The site of the Battle Of Lepanto in 1571.
This blog is a few days late with this particular historical commemoration, because the anniversary slipped past me, until I was kindly reminded of it by a correspondent, to whom thanks for the reminder are due.
On October 7th 1571 there was a great naval battle in the Mediterranean Sea between the forces of Christian Europe and the Muslim Ottoman Empire. This conflict, The Battle Of was truly one of those that could be called a turning point in history. The Battle of Lepanto was decisive because it inflicted great damage to Ottoman forces and almost destroyed them as a navel force. The battle also saw many of those non-Muslims who had been enslaved by Muslim forces freed from cruel service in the galleys of the Ottomans. Lepanto also halted the westward expansion of Islam that the Muslim Ottoman’s greedily desired.
Here’s the story of the Battle of Lepanto from the About Military History website:
“In 1571, the Christian powers in the Mediterranean assembled a large fleet to confront the growing menace of the Ottoman Empire. Assembling at Messina, Sicily in July and August, the Christian force was led by Don John of Austria and contained vessels from Venice, Spain, the Papal States, Genoa, Savoy, and Malta. Sailing under the banner of the Holy League, Don John’s fleet consisted of 206 galleys and 6 gallasses (large galleys that mounted artillery). Rowing east, they encountered the Ottoman fleet of Ali Pasha off Greece in the Gulf of Patras.
Commanding 230 galleys and 56 galliots (small galleys), Ali Pasha had departed his base at Lepanto and was moving west to intercept the Holy League’s fleet. As the fleets sighted each other, they formed for battle. For the Holy League, Don John, aboard the galley Real, divided his force into four divisions, with the Venetians under Agostino Barbarigo on the left, himself in the center, the Genoese under Giovanni Andrea Doria on the right, and a reserve led by Álvaro de Bazán in the rear. In addition, he pushed gallasses out in front of his left and center divisions where they could bombard the Ottoman fleet.
Flying his flag from Sultana, Ali Pasha led the Ottoman center, with Chulouk Bey on the right and Uluj Ali on the left. As the battle opened, the Holy League’s gallasses sank two galleys and disrupted the Ottoman formations with their fire. As the fleets neared, Doria saw that Uluj Ali’s line extended beyond his own. Shifting south to avoid being flanked, Doria opened a gap between his division and Don John’s. Seeing the hole, Uluj Ali turned north and attacked into the gap. Doria responded to this and soon his ships were dueling with Uluj Ali’s.
Against the wishes of Don John, Ali Pasha was beheaded and his head displayed on a pike. The sight of their commander’s head had a severe impact on Ottoman morale and they began withdrawing around 4 PM. Uluj Ali, who had success against Doria and captured the Maltese flagship Capitana, retreated with sixteen galleys and twenty-four galliots. “
Although Don John didn’t want Ali Pasha beheaded, there is no doubt that the display of the head of this savage Saracen helped to melt the courage of the much of the rest of the Ottoman forces. I can see the reasoning behind Don John’s desire for mercy towards Ali Pasha as there were the residuals of chivalry around at the time which sometimes respected defeated commanders. However, this chivalric humanitarianism is misplaced with dealing with the ideology of Islam. Then, just as now, the only language that Islamo-fascists understand is the language of military force.
The enemy that the Holy League fought at Lepanto is the same enemy that all of us non-Muslims face today, and will have to fight tomorrow. It should never be forgotten that the desire of the Ottoman’s to plant the flag of Mohammed in every country has not gone away or been diminished. Contact with civilisation has not civilised the savages or moderated the ideology of Islam that wreaks so much havoc throughout the world.
Maybe it’s time for a new ‘Holy League’ to fight back against the scourge of Islamo-fascism, but not one made up only of Christians, but a new Holy League made up of representatives of all civilised countries and those of all faiths that at their core respect humanity. The old enemy has not gone away and nor has it been modified by the application of greater scientific, cultural and theological knowledge. It is still here, and still plotting to cover the world in darkness.
Link to the About Military History website.
http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/navalbattles14011600/p/lepanto.htm
