A great sea‐battle near the northern entrance to the Gulf of Corinth. On one side were the Ottomans, who were seeking to drive the Venetians out of the eastern Mediterranean. On the other were the Holy League forces of Venice, Spain, Genoa, and the papacy, under Don John of Austria. Despite the Ottomans’ superior number of galleys, the League won the battle. Lepanto was the last naval action fought between galleys manned by oarsmen and the first major Turkish defeat by the Christian powers, but it was not followed up, and had little long‐term effect on Ottoman power.