Culture
The Battle of Lepanto
The Battle of Lepanto, fought on October 7, 1571, marked a pivotal moment in European history as the Holy League, a coalition of Christian powers, faced the formidable Ottoman Empire in a fierce naval...
The Battle of Lepanto
Culture •
0:00 / 0:00
Interactive Transcript
spk_0
There are more ways than ever to listen to History Daily Add-Free.
spk_0
Listen with Wondry Plus in the Wondri app as a member of Noiser Plus at Noiser.com or in Apple Podcasts.
spk_0
Or you can get all of History Daily Plus other fantastic History Podcasts at intohistory.com.
spk_0
It's October 7th, 1571 in the Gulf of Patras off the west coast of Greece.
spk_0
Don John of Austria watches from his flagship as the last of his fleet moves into formation.
spk_0
It's or sweeping back and forth like the beating wings of a giant bird.
spk_0
Is Armada of more than 200 galleys flies banners from eight different nations across the Christian world.
spk_0
Each ship carries hundreds of sailors, boarsmen and soldiers.
spk_0
This is the fleet of the Holy League and alliance of Catholic powers that's been assembled to fight off the advance of the Muslim Ottoman Empire.
spk_0
Don John is 24 years old with a finely groomed beard in mustache.
spk_0
He is a young admiral to command so many ships, but he is the half-brother of the powerful king of Spain who insisted that John be placed in charge.
spk_0
Now he must show that his half-brothers' faith in him is not misguided.
spk_0
Across the bay, the Ottoman fleet rose into position.
spk_0
It was spotted at dawn sailing out of the port of Lopanto.
spk_0
It is even larger than the Christian Armada, but John is still eager for the fight.
spk_0
John looks up as the wind suddenly turns.
spk_0
Now the Christians have the breeze at their backs, surely a sign of God's favor.
spk_0
John checks one last time that the stragglers are in position, that his fleet is ready for battle.
spk_0
Then he gives the signal.
spk_0
The flag of the Holy League is hoisted into the air.
spk_0
The blue and gold banner has been blessed by Pope Pius V himself, and at over 20 feet long is visible to every ship in the fleet, as well as to the enemy.
spk_0
As if in answer, a single shot rings out from the Turkish flagship.
spk_0
John does not hesitate to order his gunners to fire back in response.
spk_0
As the smoke clears, John raises his sword, roars a battle cry that soon echoes through every ship in the fleet.
spk_0
The battle is about to begin.
spk_0
For thousands of years, vast rowing boats have been the mainstay of navies all around the world.
spk_0
But this will be their last great battle before they are made obsolete by the more powerful and nimble ships of the age of sail.
spk_0
By the time the fighting stops, the Gulf of Patras will be littered with the wreckage of hundreds of galleys and tens of thousands of dead bodies.
spk_0
But the ramifications of the Battle of Lopanto will be felt far beyond this corner of Greece.
spk_0
The fate of nations and the course of European history will shift forever after this naval battle on October 7th, 1571.
spk_0
Before we get back to the show, I need to tell you something.
spk_0
Making podcasts is a lonely business. I work in a very quiet, windowless room all by myself, and lately I've had an itch.
spk_0
A desire to break out of the studio and hit the road.
spk_0
So I'm building a history daily live show.
spk_0
And if you want to be the first to hear about tour dates, which cities I'll be visiting, special VIP opportunities and to get a discount on tickets, head to historydailylive.com.
spk_0
That's historydailylive.com. It's a big world out there and I want to see it. And you, historydailylive.com.
spk_0
Travis fell in love with the perfect woman. Beautiful, understanding, available 24-7. There was just one catch. She wasn't human.
spk_0
Binge all episodes of Fleshin Code early and ad-free right now on Wondry Plus.
spk_0
From Noiser in Airship, I'm Lindsey Graham. And this is historydaily.
spk_0
Music
spk_0
History is made every day. On this podcast, every day, we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world.
spk_0
Today is October 7th, 1571, the Battle of Lopanto.
