← Explore on the interactive map
Battle of Lepanto
On October 7, 1571, the Holy League's combined fleet won a decisive victory over the Ottoman fleet in the Gulf of Patras in the Ionian Sea, the last …
Timeline
- 1571Messina · SicilyUnder the urging of Pope Pius V, Spain, Venice, the Papal States, and others formed the Holy League; Don John of Austria served as commander-in-chief, and the fleet sailed east from Messina in Sicily to search for the Ottoman main fleet.
- 1571Waters near Lepanto (Naupactus) · Central GreeceThe two galley fleets engaged in line battle at the entrance to the Gulf of Patras. Ottoman fleet commander Ali Pasha was killed and his flagship captured; the coalition sank and captured numerous Ottoman warships, winning a decisive tactical victory.
- 1571Ionian Sea · Ionian SeaAlthough the coalition won a great naval victory, it did not immediately recover Cyprus, and the Ottoman navy was rebuilt within a few years. The victory at Lepanto greatly encouraged the Christian world and became a landmark turning point of Mediterranean conflicts in the 16th century.
Sources
- Battle of Lepanto https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Lepanto
- The Battle of Lepanto 1571 — John F. Guilmartin Jr. (2002)