Lepanto, 1571: The Battle That Saved Europe

Crisis Magazine ^ | December 2006 | H. W. Crocker III

[NYer]

H. W. Crocker III is the author most recently of Don’t Tread on Me: 400 Years of America at War, from Indian-Fighting to Terrorist-Hunting. His prize-winning comic novel The Old Limey and his books Triumph: The Power and the Glory of the Catholic Church, A 2,000-Year History and Robert E. Lee on Leadership are available in paperback.

[Diago]

Great stuff.

[NYer]

So in honor of Don Juan, of Lepanto, of who we are as Catholics, let us pray for them, for their safety and for their victory. St. George, St. Michael, Our Lady, pray for them—and for us.

St. Michael, protect them!

[Cap'n Crunch]

Lepanto! Ave Maria Virgo Fidelis!

[AliVeritas]

Wow thanks, Triumph was a hoot.

[AnAmericanMother]

[livius]

But then, as now, the unity of Christendom was shattered; and in the aftermath of the Protestant revolt, Islam saw its opportunity.

Islam always gets in when there is weakness in the Christian church. The division brought to the African church by Arianism and Donatism lingered for a long time and opened a breach that Islam, a syncretist cult that has a strong Arian tinge, fresh from the fevered mind of Mohammed, rushed in to fill. And the Church was really too weak in that area to resist it.

Later Islam was able to take advantage of the division and hostility between the Eastern and Western Church.

Islam first gained entry to Spain because Muslim armies were invited there by "Christian" kings who were fighting with each other (and the lingering Arianism left over from the Visigoths didn't help). Of course, the Muslims immediately turned around and overran the useful idiots who had invited them.

I suppose all this is a way of saying that Christian unity is crucial in withstanding Islam. And that orthodoxy is essential to this. I think this approach is the one the Pope is taking: unity in orthodoxy. The problem is that it will take a long time to work this out, and Islam is already at the gates.

[RightOnline]

One hell of a story. Bump.

[Titanites]

Thank God for the Catholic Church!

[Titanites]

Don Juan’s ship and men were getting the worst of it—despite the handsome hero’s pet monkey hurling Ottoman grenades back at the enemy

Did I read that correctly, even the monkey was fighting the enemy? LOL.

[Nihil Obstat]

Certainly one of the most important battles in the history of the world and it is not taught in schools.

Did you know that Andrea Doria had an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Patroness of the Americas) in his ship's cabin? It was maybe the very first replica made of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The image is now in a cathedral along with some other items from the battle.

[Huber]

It is one of the many commonly accepted myths of history that Protestants invented capitalism, but Venice is proof that Catholic states were exercising their capitalist muscles centuries before Luther burped into his tankard or Calvin had his first glint of his predestined salvation and others’ predestined damnation.

Someone's been reading not only Chesterton, but Hillaire "Old Thunder" Belloc as well.

[EternalHope]

Great article.

Thanks for posting.

[Iris7]

Somewhat familiar with the politics behind Lepanto, changes in technology, course of the battle, etc. A very important event.

It is interesting that the same moral choices are presented to every individual, culture, and age. One sees the light of the Divine Help.

One is reminded of Albrecht von Wallenstein, killed on February 25, 1634. Wallenstein had very nearly single handedly brought what is now known as the 30 Years War to an end. If he had been successful Europe would have been much less intractably divided and so more ready for the Moslem invasion.

The villain of this piece is Cardinal Richelieu. For the Glory of France, (Richelieu would claim for the Glory of God) Richelieu had Wallenstein assassinated.

[NYer]

It is interesting that the same moral choices are presented to every individual, culture, and age. One sees the light of the Divine Help.

A very astute observation which is born out in Scripture.

---

Ecclesiastes
Chapter 1

9

What has been, that will be; what has been done, that will be done. Nothing is new under the sun.

10

Even the thing of which we say, "See, this is new!" has already existed in the ages that preceded us.

[Huber]

Victor Davis Hansen wrote a nice chapter on Lepanto in "Conflict and Culture"

[Salvation]

Pray the Rosary. But I think I am preaching to the choir here. LOL!

[Salvation]

Lepanto is one thing that Protestants are usually aware of, but not accepting of.

[Salvation]

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[Cap'n Crunch]

Amen! Preach it! All the mysteries... 'The Rosary is the weapon'..