spk_0
It's May 20th, 1571 in the Vatican in Rome, five months before the Battle of Lopanto.
spk_0
In a grand marble hall in the Papal Palace, Pope Pius V scratches his signature onto a vellum document, formally committing the church he leads to the new holy league of Christian powers.
spk_0
For Pius, this alliance is the greatest achievement of his papacy so far.
spk_0
Elected Pope five years ago in 1566, Pius has always taken a firm line against the Catholic Church's enemies.
spk_0
In Europe, that is meant fighting against the Protestant Reformation, but it's the relentless expansion of the Ottoman Empire in the East that has Pius most worried.
spk_0
To many in Christian Europe, the invincible seeming Ottoman armies inspired terror.
spk_0
The Turks have already conquered all of Greece, Anatolia, Mesopotamia and Egypt, and on more than one occasion, they have nearly seized the Austrian city of Vienna.
spk_0
So from his first days as Pope, Pius has tried to convince the Christian powers of Europe to unite against his growing threat, and now, after five years of work, it is finally done.
spk_0
Under the terms of the treaty, Pius just signed. The papal states are joining forces with seven other nations, including the mighty Spanish Empire, the great Duchess of Italy and the Republic of Genoa and Venice.
spk_0
It's a grand coalition, but Pius regrets that more countries have enjoined. Looking down at his draft of the treaty, he sees the blank spaces that have been left for other Christian nations.
spk_0
Ambassadors were sent to the courts of France, Poland and Russia, but there was limited enthusiasm.
spk_0
France was too consumed by the internal conflict between its Protestant and Catholic citizens, and neither Poland nor Russia were interested in joining forces with the likes of Venice or Spain.
spk_0
What as pens scratch on parchment around the hall, Pius thinks about how difficult it has been to get this far with just eight different nations.
spk_0
During negotiations, it became clear that many of the prospective allies held long-standing grudges against each other, and the main players all seemed to want different things from the new alliance.
spk_0
While Pius pushed for a holy war against the Ottoman Empire, the powerful Spanish king Philip II wanted the league to help fight the Barbary pirates of North Africa.
spk_0
The more trade-minded Venetians, meanwhile, wanted to focus on protecting their vital interests in the Eastern Mediterranean, and even now that the terms have been finally agreed behind the official oaths of eternal brotherhood doubt still linger.
spk_0
Pius casts suspicious glance at the Venetian emissary in particular.
spk_0
During the lengthy treaty negotiations, the Ottomans besieged the Venetian island of Cyprus, and Pius discovered that Venice was secretly attempting to make a separate truce with the Ottomans.
spk_0
It was only once this failed that the Venetians fully committed to the league, so Pius still doesn't trust them, and he has threatened Venice with excommunication if they betrayed this treaty.
spk_0
You can only hope that the Venetian merchants are more concerned with their souls than their profits.
spk_0
Then, once the treaty has been signed by all the new allies, Pope Pius leads the chamber in prayer, besieging God to bring this holy league victory over the enemies of Christ.
spk_0
Then, a week later, Pius publicly announces the formation of the league in St. Peter's Basilica.
spk_0
He proudly informs the congregation that this grand alliance of Christian nations will soon set off to relieve the besieged island of Cyprus.
spk_0
An enthusiastic hum echoes through the great church, because what Pius is describing sounds like a crusade, and there has been one of those in over 200 years.
spk_0
The excitement and the air is undeniable, but as Pius leaves the Basilica for his private apartments, he keeps his true feelings to himself.
spk_0
He knows holding this precarious new alliance together will be even more difficult than assembling it.
spk_0
So his best hope lies in speed, even now messengers are racing to both Venice and Madrid to urge them to hurry their preparations and send forces as quickly as possible.
spk_0
Because Pius knows that if Cyprus falls and the Ottomans are victorious, they will only push further west from there.
spk_0
The Sultan will set his sights on more Christian lands, and he will never rest until Rome itself is fallen for somebody stops him.
