The Battle of Lepanto was a naval battle fought in the Gulf of Patras off western Greece between the fleet of the Holy League, which was organised by Pope Pius V and included Spain, Venice, the Papal States and others, and the fleet of the Ottoman Empire. The Christian fleet was commanded by Don John of Austria, the half-brother of Philip II of Spain, and the Ottoman by Ali Pasha, who was killed in the fighting. The battle was fought mainly by galleys, and was one of the largest naval engagements in Europe since antiquity. The Holy League won a decisive victory, though the Ottomans rebuilt their fleet quickly and kept Cyprus. The Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes was wounded there.
Before and after
- 1570Construction of Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral
- from 1570 to 1573Ottoman–Venetian War of 1570–1573
- 24 June 1571Founding of Manila
- 29 September 1571Birth of Caravaggio
- 7 October 1571Battle of Lepanto
- 27 December 1571Birth of Johannes Kepler
- 1572Wilhelmus
- 1572Birth of John Donne
- 24 August 1572St. Bartholomew's Day massacre
More in Wars, politics & history
- 25 September 1555Peace of Augsburg
- from 2 April 1562 to 30 April 1598French Wars of Religion
- from 1683 to 1699Great Turkish War
- from September 1688 to September 1697Nine Years' War
- 1713Pragmatic Sanction of 1713
- from 28 May 1754 to 7 October 1763French and Indian War
The era
This moment belongs to the Early modern world (1500 CE to 1760 CE), voyages, printing and new ideas. You can also browse everything in the 16th century.