Battle of Lepanto (1571)

The naval Battle of Lepanto took place on 7 October 1571, at the northern edge of the entrance to the Gulf of Corinth (then the Gulf of Lepanto), off western Greece. A galley fleet of the Holy League, a sometimes-flimsy coalition of Pope Pius V, Spain, the Venice, Genoa, Savoy, Naples, the Knights of Malta and others, defeated a force of Ottoman galleys. It was the final major naval battle in world history to take place between exclusively oared-galleys.

References

An excellent account of this battle can be found in R. C. Andersons Naval Wars in the Levant 1559-1853 pps. 37-47 .

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Playwright Howard Barker refers to the Battle of Lepanto in his play Scenes from an Execution, which premiered in 1986. In it, a fictional Venetian painter named Galactia, a character who bears much in common with the artist Artemisia Gentileschi, has been commissioned by the doge to paint a commemorative depiction of the battle. Her refusal to make the scene one which will inspire patriotism and pride in the Venetian people leads to conflict with state officials.

Related Topics:
Howard Barker - Scenes from an Execution - 1986 - Artemisia Gentileschi - Doge

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