spk_0
Everyone has that friend who seems kind of perfect. For Paddy, that friend was desiwi, until one day...
spk_0
...attacks her and she was not getting the text. So I went to an Instagram, she has no Instagram anymore, and Facebook, no Facebook anymore.
spk_0
DesiRé was gone, and there was one person who knew the answer.
spk_0
I am a spiritual person, a magical person, which...
spk_0
A gorgeous Brazilian influencer called Cat Torres, but who was hiding a secret.
spk_0
From Wondery, based on my smash hit podcast from Brazil, comes a new series, Don't Cross Cat.
spk_0
About a search that led me to a mystery in a Texas suburb.
spk_0
I'm Shikofeliti, you can listen to Don't Cross Cat on the Wondery app, or wherever you get your podcasts.
spk_0
The World of War
spk_0
It's the afternoon of October 7th, 1571, and the Gulf of Patras, off the west coast of Greece, five months after the founding of the Holy League.
spk_0
Don John of Austria's throat is hoarse from shouting orders, and his sword is red with blood. His flagship, the Real, is in the thick of an enormous naval battle.
spk_0
In the weeks after the Holy League was formed, the island of Cyprus fell to the Ottoman Empire.
spk_0
A large Ottoman fleet was then spotted moving through the waters off Greece. Its target was unknown, but the Holy League was determined to stop it nonetheless, and their combined armada was deployed to intercept the Ottomans.
spk_0
Now the two fleets are gripped together in a fight to the death.
spk_0
But in combat like this, it's more like a battle on land than between ships. There's no room to maneuver, and the hundreds of galleys from each side are crammed so tightly together that a brave man could walk from ship to ship all the way across the Gulf.
spk_0
Muskets and cannons spit out flame, crossbows launch deadly arrows whistling through the air, and up close, pike, spears, and swords deal death across the line.
spk_0
John bellows for his men to fire on the Turkish flagship, and a force of 300 Spanish Marines only shabwali of lead.
spk_0
They are a special detachment of the Tersios, the elite soldiers of the Spanish Empire who were especially trained for fighting at sea.
spk_0
It's hard for them to miss at this close range, but the same is also true for their enemy.
spk_0
When the Turkish flagship, the Sultana, rammed the reyal earlier in the battle, a detachment of Janissary soldiers jumped aboard and tried to seize the ship.
spk_0
The Spanish have fought them off so far, but the battle keeps shifting back and forth, and guns smoke, chokes the air, has blood, and seawater, washed across the deck.
spk_0
The battle is so thick that Don John has no idea what's happening beyond his own ship.
spk_0
In Admiral's orders are given before the fighting begins, because there's rarely a chance to reach subordinates after.
spk_0
John can only pray that his commanders know their work, his entire world is now reduced to an island of just two ships, the reyal and the Sultana.
spk_0
But after yet another devastating volley from the Spanish soldiers, John senses that their enemy's morale is wavering.
spk_0
He shouts for swords, and his Tersios drop their spent guns and draw their blades.
spk_0
With a cheer the Spanish rush down the deck toward the Janissaries.
spk_0
This is the third time John has tried to charge like this, twice before the Janissaries have rallied, held their ground and forced him back, but this third charge breaks through.
spk_0
John hacks, thrusts, and stabs right alongside his men, and suddenly the Ottoman forces fall back.
spk_0
Some manage to climb back onto the Sultana, others jump overboard into the water, willing to risk drowning just to escape the storm of swords on deck.
spk_0
And any Janissaries left on the reyal are butchered where they stand, and Don John then urges his men onward to take the fight to the Sultana.
spk_0
He jumps across the gap between the galley's himself, with his Tersios right behind him.
spk_0
He finds that most of the Sultana soldiers are already dead, so the Ottoman flagship is soon captured.
spk_0
The Turkish commander is then killed, and Don John orders the body to be decaptid.
spk_0
Soon the commander's head is brandished on a pike alongside the banner of the Holy League to the delight of the Christian fighters and the horror of the Turks.
