A 1571 naval battle broke the Ottoman navy's grip on the Mediterranean

At Lepanto in 1571, a Holy League fleet of Spanish, Venetian, and papal galleys destroyed most of the Ottoman navy in a single afternoon, ending a century of unchecked Ottoman expansion in the Mediterranean. It was among the last major battles fought mainly with oar-powered galleys before sail and cannon took over naval warfare. A young Miguel de Cervantes fought in the battle and lost the use of his left hand.

— Niccolò Capponi, Victory of the West: The Great Christian-Muslim Clash at the Battle of Lepanto — Macmillan, 2006
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