In the 16th century, the Republic of Venice was at its peak of prosperity. But Venice’s days as a superpower were numbered. Turkey emerged as the new powerhouse in the Mediterranean, and they were on a roll, headed north and west into Europe. East met West in the largest naval battle of the times – the Battle of Lepanto.
Trouble Brewing
Venice already had its share of problems. Spain and Portugal established trade routes to the East via Africa’s Cape of Good Hope. The Turkish navy made using Venice’s trade routes through the Mediterranean risky business.
The trouble started when the out-of-control 4th-Crusaders sacked Constantinople, leaving it too weak to defend itself. The old Turk, Mehmed the Conqueror, must have been scratching his beard with glee, waiting to pounce on the lowly infidels.
And pounce he did. In 1453, after only three days of fighting, Constantinople fell to the Turks. Mehmed was just getting started. They didn’t call him “Mehmed the Conqueror” for nothing.
The Turkish army swept north into eastern Europe and Russia, and into lands where Greece is today. By 1530, the Turks had taken Balkan countries all the way to Slovenia and Bulgaria. Hungary and even Vienna were next. Look out!
Time to Take Action
In 1571, every western country with an army or navy teamed up against the Turks. Key players were Spain, the Republics of Venice and Genoa, and Rome. They called themselves the Holy League.
The Holy League fleet sailed to Crete to save a Venetian settlement under Turkish attack. They arrived too late, and what they found where the settlement had been wasn’t pretty. They decided to sail on, headed east.
On the morning of October 7th, 1571, the Turkish and Holy League fleets met unexpectedly. Neither fleet had prepared for a fight, but no matter. The Sultan had ordered Turkish commanders to fight whenever an enemy has been engaged — no matter what. The battle was on!
The Holy League’s fleet consisted of 206 galleys and 6 huge galleasses loaded with cannons and bombards. They were manned by 13,000 sailors, and carried 28,000 fighting troops from all over Europe. Half of the Holy League’s ships were built in Venice’s Arsenale.
The Turkish fleet consisted of 270 galley-sized warships and 60 smaller ships. Turkish ships didn’t have bombards, but they had something that could be just as deadly – Turkish archers.
If You See a Turk with a Bow, Duck!
The Turks were said to have learned archery from the Mongols – Ghengis Khan and the boys. Using unique composite bows, they were well-known for their deadly range and accuracy.
(In 1910, an archer brought a very old Turkish composite bow to an archery festival in a little town in France. Using that bow, he set a record by shooting an arrow more than a quarter of a mile).
It’s On!
Holy League commanders formed 3 divisions, each with 50-60 ships, lined up on a north-south line, facing the enemy. Two galleasses were stationed in front of each division. A 4th division stood in reserve. (That’s where I would have preferred to be).
Turkish commanders arranged their ships similarly, each division facing an enemy division on the other side. Unfortunately for the Turks, they had not seen a Venetian Galleass before. They thought they thought they must be big supply ships, so they attacked. Oops. (Or whatever “oops” is in Turkish).
The Turks quickly lost 60-70 ships, mowed down by Venetian bombards. But at the northern end of the line, the Turks made an end run, preparing to attack from the side.
Holy Leaguers moved to head ’em off. When they did, the Turks changed course to attack the exposed flank of the Holy League’s center division. Holy League commanders had been outsmarted. Score one for the Turks!
In the onslaught, one Holy League captain took five Turk arrows, but lived to tell the tale. Pounding from the galleasses and a shortage of ammunition eventually took a toll on the Turks. The Holy League prevailed.
The Turks hadn’t lost a sea battle for at 70 years, so the Battle of Lepanto was a big boost for European morale. Turkish expansion slowed, but didn’t stop. They made it all the way to Vienna’s doorstep. The Turkish Ottoman Empire lasted another 400 years.
To be continued…
