The Probert Encyclopaedia of Warfare

BATTLE OF LEPANTO

The Battle of Lepanto was a naval engagement fought on October the 7th 1571, in the Gulf of Lepanto (now the Gulf of Corinth) between an Ottoman Turkish fleet and that of the Holy League, an alliance of Spain, Venice, Genoa, and the Papal States formed by Pope Julius II in 1511. Both sides sustained heavy casualties, but the Holy League won decisively, capturing more than 100 galleys and freeing thousands of Christian slaves. The battle was the first major victory of the Christians against the Ottoman Empire, and as such it was psychologically important. It was of small practical impact, however, for the Turks retained supremacy on land and quickly renewed their fleet.
Research Battle of Lepanto