Battle of Lepanto: Holy League Destroys Turkish Fleet
The Holy League fleet of 206 galleys met the Ottoman fleet of 230 galleys near the Gulf of Patras on October 7, 1571. The battle lasted five hours. Nearly all the fighting was hand-to-hand, with soldiers boarding enemy vessels after ramming. The Ottomans lost 210 ships captured or sunk and roughly 30,000 dead. The Christians lost 17 galleys and 7,500 men but freed an estimated 12,000 Christian galley slaves chained to Ottoman oars. Miguel de Cervantes fought aboard the Marquesa and took three arquebus shots, permanently losing the use of his left hand. He later called Lepanto 'the most noble and memorable event that past centuries have seen.' The Ottomans rebuilt their fleet within a year, but they never again seriously challenged Christian naval power in the western Mediterranean.
October 7, 1571
455 years ago
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