Q&A ยท 18:53-21:17

Preveza and coalition command

Preveza belongs to a later war. The 1538 Ottoman victory also illustrates the difficulty of coordinating a multinational Holy League fleet.

Question

Which war between the Ottoman Empire and Venice included the battle being recalled?

Short answer

It was the 1538 Battle of Preveza between the Ottomans and the Holy League, during a later war than the one covered by the earlier video. The coalition's confused command structure is a major part of the account.

Notes

The Battle of Preveza belongs to a later conflict than the war discussed earlier in the video. It took place in 1538 and involved an Ottoman force of 122 galleys with 20,000 soldiers. The opposing Holy League brought together Venice, the Papal States, Genoa, Spain, Mantua, and Malta. Andrea Doria is tentatively identified as the coalition commander. The Holy League's command structure was badly disordered, making Preveza a useful case of coalition command failure as well as a fleet action.