The Battle of Lepanto: The Clash between Christian Europe and the Ottoman Empire

It was therefore on October 7, 1571, in the magnificent sapphire waters of the Greek Gulf of Patras which would soon be red with blood, that one of the greatest naval battles of our civilization took place. The stakes of this confrontation: control of the Mediterranean basin, but also stopping the expansionist desires of the Ottomans on Christian Europe. This battle, which put a brake on the progressive conquest of Europe and what would have been its inevitable Islamization, was nicknamed by Paolo Cau, specialist in military history, “the battle of the giants”thus deserving to appear in his book, The 100 greatest battles in history.

Emboldened by the capture of Constantinople in 1453, the Ottoman Turkish Empire enjoyed a century of uninterrupted expansion, with a succession of victories against the Christian states of Europe. Faced with this imminent danger, Pope Pius V failed in 1570 in his attempt to form a naval alliance between the main Christian powers of the Mediterranean. It was not until the fall of Cyprus, a Venetian possession since 1489, that the Christian kingdoms became aware of the danger that threatened them. Thus, triumphing over hesitations, discord and resentment, the Holy League was founded. It then brings together Spain, Venice, Genoa, the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, established on the island of Malta since 1530, the Duchy of Savoy, Tuscany as well as the States of the Church. Note, however, that France, which had allied itself in 1536 under François I^is with the Sublime Porte, is not part of this alliance, anxious to maintain its commercial relations with Constantinople. It is also true that our country was then crossed by religious wars.

For the upcoming confrontation, the Sainte-Ligue can field 212 warships, including 206 galleys and 6 galleasses. The latter, few in number, will however be the most important weapon in the battle to come. Indeed, larger and better armed, they are technically ahead of the hassle. On the morning of October 7, 1571, the Christian flotilla commanded by the son of Emperor Charles V, Don Juan of Austria, faced the Turkish armada led by Ali Pasha. The latter is made up of more than 300 ships, including mainly galleys as well as smaller vessels.

The battle began at 9:30 a.m. The Turks, pushed by the sirocco, set off first, while the Christians plodded forward with difficulty. The ships cut through the water, closing in on their enemies and soon within cannon range. The first bombings were then heard in the gulf. The shock is severe for both armies, but the Ottoman fleet uses tactics to outflank and surround the Christian ships to better destroy them. Fortunately, the latter resist with the help of their galeasses. A twist of fate, if not from God, even ends up reversing the outcome of the fight as well as the direction of the wind. Ali Pasha then lost his advantage in favor of the Holy League. The latter succeeded in boarding the Turkish admiral’s ship and seizing his banner. This disappointment discourages the Turkish forces who try to escape. The victory of Christian Europe is now complete.

By evening, the majority of the Ottoman fleet was destroyed; she will never get up again. However, all this should not make us believe in a total victory. Indeed, even if the Turks lost Crete in the years following the Battle of Lepanto, they did not admit defeat. Their military power on the continent continues. Nevertheless, the legend of Ottoman invincibility begins to weaken and only illustrates the beginning of the decadence of its army, certainly gigantic, but soon archaic. As the great historian of the Mediterranean Fernand Braudel wrote: “The enchantment of the Ottoman power is broken, the active Christian race reappears, the enormous Turkish armada disintegrates. »

The fruits of the victory at Lepanto did not last, however, in the long term and would lead to the weakening of the powers of the Holy League who bled themselves financially to defeat the Muslim invader. Indeed, in the 17th^e century and even more so in the following century, the major trade routes will pass from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. From a military point of view, the galleasses and galleys victorious in 1571 had little future ahead of them. For Paolo Cau, these will now be “the French, English and Dutch ships of the line which will be the champions of the maritime war to come and not the flat-bottomed boats of the victors of Lepanto”.