J - 167 : Spanish Castles in the Gulf of Naples

Castello Aragonese d'Ischia was first built by Hieron, the Ruler of Syracuse, in 474 BC

When sailing around the Golf of Naples, you may notice the many Aragon (it merged in 1479 with Castile and became Spanish) castles sitting prominently on rocky outcrops high above the waves. Why are they there and what was their purpose? We will have the chance to visit many of them during our third week of sailing this September. More surprisingly is that many of them were modernized during the 16^th and 17^th century and are in good shape. They have bastions. Their walls are starshaped. Though, the Kingdom of Naples was not at war for centuries. The period between the beginning of Aragonese rule (1442) and Napoleon's invasion (1806) was - with a few exceptions - peaceful. So why are they there?

There are 9 Spanish Castles in the Gulf of Naples

The riddle solves when you look at other fortifications on Campania’s shores. The Saracen Towers. They were fortified lookouts against the Ottoman Fleet who often ventured into the Tyrrhenian Sea. To fight the Spanish, the French King Francis I. was in alliance with Suleyman the Magnificent, the Turkish Sultan. The Ottoman fleet was allowed to winter in Toulon, helped the French to take Nice and when not busy attacked villages and towns all around the Mediterranean.

The Saracen Towers on the Amalfi Coast are converted to luxury Villas and sell for big Bucks

In June 1558, a fleet of 20 Ottoman galleys attacked islands, villages and towns in the Gulf of Naples. Eventually, 2’000 Turkish mariners laid siege to Sorrento, sacked it, killed the men, enslaved its 2’000 women and children and sold them in Istanbul’s and Cairo’s slave markets.

Castello Aragonese di Baia was built in 1495 by King Alfonso II on the ruins of Roman Villa

There is no single island in the Western Mediterranean that was not attacked during this period of asymmetric warfare. The Ottoman Sultan Suleyman forced the Spanish Emperor Charles V. to spend money on watch towers (Saracen towers), town walls, forts and gunnery. He thus had no enough funds for building a large blue water navy which could have cleared the Mediterranean of the Ottoman corsairs.

Partially decade Saracen Tower on the Amalfi Coast

This type of warfare made perfect sense for the Ottoman Sultan. The human cost of these raids was none of his concerns. Slavery was legal in the Ottoman Empire. Non-Muslims were enslaved on all its borders – be it on the Russian steps, the Mediterranean or Africa. So much about woke historians telling us that slavery was an invention of colonialism…

Castello Aragonese di Agopoli was built on Byzantine Ruins and refurbished in 15th Century

The fortified Saracen towers along the coasts allowed people to monitor the sea and lite bonfires when danger approached. Since they were fortified and had their entrance 15 meters above ground, they could not easily be taken by advance parties. This gave people enough time to flee from their homes and rush to the fortified castles. There, they were far better protected and could resist a siege for a few weeks. Ottoman ships never stayed longer than a week or two. They did not want to be caught by the Genovese, Papel or Spanish Fleet which was never far away. They  could arrive within ten days and destroy the Turkish boats when the mariners were on land attacking and plundering local villages.

This converted Saracen Tower sells for USD 12 Million

With the failed Siege of Malta in 1565 and the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, the Saracen threat began to diminish. Many of the castles we visit were converted to hospitals, prisons or abandoned. But in the 16^th and 17^thcentury, they were vital for the population. Without them, people would have had to evacuate to the mountains and give up life on the sea. Today, the well preserve castles (Baia) house museums, some have become wedding locations and others wither. It is not easy to find them on English speaking websites, but Italian Wikipedia does a good job.

The Spanish Castellammare south of Pompei has become a Wedding Destination