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The Welcome to a history of Europe, Key Battles, the Battle of Lepanto of 1571, Part 2 of 5

In part 1 last week I described a Turkish victory over a combined Spanish-Fenician fleet at the Naval Battle of Prevetsa of 1538.

The defeat for the Christians did not deter Emperor Charles V.

He was still determined to counter the Ottoman threat, seeing it as his religious duty as the most powerful leader in Christendom to fend off the threats of the infidels.

For a period until the year 1541, Charles was preoccupied with matters closer to home,

tied up in months of negotiations with German princes at the Diet of Regensburg to try and produce a compromise

between Catholics and Protestants. The well-meaning interfaith document was ultimately to be rejected

by both sides. At the same time, the Ottomans continued to be a threat in Hungary.

Their run of victories on the battlefields of Syria and Atulia, Hungary, Egypt, Iraq and Persia

painted a picture of Ottoman invincibility, which was based on several factors.

Their disciplined artillery and infantry, and also their very strong cavalry forces.

In July 1541, Charles' intense efforts at diplomacy finally gave fruit when Protestant commanders were persuaded to help protect Central Europe, while Charles was able to join a new naval campaign against the Ottomans.

This one directed at the city Vauxhires, the most powerful of all the Turkish corsair bases in North Africa. It was getting late in the season

when Charles was able to meet up with a fleet assembled in the Bay of Palmer at Mallorca, with more

than 500 ships and 24,000 soldiers.

After enduring difficult weather, the fleet only arrived in front of Valjeers on the 19th of October.

Charles established his headquarters on the land Pumontory, accompanied by German, Spanish and Italian troops, as well as 150 knights

of Malta. Soon the Allies had managed to surround the city, except for the northern part.

The citizens were terrified by the city's governor held firm and treated Charles' demand that he

should surrender with contempt.

At the time it seemed like a courageous yet futile act of defiance for Charles' forces

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