On this day 454 years ago, on October 7, 1571 (September 19, 1571 lunar calendar), the Battle of Lepanto broke out. The Battle of Lepanto (October 7, 1571) was a naval battle between the combined navies of the European Christian countries and the Ottoman Empire off the coast of Lepanto (¦­¦Á?¦Ð¦Á¦Ê¦Ó¦Ï?), Greece. The Holy League fleet, composed of the Kingdom of Spain, the Republic of Venice, the Papal States, the Principality of Savoy, the Republic of Genoa, and the Knights of Malta, defeated the Ottoman Navy in a day of battle, and the Ottoman Empire lost its maritime hegemony in the Mediterranean. The Holy League fleet was commanded by Don Juan, the half brother of King Philip II of Spain. In this battle, Venice sent 109 paddle boats and six Galessian warships, Spain sent a total of 80 paddle boats, and the Papal States lent 12 paddle boats. In addition, Genoa, Savoy, and Malta all sent three paddle boats to battle, and the fleet was assisted by dozens of private warships. The countries of the Holy Alliance saw Turkey as a threat to their maritime trade, so they had already mobilized their fleets as early as July and August 1571. In July, the Venetian fleet reached Sicily and Messina, while the Spanish fleet led by Don Juan arrived there on August 23. The Holy Alliance sent nearly 13,000 sailors to sail the ships during this campaign. In addition, Spain dispatched 10,000 well-trained infantry to the battle, and mobilized 7,000 German soldiers and 6,000 Italian troops in its Habsburg territory, while Venice mobilized 5,000 soldiers to fight. The Ottoman Empire, facing the fleet of the Holy Alliance, mobilized 13,000 sailors and 34,000 soldiers for the battle, and the commander, Ali Pa? a, was supported by two pirates. In this battle, Ali Pa? a had 222 paddle boats, 56 fast paddle boats (Galliot) and some small boats to meet the attack. In addition, he also mobilized some of the elite Turkish Praetorian Guard to participate in the operation. Deployed in this operation, the Holy Alliance fleet was divided into four squadrons and stretched in a longitudinal line from south to north. 53 Venetian paddle boats were deployed at the northern end (left flank), the central main force was 62 paddle boats led by Don Juan, and the southern end (right flank) was 53 paddle boats from Genoa. In addition, there was a reserve fleet of 38 paddle boats, and each squadron was also equipped with two Galesi warships. In addition, the Holy Alliance fleet also deployed large and small reconnaissance teams and supply teams. The right flank of the Turkish main fleet consisted of 52 paddle boats and 6 fast paddle boats, and the left flank of the fleet consisted of 63 paddle boats and 30 fast paddle boats. The central main force consisted of 61 paddle boats and 32 fast paddle boats, which were personally commanded by Miezinzad Ali Pasha. In addition, a reserve force of 8 paddle boats, 22 fast paddle boats, and 64 Fusta boats was deployed to the rear of the main fleet in the center. During this battle, the Turkish Navy recruited many Christians as paddle slaves, and the commander Ali Pasha said to them: "If our army wins, freedom will belong to you; if your day comes, it will be given to you by God." On the morning of October 7, 1571, Don Juan, the commander-in-chief of the navy of the Holy Alliance, inspired the entire fleet and launched the battle. After the start of the war, the Galesay warships deployed on the left flank and center of the Holy Alliance Army took the lead in shelling the Turkish paddle boats and successfully sank and wounded several of them. The pre-emptive Holy Alliance Army successfully disrupted the deployment of the Turkish fleet. However, the commander of the Turkish Left Fleet transferred the southern fleet to prevent the flank from being surrounded. On the other hand, the two armies also engaged in intense fighting on the northern front. The left-wing fleet of the Allied Army and the right-wing fleet of the Turkish Army began to fight along the coast. The Turkish army, which was familiar with the terrain, successfully detoured to the rear of the Allied Army and shot the opposing commander with bows and arrows. The left wing of the Allied Army without the coordination of the commander was suddenly defeated. However, the command of the left-wing fleet of the Allied army was soon inherited by others, and the new commander reorganized the fleet and retained the strength of the fleet. In addition, the commander of the Turkish right-wing fleet was also shot by the Allied army, and the northern flank of the Turkish army began to be chaotic, and the ships began to flee. However, on the southern front, the Allied right-wing fleet and the Turkish left-wing fleet confronted each other across the sea, encircling and breaking through each other, forming a stalemate. On the same afternoon, there was a fierce battle between the central forces of the two armies, and the flagship of the Turkish army was connected to the flagship of the Allied army. At this time, Don Juan ordered his soldiers to shoot the Turkish soldiers with arquerels, and many Turkish soldiers were shot. The commander-in-chief of the Turkish army, Ali Pasha, was also shot and killed, and the Turkish army began to experience great chaos. The Christians who were in charge of rocking the oars in the Turkish warships surrendered to Don Juan one after another, which increased the Allied combat power a lot. On the other hand, on the southern front, the Turkish left-wing fleet was surrounded by three Allied fleets alone, and the commander of the Turkish left-wing fleet began to retreat. It was not until after 4 pm that the head of the Turkish commander-in-chief Ali Pasha was hung on the mast of the Allied flagship, and the battle ended. After this battle, the Ottoman Navy was devastated. The Ottoman fleet, which originally had about 300 warships, was left with only about 100 warships, many of which were severely damaged. The Ottoman army also lost more than 20,000 soldiers in this war. The Ottoman Empire temporarily lost its maritime hegemony in the Mediterranean Sea. After the victory of the Christian countries in Europe, they actively opposed the Ottoman navy, which turned the military pattern in the Mediterranean upside down. But contrary to popular belief, the Ottoman Empire only took one winter to rebuild the fleet, and the number of ships also increased. Without the big blow that is generally believed, the Prime Minister Sokuru told the Venetian ambassador that the loss of the fleet was only shaved off, but the enemy's failure was to cut off the right hand. After this battle, it was also the last battle of the paddle boats. After this battle, people found that the ships powered by sails were more mobile and more suitable for combat; in addition, they also found that the use of firearms was increasingly important in naval warfare. This caused the European sailing fleet to change and develop, and gradually developed the tactics of using artillery as the main weapon, which affected the development of naval warfare in the future. In addition, Miguel de Cervantes, the author of the famous Spanish literary work "Don Quixote", also participated in this battle, and he lost his left hand as a result.