Dual
RIP Karl 1991-2014
In 1571, a unified Catholic (Venetian, Spanish, German, Neapolitan, Milanese, Papal, and Maltese) fleet under the command of Don John of Austria engaged the main Ottoman armada off the coast of Lepanto (Greece, southern Epirus) in the first decisive naval battle that the Turks lost. To many Christians, this signified the beginning of the downfall of the Turks, who hitherto had been regarded, perhaps, as invincible. For two hundred years, the Turks had held south-east Europe in their grasp, and Lepanto gave the hope of one day recovering the Balkans for Christianity.
As a result of the battle, Ottoman expansion into the Mediterranean was halted, Christians gained confidence in the fallibility of the Turks, and for years Turkish naval power was shattered. Thousands of Christian galley slaves were freed, although a number of Holy League sailors were taken prisoner by the defeated Ottomans and used in their place. One of these sailors was Miguel de Cervantes, who would go on to include a fictionalised account of his captivity in his masterpiece, Don Quixote.
As a result of the battle, Ottoman expansion into the Mediterranean was halted, Christians gained confidence in the fallibility of the Turks, and for years Turkish naval power was shattered. Thousands of Christian galley slaves were freed, although a number of Holy League sailors were taken prisoner by the defeated Ottomans and used in their place. One of these sailors was Miguel de Cervantes, who would go on to include a fictionalised account of his captivity in his masterpiece, Don Quixote.
