Data
Date	October 7, 1571.
Place	Lepanto, Mediterranean Sea.
Belligerents	Ottoman Empire vs. The Holy League.
Outcome	Victory of the holy league.

The Battle of Lepanto was a naval confrontation, which occurred on October 7, 1571, between the Ottoman Muslims and the Christians, for the expansion and control of the Mediterranean Sea. This battle represents one of the most important naval confrontations in history.

In it the following sides clashed:

• Ottoman Empire : also known as the Turkish Empire, who sought to have total control over the Mediterranean Sea and the surrounding territories.
• The Holy League : Catholic and military society formed between the Hispanic monarchy, the Papal States, Venice, the Order of Malta, Genoa and the Duchy of Savoy, with the aim of stopping the expansion of the Ottoman Empire.

Faced with the advance of the Ottomans, who had already conquered the territories of the former Byzantine Empire , the countries that were threatened formed an alliance, together with the Catholic Church , to fight what at the time was one of the most dangerous armies in the world. .

In this way, the Christians gathered a total of 200 ships, 13,000 sailors and 30,000 soldiers , and set sail from Messina to the Gulf of Lepanto, in Greece. For its part, the Ottoman Mediterranean fleet had mostly settled in the Gulf of Lepanto and consisted of some 300 ships and 90,000 troops. Their numbers were higher than the Christians, but they were less well equipped.

The battle was victorious for the Holy League , which stopped the advance of the Ottoman Empire and completely weakened its army.

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Causes and consequences of the Battle of Lepanto

Causes

The main causes of the Battle of Lepanto were the following:

• The desire for expansion of the Ottoman Empire in the central and western Mediterranean, with the introduction of its Islam in the new territories.
• The alliance between the Catholic communities of different territories, to stop the advance of the Ottomans.
• The Cyprus War , unleashed when the Ottomans invaded the island under Venetian rule.
• The siege of Malta in 1565, by the Ottomans, putting all of Europe under threat, mainly Italy due to its proximity.

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Consequences

The main consequences of the Battle of Lepanto were the following:

• Great economic and social losses for both sides.
• The naval decline of the Ottomans in the Mediterranean Sea , which was not final anyway, as piracy continued to exist and the empire began rebuilding its army.
• The Holy League, after the triumph of Lepanto, did not carry out any more military operations.

Importance of the Battle of Lepanto

The Battle of Lepanto determined the dominance and strength of the Spanish Empire in the world, since by stopping the spread of Islam, it managed to strengthen Christianity in most of Europe.

On the other hand, the Ottoman Empire definitively gave up its claims of expansion in Europe and concentrated on its conquest over Asia and the Caspian Sea, through the East, after rebuilding and strengthening its army.