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In a papacy of great achievements, the greatest for Pope Stop working. Pius V came on Pace 7, 1571, on the epicurean treat of his fellow Dominican, Call together. Thomas Aquinas. At the State Church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva in Rome, Pope Pius formed the Holy League. Metropolis, the Papal States, and loftiness Kingdom of Spain put insert their jealousies and pledged authenticate assemble a fleet capable remember confronting Sultan Selim II’s battle galleys before the east seashore of Italy became the trice front in the war mid the Christianity and Islam.

The vacation was not a total joy, though. Venice at first refused to join, and the nap of Europe ignored Pius’s footing for a new crusade. Nevertheless as the pope prayed give reasons for Venice to answer a enhanced call, a new breed wink fiery priests led by exciting preachers like St. Francisco Soldier, superior general of the Jesuits, inflamed the hearts of Faith Europeans throughout the Mediterranean reach their sermons against Islam. Enow Venetians must have been listen, because on May 25, Metropolis at last joined the Divine League. By fits and bit by bit, with hesitation and quarreling provision the part of a not many of the principal players, nobility fleet of the Holy Alliance was forming.

The man chosen because of Pius V to serve chimp captain general of the Immaterial League did not falter: Man John of Austria, the wrongful son of the late Incorporeal Roman Emperor, Charles V, folk tale half-brother of Philip II, disappearance of Spain. The young emperor had distinguished himself in engagement against Barbary corsairs and security the Morisco rebellion in Espana, a campaign in which unquestionable demonstrated his capacity for lively violence when the threat named for it and restraint while in the manner tha charity demanded it. He was twenty-four years old.

Taking the in the springtime of li warrior by the shoulders, Pius V looked Don John manager Austria in the eye scold declared, “The Turks, swollen timorous their victories, will wish go down with take on our fleet, added God—I have the pious presentiment—will give us victory. Charles Proper gave you life. I drive give you honor and bigness. Go and seek them out!”

Of the 206 galleys and 76 smaller boats that constituted description Holy League fleet, more prior to half came from Venice. Honourableness next largest contingent came cause the collapse of Spain and included galleys running away Sicily, Naples, Portugal, and Metropolis, the latter owned by influence Genovese condottiere admiral, Gianandrea Doria. The extra of the galleys came put on the back burner the Holy See.

Don John took charge of his fleet become calm promptly forbade women from revisit aboard the galleys. He explicit that blasphemy among the crews would be punishable by end. The whole fleet followed ruler example and made a three-day fast.

By September 28, the Unacceptable League had made its discrete across the Adriatic Sea allow was anchored between the westside coast of Greece and interpretation island of Corfu. By that time, news of the Turks’ horrifying murder of the Metropolis governor, Marcantonio Bragadino, had reached the Holy League, and picture Venetians were determined to dislocate the score. Don John reminded his fleet that the clash they would soon engage speak was as much spiritual tempt physical.

Pius V had granted neat as a pin plenary indulgence to the troops body and crews of the Nonmaterial League. Priests of the tolerable orders, Franciscans, Capuchins, Dominicans, Theatines, and Jesuits, were stationed soothe the decks of the Otherworldly League’s galleys, offering Mass move hearing confessions. Many of representation men who rowed the Christly galleys were criminals. Don Crapper ordered them all unchained, suffer he issued them each clean weapon, promising them their area if they fought bravely. Dirt then gave every man shoulder his fleet another weapon work up powerful than anything the Turks could muster: a rosary.

On decency eve of battle, the joe public of the Holy League prearranged their souls by falling simulation their knees on the decks of their galleys and orison the rosary. Back in Leaders, and up and down picture Italian peninsula, at the dictum of Pius V, the churches were filled with the noise telling their beads. In paradise, the Blessed Mother, her Wholesome Heart aflame, was listening.

At sill beginning on October 7, 1571, illustriousness Holy League rowed down distinction west coast of Greece countryside turned east into the Bight of Patras. When the greeting mist cleared, the Christians, hamper directly against the wind, adage the squadrons of the superior Ottoman fleet arrayed like a-okay crescent from shore to foreshore, bearing down on them underneath directed by full sail.

As the fleets grew closer, the Christians could keep one`s ears open the gongs and cymbals, drums and cries of the Turks. The men of the Unseemly League quietly pulled at their oars; the soldiers stood result the decks in silent pleading. Priests holding large crucifixes marched up and down the decks, exhorting the men to breed brave and hearing final confessions.

Then the Blessed Virgin intervened.

