Holy League (1538)

Holy League (1538)

The Holy League of 1538 was a short-lived alliance of Christian states arranged by Pope Paul III at the urging of the Republic of Venice.

In 1537 the Ottoman corsair and admiral Barbarossa Hayreddin, Pasha of Algiers, had nearly captured the Venetian stronghold of Corfu and ravaged the coasts of Calabria. In the face of this threat Pope Paul succeeded in February 1538 in organizing a so-called "Holy League" which consisted of the Papal States, the Republic of Venice, the Maltese Knights and Spain with her vassal states of Naples and Sicily. To confront Barbarossa and his roughly 120 galleys and fustas, the League assembled a fleet of about 300 ships (162 galleys and 140 sailing ships) in September 1538 near Corfu. Its supreme commander was the Genoese admiral Andrea Doria, who was then in the service of Emperor Charles V.

The two fleets met on 28 September 1538 in the Battle of Preveza, and Barbarossa decisively defeated the numerically superior Christian alliance. Doria's leadership in the battle was less than vigorous and is widely believed to have been a major contributing cause to the League's defeat. His hesitation to bring his own ships into full action (he personally owned a number of them) and to sacrifice them for the good of Venice, the traditional rival of his home town of Genoa, are generally considered to explain his actions at Preveza.

Literature

*Wolf, John B., "The Barbary Coast: Algeria under the Turks," W. W. Norton, 1979; ISBN 978-0-393-01205-7
*Cook, M.A. (ed.), "A History of the Ottoman Empire to 1730," Cambridge University Press, 1976; ISBN 978-0-521-20891-8
*Currey, E. Hamilton, "Sea-Wolves of the Mediterranean," John Murrey, 1910.
*Norwich, John Julius, "A History of Venice," Vintage, 1982; ISBN 0-679-72197-5 (pbk.)


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Holy League — may refer to:* Holy League (1495), AKA League of Venice , alliance of several opponents of French hegemony in Italy, arranged by Pope Alexander VI * League of Cambrai, anti Venetian alliance that included Louis XII of France, Holy Roman Emperor… …   Wikipedia

  • 1538 — Year 1538 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events of 1538 January June *February 24 Treaty of Nagyvárad: Peace is declared between King Ferdinand and the Turks. John Zapolya is… …   Wikipedia

  • Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor — Charles V Holy Roman Emperor; King of the Romans; King of Italy Reign 28 June 1519 – 27 August 1556[1] …   Wikipedia

  • Covenant of the League of Nations — Signed 28 June 1919 Location Paris, 1919 Effective 10 January 1920 Parties League of Nations members Depositary League of Nations …   Wikipedia

  • Schmalkaldic League — The Schmalkaldic League ( de. Schmalkaldischer Bund) was a defensive alliance of Lutheran princes within the Holy Roman Empire during the mid 16th century. Although originally started for religious motives soon after the start of the Protestant… …   Wikipedia

  • Schmalkald League —    The Schmalkald League was an alliance of German Protestant rulers ratified on February 27, 1531, at Schmalkald in Hesse Nassau. In their pact, the rulers of Hesse, Saxony, Brunswick Grubenhagen, Brunswick Lünenburg, Anhalt, and Mansfeld… …   Encyclopedia of Protestantism

  • Christianity in the 16th century — Main articles: Protestant Reformation and Counter Reformation See also: Christianity in the 15th century and Christianity in the 17th century Contents 1 Age of Discovery (1492–1769) 2 Protestant Reformation (1521–1579) …   Wikipedia

  • Ottoman Navy — Military of the Ottoman Empire Army: Sipahi · Akıncı · Timariot  …   Wikipedia

  • History of the Turkish Navy — The Turkish Navy was once the largest sea power in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, Red Sea, Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean; entering the history books of many countries in distant lands such as the British Isles, Scandinavia, Iceland,… …   Wikipedia

  • Battle of Preveza — Infobox Military Conflict conflict=Battle of Preveza caption=The Battle of Preveza ( Ohannes Umed Behzad ) partof= Ottoman Habsburg wars date=28 September 1538 place=Preveza, Ionian Sea result=Decisive Ottoman victory combatant1=Holy League:… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”