The battle of Lepanto has long been considered one of the decisive naval
battles of history. Yet, the savage fighting on Sunday, 7 October 1571
left the strategic map unchanged and the defeated Ottoman Turks were
able to replace their losses and launch a new fleet the following year.
Nic Fields reexamines the battle and concludes that, while it merely
confirmed a strategic reality that had already emerged during the 16th
century (i.e. that naval supremacy lay with the Sublime Porte in the
eastern Mediterranean, and with Habsburg Spain and its Catholic allies
in the western Mediterranean), it's vital importance was psychological.
It sank the perception of Ottoman dominance and the inevitability of
Islam's westward encroachment beyond the Balkans.
With over 200 ships per side, it was the largest naval battle in sixteen
centuries and the last major fight between fleets composed entirely of
the muscle-driven galley. These slender ships were the direct
descendants of the Classical trireme but carried cannon and marines
bearing firearms, although massed archery and cold steel still played a
major rôle on the fateful day. Nic Fields gives an excellent account of
this fascinating and spectacular battle.
