The combined Venetian and Maltese fleet defeated a larger Ottoman force in June 1656, destroying and capturing many ships and freeing thousands of Christian galley slaves. It was the Ottomans' worst naval defeat since Lepanto. Captain General Lorenzo Marcello was killed in the victory, repeating the pattern in which Venice lost aggressive leaders at critical moments. The Maltese contingent then departed rather than serve under the next commander, and the coalition began to lose its cohesion after the battlefield success.
Notable Point · 40:50-43:42
Coalition victory at the Dardanelles costs Venice another commander
A Venetian-Maltese fleet inflicted a severe Ottoman defeat in 1656, but the loss of its commander and allied cohesion weakened the achievement.