Battle of Les Formigues

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Battle of Les Formigues
partof=the Aragonese Crusade


caption=
date=September 4 1285
place=near Barcelona, present-day Spain
result=Aragonese victory
combatant1=Crown of Aragon
combatant2=France, Genoa
commander1=Roger of Lauria
Ramon Marquet
Berenguer Mallol
commander2=France:
Guilhem de Lodeva
Genoa:
Henry di Mari
John de Orreo
strength1=40 galleys
(30 Sicilian, 10 Catalan)
strength2=30 galleys
casualties1=Unknown
casualties2=15–20 or more galleys sunk, burnt, or captured The naval Battle of Les Formigues (Catalan) or Las Hormigas (Spanish) took place probably in the early morning of 4 September 1285 near Les Formigues Islands, about 85 km northeast of Barcelona, when a Catalan-Sicilian galley fleet commanded by Roger of Lauria defeated a French and Genoese galley fleet commanded by Guilhem de Lodeva, Henry di Mari, and John de Orrea.

There are three almost completely different accounts of this battle in Ramon Muntaner, Bernard Desclot, and the "Gesta comitum Barchinonensium". The "Gesta" places the battle at Las Formigueres (or Formigas), while Muntaner favoured a location off Roses (Rosas) to the north. Either Lauria or the French were ashore for the night and encountered by the other, or they were both at sea when the encounter took place. The accounts agree that it happened at night, which was unusual for medieval naval battles, but suited Lauria who was skilled at night-fighting. He used two lanterns on each galley to increase his apparent numbers. Ten to sixteen Genoese galleys under John de Orreo fled, leaving about fifteen to twenty French galleys to be captured, and some others sunk or burnt. The troubadour Joan Esteve blamed treachery for the capture of the French admiral Guilhem.