The Battle of Lepanto

I am going from memory, but I think that the Venetians contributed well over 100 galleys and about 5 galleases to the Allied fleet: the Habsburg (not just Spain, but also Genoa, Milan and Naples) contribution was around 70 galleys. Spain itself had only a handful of ships at the battle.

It was Spanish, not Venetian, troops, from the flagship San Real (or La Real) who killed the Turkish commander. Don Juan was unhappy with the head on a spike, but I doubt he would have cared about the killing -- especially when the Ottoman morale collapsed shortly after word passed through their fleet that Ali Pasha was dead.

Spain always played very carefully in the wars with the Turk. Philip had so many demands on its resources, and was facing so many different threats in different parts of his empire that being very cautious only made sense. The cost of too aggressive a strategy that might end in disaster was just too great. Six years before, during the great siege of Malta, his Viceroy in Naples also held back reinforcements until the last possible moment.

It was the Venetians who first signed a separate peace with the Ottomans two years later, in part because having already lost Cyprus they could not afford a long war. Philip, when told, was apparently not surprised by what the Pope and others saw as Venetian treachery.

When I was in Venice a year ago, I made a point of looking for Lepanto "relics". There are only a few, but they are still noteworthy. There are two Ottoman battle flags -- one from Ali Pasha's flag ship, the other captured by the flagship of the Papal squadron. Very impressive to look at and realise where they came from. There is the Lepanto Chapel in, if I remember correctly, the Zanipolo Cathedral -- very ornate, but nothing from the battle itself. The highlight is to be found in a small church called Santa Maria Formosa, located just across the square from where Sebastiano Veniero (the Venetian commander) lived. In the church is a small icon that Veniero carried into battle with him and later donated to his parish. Of course, there is also the great entrance to the Arsenal that was built to commemorate the battle.

Maju,

Interesting.

I realised after I sent the post that I had Hugh Bicheno's book on Lepanto, the Crescent and the Cross (2003), in my library. He states (p.284) that Venice contributed 113 (including 6 galleases and 6 lantern ships), the Habsburg contingent included that of Spain (12 ships), Genoa (26), Naples (29), and Siciliy (6). There were also contributions from the Pope (12), Genoa City (3), Savoy (3) and Malta (3).

The Hapsburg contribution from Genoa is presunmably the squadron commanded by Gian' Andrea Doria. The private galleys must be those those listed as coming from Genoa City.

Its not clear to me what Bicheno's sources are, but the detail he provides is impressive. He has tables for the Allied fleet that include the names of each each, the crew complement, the captain's name, and the crew losses incurred from the battle.

 

Men, the venetian galleys was in a miserable situation when the war began, specially it hadn't crews. The ships built in the territories of Phillip II had the fame of to be the strongest; the galleys from Sicilly and Naples was italian only because the name of their bases, was ships paid with the money of Castille. More than 2/3 of the infantry was paid by the spanish with germans and spanish reinforcing the venetian galleys; the spaniard's contingent (6100 men) was the better of the fleet and they fought in the middle of the battle, in the crucial and more fierce combat, and won.

Ikki, triying to save the national myths

Originally posted by Maju It's a major Spanish victory indeed (assuming the concept of Spain applied then), though Venetians had some merit too. Let's say it's a major Italo-Hispano-Germano-Maltese victory.

I prefer change the order of the words... Hispano-Italo-Germano-Maltese... althoug your offer is not bad

 

One of the best accounts I have ever read on the Lepanto campaign is found in William Stirling Maxwell's Don Juan of Austria (1883). There is a lot of detail in this book about the politics of the coalition, personal rivalries between Veniero and Don Juan and the other commanders, and some of the strategic thinking on the Allied side. Its old, but its one of the best biographies (2 volumes) I have ever read.

The Spanish dynasty kicks ass!!!

---Viva ESPANA!!!

Yes, Lepanto was a stunning defeat for the Turks, but what did Christians gain?Yes, Alled forces showed their superiority in armamenr, tactics, but Algerian and Turk pirates continued even after that date to attack Christian ships, burn villages and slave people.

But Vienna or Italy were not anymore under the threat of the Sultan.

Don't you ever read what I post?

Vienna was still threatened. Ottomans defeated Austria in 1596 in a major battle. They besieged Vienna in 1683  for the second time! That's like 100 years later... The naval defeat in Lepanto had no effect on the Ottoman strength on land.

And on the sea, the Christians couldn't really capitalise on their victory, in terms of gained territory. Looking at the events; Ottomans have taken Cyprus, which was a huge blow to Venice and other Christians. In response a Christian coalition destroyed the Ottoman fleet in Lepanto in October 1571. Drunk with victory, they even planned an attack on Istanbul, thinking that the Ottomans had no naval power anymore. Next year, in 1572 they sailed to Cyprus to reclaim it, but met a new navy, built in just one season! Ottomans built ships like crazy in the meanwhile. Venetians were demoralised when they saw this, so on 7.March.1573 they signed a peace deal with the Ottomans, where they accepted to relinquish all territorial claims on Cyprus, and paid heavy reparations...

In the nearly same era the relations between Spain and England worsen.The British privateers power grew up and and people like Drake, Frobisher, Hawkins attacked and sunk convoys, Spanish colonies in Central and Southern America suffered many devastating raids

Originally posted by King Kaloian of all Bulgarians In the nearly same era the relations between Spain and England worsen.The British privateers power grew up and and people like Drake, Frobisher, Hawkins attacked and sunk convoys, Spanish colonies in Central and Southern America suffered many devastating raids

I think that the main period of piracy was a little later. Caribbean piracy apogee was around 1650, almost a century after Lepanto and before 1620 was really just a problem of a few freebooters. Though Drake may have caused some damage, he was just a pioneer in his field.

In the 1570s, though spain had major problems in the Netherlands and, after 1580, they had also to take care of the Portuguese Empire, which was rather unruly, while attempting to fight the English Queen. In the 1590s, they were again confronted with France. You see that the Spanish Empire had its hands full all the time - falling into bankrupcy several times due to the effort. In 1596, with the death of Philip II, the slow but steady decadence of the Spanish Empire had started.