imbros was part of the broader Ottoman–Venetian War of 1714–1718, in which the Ottoman Empire sought to reassert dominance in the Aegean and recapture territories held by Venice. The conflict reflected longstanding rivalry between the two powers over control of key islands and sea lanes in the eastern Mediterranean, with Venice struggling to maintain its naval presence against a numerically superior Ottoman fleet.
03 / The Outcome
Neither side achieved a decisive victory; both fleets withdrew to their respective bases with severe damage. The Venetian commander Lodovico Flangini died of wounds sustained in the battle on 22 June 1717, adding to the heavy cost of the engagement. The inconclusive result left the strategic situation in the Aegean essentially unchanged, as the wider war continued toward its eventual conclusion with the Treaty of Passarowitz in 1718.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Hodja Ibrahim Pasha (Kapudan Pasha).
Side B
1 belligerent
Lodovico Flangini.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.