On August 6, 1284, the Republic of Genoa defeated the Republic of Pisa in a decisive naval battle near the Meloria islet in the Ligurian Sea. The battle was a major turning point in the long rivalry between the two Italian maritime republics, effectively destroying Pisa's naval power and commercial dominance. The victory secured Genoa's pre-eminence in the Mediterranean and marked the beginning of Pisa's decline as a major power.

The Battle of Meloria was a significant event in Italian history that was recorded by contemporary chroniclers such as Salimbene de Adam and later became a subject of historical and literary works. The battle was often used as a cautionary tale about the vicissitudes of fortune and the cost of hubris, themes that were explored in Italian poetry and the emerging tradition of humanist historiography. The event also reinforced the rivalry between Genoa and Pisa, which inspired numerous poems and stories.