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Essay On The Battle Of Spillanto

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THE BATTLE OF LEPANTO

During the late 15th and into the early 16th century, Spain was the dominating power in Europe. It was during this time that the Europeans were in conflict with one another over Protestant vs Roman Catholic rule. Meanwhile, the Turkish Ottoman Empire was strengthening their power in the Middle East and had gained control over much of Southeastern Europe. The conflict amongst the Europeans was a blessing for the Turks who intended to spread that power into the Mediterranean. This is what brought the battle that saved the Christian West from the Ottoman Turks to a head-front. A young commander by the name of Don Juan of Austria displayed superior leadership skills by building cohesion through mutual trust, creating shared …show more content…

Pius V arranged a Christian coalition called the Holy League to assist in the defeat of Turkish forces. Genoa, the papal states, and the kingdom of Spain put aside their pride and differences and pledged to assemble with this fleet that could possibly be capable of defeating the Turkish troops. The Venetians, however, didn’t want to join initially for fear of losing money from trades with Turkey. However, after much pleading from Pope St. Pius, (as the Christian forces wouldn’t stand a chance without the Venetians), they finally decided with great hesitation to join the Holy League. This Christian fleet consisted of 316 galleys and 6 galleasses (large new galleys, created by the Venetians, that were able to carry substantial artillery). The Spanish empire contributed many of the ships and men to the league. As far as personnel was concerned, it was manned by 50,000 sailors and oarsmen in addition to almost 30,000 fighting troops. The Christians had the advantage over the Ottoman Empire who was manned by only 13,000 experienced sailors, 34,000 soldiers with only 245 war galleys. The Holy League also had superior guns and cannons aboard their ships as well as superior quality of Spanish Infantry as compared to the Turks who had far less guns and insufficient ammo.

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