Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Italian; the range of his biblical studies; and
the skill of his exposition set a standard for
scholarship that few could attain. His liter-
ary style, elegant but free from pedantry,
became a model of Castilian prose. His most
important works in prose are
De los nombres
de Cristo
(
The Names of Christ,
1583) and
La
perfecta casada
(The perfect married woman,
1583). In addition to these learned and
didactic works Fray Luis is admired for his
poetry. Although not a mystical poet in the
strict sense like S
AINT
T
ERESA
OF
Á
VILA
or
S
AINT
J
OHN
OF
THE
C
ROSS
, his ability to sus-
tain and transform the hardship of his
imprisonment into a deep appreciation of
the mysteries and majesty of the Christian
faith have retained a place in the praise of
literary critics and the hearts of the faithful.
The best known of these poems are “Vida
retirada” (Life of withdrawal) and “Noche
serena” (Serene night).
Spain), the brother of King P
HILIP
II. Spain
had been contesting with the Ottoman
Empire for mastery of the Mediterranean
during the past five decades with little last-
ing success. The death of Sultan Suleiman
the Magnificent, in 1566, had seemed to
offer an opportunity owing to the incompe-
tence of his heir, Selim II. The Turkish fleet,
which had massed under Ochiali Pasha to
halt the Holy League advance, assumed its
usual crescent formation. Don John's bold
tactics broke the Turkish crescent, scattered
the isolated squadrons, and achieved the
destruction of all but 40 of the Turkish gal-
leys, which their admiral led in desperate
flight. In addition to destroying or captur-
ing the bulk of the Turkish forces, Don John
liberated some 10,000 galley slaves and
inspired rejoicing throughout Christian
Europe. Even the Protestant realms of the
north rang bells and lit bonfires to celebrate
the triumph of the Catholic fleet.
Although Turkish attacks would con-
tinue on land for decades, the myth of the
“Terrible Turk” and his supposedly invinci-
ble navy was forever shattered. Lepanto
proved to be a turning point in the centu-
ries-long struggle between western Europe
and the Turkish empire. For Spaniards in
particular it was a perpetual source of pride,
and C
ERVANTES
reflected the feelings of his
compatriots when he spoke of the crippled
arm that he sustained in the battle as a
badge of honor.
Lepanto, Battle of
(1571)
The most famous victory of Spanish arms
and one of the decisive battles of history,
this naval action was fought on October 7,
1571. It takes its name from a cape at the
entrance to the Gulf of Patras in Greece. In
adjacent waters a fleet of some 200 galleys,
assembled by the Holy League, encountered
a Turkish armada of comparable size.
Although the forces of Christian Europe
that had been assembled to confront their
Muslim antagonists included contributions
from the Papal States, the Republic of Ven-
ice, and some smaller Italian states, the bulk
of the force, which carried 30,000 men, was
provided by Spain. The entire Holy League
coalition was under the leadership of Don
Juan (known as D
ON
J
OHN
OF
A
USTRIA
because the Habsburg dynasty ruled in
Lerma, Francisco Gómez de
Sandoval y Rojas, duque de
(1553-1625)
Spanish statesman
Descended from F
ERDINAND
V and the
House of Borja (Borgia), his family connec-
Search WWH ::
Custom Search