On October 7, 1571, the naval Battle of Lepanto took place in the Gulf of Patras, where a Holy League fleet of Catholic states—primarily Spain and the Papal States—decisively defeated the Ottoman Empire’s navy.
This victory, which halted Ottoman expansion into the western Mediterranean and marked the last major engagement involving galleys, is celebrated in conservative Catholic history as a triumph of Christendom against Islamic forces, inspiring figures like Miguel de Cervantes and reinforcing themes of religious and cultural defense in Western tradition.
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