spk_0
John then wipes his sword clean, all around him his men continue to secure the enemy flagship, and for the first time in over two hours, John can spare a thought for the rest of the battle.
spk_0
Looking beyond the Sultana, he can see the Turkish center is beginning to collapse, and the battle is now shifting decisively in favor of the Holy League.
spk_0
But the fighting goes on for another four hours, until eventually the Turkish fleet is almost entirely destroyed.
spk_0
A few dozen ships escaped to flee back to the port of Lapanto, but nearly 200 Ottoman galley's end the day either at the bottom of the gulf or in Christian hands.
spk_0
It's a stunning victory for the Holy League, but in a way the battle is the simple part.
spk_0
The Turkish fleet presented the Christian powers with a clear threat and a clear response, but without it, the old divisions that made forming the League so difficult will begin to pull it apart.
spk_0
Unlikely allies will become rivals once again, and the only winners will be the Ottoman Empire.
spk_0
It's March 7th, 1573, in the Tokapa Palace in Constantinople, a year and a half after the Battle of Lapanto.
spk_0
The Grand Visier of the Ottoman Empire, Sokulu Mehmed Pasha watches as his master, the Sultan, signs a peace treaty with Venice.
spk_0
Sokulu is thrilled with his terms. The Venetians have accepted the loss of the island of Cyprus and agreed to give the Ottoman Empire a huge payment for the right to trade with them again.
spk_0
But it's what this treaty does not say that is most important to Sokulu. Just by signing the paper, the Venetians have destroyed the Holy League.
spk_0
Despite the victory at Lapanto, the divisions within the Holy League were too great to overcome. The Alliance began to unravel almost immediately after the Battle as each member disagreed on how to take advantage of their triumph.
spk_0
The Venetians wished to retake Cyprus, the Spaniards wanted to counter-tunus or Alexandria, and Pope Pius believed the time was right to assault the Ottoman capital of Constantinople itself.
spk_0
So by the time the 1572 fighting season came around, the Holy League had not agreed on a new objective.
spk_0
What's worse, they soon discovered that the Ottomans had already rebuilt their fleet. Suddenly, the famous victory the Christians had won at Lapanto seemed somehow hollow.
spk_0
Little Lounce was achieved before Pope Pius died in May 1572, and without the architect of the Holy League holding it together, the splits in the Christian Alliance only widened.
spk_0
That's when the Ottomans made their move.
spk_0
The Empire's chief minister, Sokulu Pasha, approached the Venetians and the merchant republic eerily opened talks.
spk_0
During the siege of Cyprus, Venice had been desperate to make peace with the Ottoman Empire to revive its trade routes to the east, and now that the Holy League was fracturing without Pope Pius, there seemed little point in Venice sacrificing trade to prolong an unwindable war.
spk_0
But by signing this treaty with the Ottomans, the Venetians have broken the central promise of the Holy League and effectively dissolved it.
spk_0
The Alliance was made with the stroke of a pen, and now another has destroyed it.
spk_0
So from this point on, for centuries, the Mediterranean will be divided into, while Spain and its allies will hold the west, the Ottomans will cement their rule over the east, where they will steadily pick off the remaining Christian outposts.
spk_0
But despite the fears of Pope Pius, the Ottomans will never advance beyond Eastern Europe.
spk_0
Their aura of invincibility had been shattered, and their onward march west eventually stopped in its tracks, thanks in part to the stunning events of the Battle of Lopanto, where the Holy League won its first and most important victory on October 7th, 1571.
spk_0
Next on History Daily, October 8th, 1969, the streets of Chicago are turned into a battleground as extreme left-wing group The Weatherman begin a series of violent protests.
spk_0
From Noiser and Airship, this is History Daily, hosted, edited, and executed produced by me, Lindsay Graham, audio editing by Mohamed Shahzib, sound designed by Molly Bond, music by Throne.
spk_0
This episode is written in research by Samuel Fueh, edited by William Simpson, managing producer Emily Burk, executive producers are William Simpson for Airship and Pascal Hughes for Noiser.