Comments by "" (@neutronalchemist3241) on "Real Crusades History" channel.

LjFJDhs Please... The initiative was Venetian (to relieve the garrison of Famagusta. Unfortunately to assemble the fleet took too much time to save them). 109 galleys out of 206 and all six galeasses (so the majority of the fleet) were Venetians. 49 galleys were Spanish (really, only 23 were really Spanish. 26 were from the Kingdom of Naples, the only Italian territory controlled by Spain involved in the battle), 27 Genoese, 7 form the Papal State, 5 from Tuscany (one of them finally captured the Ottoman flagship, that's why the Ottoman standard still is in the Chatedral of Pisa) and the others from some minor contributor. Of the soldiers, 7.000 out of 28.500 were Spanish, 7.000 Germans and Croats, 6,000 Italian mercenaries in addition to 5,000 professional Venetian soldiers and 3.500 other Italians (from the Papal State, Tuscany, ecc...). Other than that, Venetian sailors and oarsemen were free citizens able to bear arms. The aim of Spain in the battle was to stop ottoman pirates raiding Spanish possessions in South Italy.
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The leading force was from Venice, that provided the main part of the fleet, and the more technically advanced. Actually none "asked Spain for help". It was a league promoted by Pope Pius V, in which any of the members had his goals. The Spanish one was to stop Ottoman pirates to ride their territories in South Italy. You actually don't trealise the extention of Spanish Empire at that time. The "half of Italy that was property of Spain" (the kingdom of Naples) provided 26 galleys. Spain provided 23 galleys. The other 153 galleys and all six the galeasses were provided by Italian States that were not Spanish property in any way (mainly from Venice). So no, despite your effort to appropriate them, they were not Spanish. Speaking of "decisive people in the battle" The Spanish flagship of Don Juan had actually to be saved by the Papal ship of Marcantonio Colonna. Otherwise Don Juan's head would have decorated Ali Pasha's mainmast. The most famed Ottoman commander participating to the battle, Mahomet Sirocco, was beheaded by Giovanni Contarini, Venetian, after a Venetian galley boarded Sirocco's one. The Ottoman flagship had been boarded, captured, and Ali Pasha beheaded, by the Tuscan Knights of Saint Stephen. The Spaniards actually accounted for less than 1/4 of the ships and less than 1/4 of the soldiers.
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Antonio Perez Please... Genova was the main creditor of Spain at that time (practically they financially owned the kingdom, and the Spanish fleet was raised with their money. Not by chance the period between 1528 and 1628 it was called "El Siglo de los genoveses"). Venice had been the main actor of the battle, to which it contributed with 109 galleys out of 204 and all six of the the galeasses.
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He had been put in the rearguard exactly for this, to fill the gaps, because, having 31% numerical inferiority (50% once 30 galleys had been put in reserve) it was SURE that some gap would have opened during the battle in the Christian line. Obviously it needed a competent commander to realize where his contribute was needed the most and to move the ships accordingly, for that he was choosen for this delicate task, but he did his work like any other.
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Spain provided 49 galleys (23 from Spain and 26 from the Kingdom of Naples), out of 206 galleys and 6 galleasses, so less than a quarter of the total. Spain didn't rule Venice (the main contributor with 109 galleys and all six the galeasses, so more than half of the total) or Genoa in 1571 and, as already said, the "Spanish" money were often Genoese ones. Spain "paid" for 20.000 soldiers (7000 Spanish, 7000 German and Croats, 6000 Italians), that were less than the number of Venetian soldiers ,free sailors and oarsmen (not counting the Genoese and the others). Obviously in a naval battle the expenses for the soldiers were the minor ones. There were the ships to be expensive.
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It's all about courage and bigger guns. The League's galleys were less, but more modern and with better artillery than the Ottoman ones. Altough undefeated, it could be said that technically the Ottoman fleet was past its peak point in respect to the others. 60 years later, in the Cretan war, the Venetian fleet routinetly beaten the Ottoman one, even in much worse numerical inferiority, but unfortunately Venice had not enough troops to exploit its naval successes, and ended up losing Crete after a 19 years struggle.
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köln 109 galleys out of 206 and all six galeasses (so the majority of the fleet) were Venetians. 49 galleys were Spanish (really 23 were Spanish. 26 were from the Kingdom of Naples), 27 Genoese, 7 form the Papal State, 5 from Tuscany (one of them finally captured the Ottoman flagship, that's why the Ottoman standard still is in the Chatedral of Pisa) and the others from some minor contributor.
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Not really that "united". The Holy League at Lepanto was essentially a Italo-Spanish thing, while the French were allied of the Ottomans.
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There were not British, Portuguese, or Dutch, the German soldiers were mercenaries payed by Spain... Only the christians that had interests in the Mediterranean, bar the French (so Italians and Spanish), participated.
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