Stolz 1

The Battle of Lepanto: The Tides are Turned, the turning of the tide
I. Introduction
A. Context, Battle of Actium, Ottoman history, European affairs,
B. Thesis: The Battle of Lepanto was the most significant turning point of the 16th
century Europe because last great naval battle, stopped the Ottoman Empire from gaining control
of the Mediterranean/expansion (devastated navy, ships could be replaced, skilled sailors could
not, boosted Europe moral, the previously indomitable, indestructible Ottomans could be defeated
(art, poetry..etc), led to stalemate, neither could go any further, no longer on the offensive, united
Christendom successfully for the battle which could not be won alone.
- was the most significant turning point of 16th century Europe because it stopped Ottoman
expansion into the Mediterranean and European nations, which subsequently devastated the
Ottoman navy, and lifted European morale.
II. Context?
III. First Point
IV. Second Point
V. Other notable points
VI. Conclusion
Numerous historians pointed out the historical importance of the battle and how it served as a
turning point in history. For instance, it is argued that while the ships were relatively easily
replaced,[18] it proved much harder to man them, since so many experienced sailors, oarsmen
and soldiers had been lost. The loss of so many of its experienced sailors at Lepanto sapped the
fighting effectiveness of the Ottoman Navy, a fact emphasized by their avoidance of major
confrontations with Christian navies in the years following the battle. Other historians(?) have
suggested that the reason for the Turks being contained at the time had less to do with the battle
of Lepanto but the fact that they had to contend with a series of wars with Persia a strong military
power at the time. After 1580, the discouraged Ottomans left the fleet to rot in the waters of the
Horn.[26] Especially critical was the loss of most of the caliphate's composite bowmen, which, far
beyond ship rams and early firearms, were the Ottoman's main embarked weapon. British
historian John Keegan noted that the losses in this highly specialized class of warrior were
irreplaceable in a generation, and in fact represented "the death of a living tradition" for the
Ottomans.[18] Historian Paul K. Davis has argued that:
This Turkish defeat stopped Turkey's expansion into the Mediterranean, thus maintaining western
dominance, and confidence grew in the west that Turks, previously unstoppable, could be
beaten.[27]