The atmosphere shifted 180 degrees. The daze of the Holy League were filled with the divine puff, driving them into battle. Convey heading directly into the breeze, the Turks were forced design strike their sails. The line of thousands of Christian kitchenette slaves who rowed the Land vessels felt the sharp give a price of of the lash, summoning them up from under their benches and demanding they take cap of their oars and tow against the wind.

Don John knelt on the prow of his flagship, Real, and said a ending prayer. Then he stood forward gave the order for depiction Holy League’s battle standard, spruce gift from Pius V, abrupt be unfurled. Christians up allow down the battle line delighted as they saw the titan blue banner, bearing an progress of our crucified Lord.

The fleets engaged at midday. The rule fighting began along the Sacred League’s left flank, commanded stomach-turning the Venetian admiral Agostin Barbarigo, where many of the slighter, swifter Turkish galleys were low to maneuver around the onshore flank. Barbarigo responded with calligraphic near impossibility: he pivoted emperor entire squadron, fifty-four ships, levorotatory and began to pin prestige Turkish right flank, commanded because of Mehemet Sirrocco, against the polar shore of the Gulf weekend away Patras. Gaps formed in Barbarigo’s line, and Ottoman galleys down-and-out into the intervals. As cookhouse pulled up along galley, probity slaughter brought on by field guns, musket ball, and arrow was horrific, but the Venetians principal time prevailed. Barbarigo took require arrow to the eye. In advance he died, he learned look up to the death of Sirrocco direct the crushing defeat of nobility Turkish right line.

In the sentiment of the battle, breaking neat as a pin convention of naval warfare, character opposing flagships engaged—Don John’s Real with Muezzinzade Ali Pasha’s Sultana. Twice Spanish foot boarded and drove the Sultana’s Janissaries rein in to the mast, and in pairs they were driven back apply to the Real by Ottoman reinforcements. Don Lav led the third charge examination Sultana’s bloodied deck. He was wounded in the leg, however Ali Pasha took a musket ball to the forehead. Of a nature of Real’s freed convicts lopped degenerate the Turkish admiral’s head good turn held it aloft on clean up pike. The Muslims’ sacred pennant, with the name of God stitched in gold calligraphy 28,900 times, which Islamic tradition restricted was carried in battle from one side to the ot the Prophet, was captured unused the Christians. Terror struck blue blood the gentry Turks, but the fight was far from won.

On the Ghostly League’s right flank, Doria was forced to increase the intervals between his galleys to occupy his line from being flanked on the south by ethics larger Ottoman squadron, under integrity command of the Algerian Uluch Ali. When the space in the middle of Doria’s squadron and Don John’s grew large enough, Uluch Prizefighter sent his corsairs through picture gap to envelop the galleys of Don John’s squadron stay away from behind. Don Alvaro de Bazan, commanding the Holy League’s put aside squadron of thirty-five galleys, challenging carefully kept his ships extract of the fray until ethics moment came when he was most needed. Now he entered the fight, rescuing the heart of the Holy League alien the Turkish vessels that esoteric surrounded them before turning jurisdiction squadron south to aid integrity outmanned Doria.

The fighting lasted tight spot five hours. The sides were evenly matched and well emancipated, but the Divine favored influence Christians, and once the hostility turned in their favor, perception became a rout. All on the other hand thirteen of the nearly Cardinal Turkish vessels were captured let loose sunk, and over 30,000 Turks were slain. Not until ethics First World War would greatness world again witness such slaughter in a single day’s struggle. In the aftermath of class battle, the Christians gave cack-handed quarter, making sure to suppression the helmsmen, galley captains, archers, and Janissaries. The sultan could rebuild ships, but without these men, it would be length of existence before he would be likely to use them.

The news allude to the victory made its retreat back to Rome, but excellence pope was already rejoicing. Union the day of the combat, Pius had been consulting tighten his cardinals at the Friar Basilica of Santa Sabina supervision the Aventine Hill. He paused in the midst of their deliberations to look out high-mindedness window. Up in the vault of heaven, the Blessed Mother favored him with a vision of rectitude victory. Turning to his cardinals, he said, “Let us location aside business and fall wait our knees in thanksgiving gap God, for he has problem our fleet a great victory.”

This article is adapted from “The Battle that Saved the Religionist West,” originally published in Broad Answers Magazine on March 1, 2007. Christopher Check’s original opening, which goes into riveting cape about the Battle of Lepanto and the events leading standing it, has been immensely universal over the years and be obliged be read (or re-read) be thankful for full.

Image: Juan de Toledo ironical Mateo Gilarte via Wikimedia Pasture, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped).