Sea Tales - The Secret of the U-110 (Episode 9)
Episode 9: It was the most important submarine capture of WWII, yet it remained a secret known only to a handful of men and the black waters of the Atlantic until long after the war was over. In the early days of WWII, Admiral Doenitz's deadly U-Boat fleet and their stealthy "wolfpack" attacks devastated Allied shipping. The success of Doenitz's strategy relied on the complex codes generated by the legendary Enigma machine, which rendered German radio transmissions indecipherable. But when the crew of U-110 was unable to scuttle their vessel as ordered, the sub along with the vital Enigma machine and its codebooks was captured by the Allies, and the tide of the conflict turned.
Here, the incredible tale of U-110 is told through rare archival footage and photos, captured documents, and interviews with German and British sailors. Admiral Doenitz's journals reveal how the Nazis never suspected that their codes had been broken, while cryptologists demonstrate why the only way to break Enigma was to capture one of the machines.
Episode 10: https://rumble.com/v4t3kwf-sea-tales-missing-the-uss-indianapolis-episode-10.html
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Sea Tales - Missing! The USS Indianapolis (Episode 10)
Episode 10: She was the flagship of the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, returning from one of the most secretive missions of the war delivering the uranium and components to complete the atomic bombs that were dropped on Japan. But 600 miles west of Guam, on July 29, 1945, the U.S.S. Indianapolis was torpedoed and sunk by a Japanese sub.
Missing! The USS Indianapolis tells the controversial, tragic tale of this ill-fated ship. Learn how her 850 surviving crewmembers were left to drift for four days in the shark infested waters of the South Pacific before they were discovered by a Navy seaplane and rescued. More than 500 were eaten by sharks or succumbed to injuries and the elements. Hear shocking stories from the survivors, who question why the Navy took so long to rescue them. Trace the ordeal of the Indianapolis's commander who was court-martialed for losing his ship and eventually committed suicide. Many feel that the Navy used him as a scapegoat. Troubling testimony from scholars and naval experts leads to even more questions. It's an unflinching look at one of the darkest moments of World War II, a horrifying tragedy that almost certainly did not have to happen.
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Secrets of History | D'Artagnan - The Sun King's Musketeer
A 2022 France TV History Documentary hosted by Stéphane Bern. Audio in French with English subtitles.
Stéphane Bern invites us to discover one of the most fiery heroes in French history, Count Charles de Batz de Castelmore, better known as d'Artagnan. Who has never heard of the adventures of this musketeer in the blue jacket immortalized by Alexandre Dumas? It is from the department of Gers, in the castle where d'Artagnan was born at the beginning of the 17th century, that Stéphane Bern begins his investigation, discovering this character full of panache. How does this original Gascon manage to join the prestigious company of musketeers, this elite unit within which he will meet those who will become his lifelong friends, Atos, Portos and Aramis?
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The Knights Templar | Origins (Episode 1)
A 2000 four part History Documentary narrated by Art Malik.
They wielded a double-edged sword, combining military might and impressive financial power. The Pope himself couldn't escape their long shadow and the whispers about a fabulous secret treasure, which was said to include the Holy Grail and the Ark of the Covenant. So who - or what - brought down the mighty Knights Templar? This is the story of an organisation extinct for nearly seven centuries, but whose legacy still echoes through some of today's "secret societies."
The first Templars were French knights dedicated to protecting Christians on pilgrimage to holy sites. Highly trained and passionately devoted to God, they fought with no fear of death and eventually became monks, albeit monks with no problem using a sword on their enemies. The Knights built the world's first multi-national corporation, a huge network of castles, farms and ships all designed to make money to support the Crusades. This financial empire helped Richard the Lionheart and the King of France, but also raised suspicions that these "holy men" were growing too powerful and independent. Thus began the accusations of heresy - and the burnings at the stake.
Professor Malcolm Barber, the world's leading Templar historian, explores the impressive rise and rapid fall of a group ahead of its time. Did the Knights cause the Crusades to ultimately fail? What happened to the surviving heroes of the Order? And - even more important - was there a secret treasure and where might it be now?
Episode 1: Explains how the Templars came about. They do not mention Hugh de Payne or the original group who are credited with the founding of the Templars, but does pick up from the time of the First Crusades, and does cover the circumstances of why a military order was needed, and how the Order was finally acknowledged and accepted.
Episode 2: https://rumble.com/v4rn9yk-the-knights-templar-corporation-episode-2.html
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The Knights Templar | Corporation (Episode 2)
Episode 2: Explains how much of an important part the Templars played in the construction of the financial basis for that time period in history. The foundation of the Templar finances is examined and clearly laid out.
Episode 3: https://rumble.com/v4rncur-the-knights-templar-frontier-episode-3.html
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The Knights Templar | Frontier (Episode 3)
Episode 3: It lays the basis for the fall of the Holy Land and the effects it had on the Templars. Reinforced and secure, they lose their ground to the Mamluks. The power struggle plays out, the Holy Land is finally lost to the Crusaders, and the Templars move back into Europe to find they are financially secure, but have no reason now for existence.
Episode 4: https://rumble.com/v4rnixh-the-knights-templar-legend-episode-4.html
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The Knights Templar | Legend (Episode 4)
Episode 4: The last episode examines the fall of the Templars. Their financial holdings appealed to a failing monarchy, they become the target for the financially strapped French King, and are arrested, tortured, tried and burned.
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Secrets of History | Saint Louis - On Earth As In Heaven
A 2014 France TV History Documentary hosted by Stéphane Bern. Audio in French with English subtitles.
Louis IX, also called Saint Louis, is the only king to have been canonized in 1297, only twenty-seven years after his death. In this Secrets of History episode, Stéphane Bern follows in the footsteps of Louis IX. Guided by an unshakeable faith, attentive to his people, Saint-Louis profoundly modified the judicial institutions of the kingdom, thus forging a reputation as a just king.
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Secrets of History | Agnès Sorel - First Among Favorites
A 2014 France TV History Documentary hosted by Stéphane Bern. Audio in French with English subtitles.
Agnès Sorel was 20 years old when she met Charles VII. She was the first official mistress of a king of France, in 1444. She was distinguished by her youth and her great beauty. A charm that even her fiercest enemies, like Pope Pius II, recognized in her. Her excess of jewelry, her extravagant outfits and her taste for the arts created scandal at the same time as they brought light into the old palaces of the kingdom. Both free and pious, Agnès transformed King Charles VII, 18 years her senior, and played a major political role at his side, in a kingdom tormented by the Hundred Years' War.
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La Vita di Giulio Cesare
Luciano Canfora racconta Giulio Ceare.
Luciano Canfora è uno storico del mondo antico e filologo italiano, professore emerito di filologia greca e latina presso l’Università di Bari. Profondo conoscitore della cultura classica e autore di importanti studi sulla storia antica e su quella contemporanea. Membro dell’Institute for the classical tradition di Boston, della Fondazione Istituto Gramsci di Roma, e del comitato scientifico dell’Istituto della Enciclopedia Treccani, dirige la rivista Quaderni di storia e la collana La città antica e collabora con il «Corriere della Sera» e altre testate. I suoi numerosissimi studi, tradotti in varie lingue, sono caratterizzati da un approccio multidisciplinare e un ampio ambito di ricerca.
Autore di molti best seller, i suoi libri sono stati anche tradotti in diverse lingue. Tra le sue pubblicazioni: Europa gigante incatenato (Dedalo, 2020), La democrazia dei signori (Laterza, 2022), Lezioni di filologia classica (il Mulino, 2023), Sovranità limitata (Laterza, 2023), La democrazia. Storia di un’ideologia (Laterza, 2023).
Tra le sue pubblicazioni per Laterza, più volte ristampate e molte delle quali tradotte nelle principali lingue: Storia della letteratura greca; Giulio Cesare. Il dittatore democratico; Prima lezione di storia greca; La democrazia. Storia di un’ideologia;L’occhio di Zeus;Il papiro di Artemidoro; La natura del potere;I l mondo di Atene; Intervista sul potere (a cura di A. Carioti); La crisi dell’utopia. Aristofane contro Platone; Augusto figlio di Dio; Tucidide. La menzogna, la colpa, l’esilio; Cleofonte deve morire;La scopa di don Abbondio. Il moto violento della storia;Il sovversivo. Concetto Marchesi e il comunismo italiano; Fermare l’odio; La metamorfosi; Il tesoro degli Ebrei. Roma e Gerusalemme; Catilina. Una rivoluzione mancata; Sovranità limitata.
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Chambord: The Castle, The King & The Architect
A 2016 GEDEON Programmes Documentary directed by Marc Jampolsky. Audio in English, with subtitles in English (click on CC).
The best-known and most impressive castle in the Loire valley, Chambord has remained an enigma to generations of researchers. Who was the architect? What significance did King Francois I, who commissioned Chambord, want the castle to have? And what role did his friend and “king’s architect” Leonardo da Vinci play? Conceived by a young monarch who loved hunting and chivalry, this “dream in stone” is still a puzzle to researchers 500 years later, especially since no preliminary designs have ever been found. Why did the King embark on this epic project in the heart of the marshlands in 1519?
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Frederick II: Holy Roman Emperor
A 2019 Biography Documentary, written and directed by Markus Auge. Audio in German with English subtitles.
He was a patron of science and a reformer on the one hand, a brutal power-seeker on the other. Frederick II of Hohenstaufen, king and Holy Roman Emperor from 1212 to 1250, was a man full of contradictions. He was one of the most fascinating and at the same time most contradictory rulers of the Middle Ages: Frederick II, the last and at the same time the greatest emperor of the Staufers.
To some he was the Messiah Emperor and the Prince of Peace, a universal genius with great, creative intelligence, the "Stupor mundi" ("wonder of the world"), but to others he was the beast of the apocalypse that had emerged from the sea, the Antichrist, the beast on the throne. He was a patron of science, a reformer, and might even be called the first modern ruler.
Frederick II of Hohenstaufen, ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1212 to 1250, was an exceptional figure on the Roman-German imperial throne. Born and raised in the multi- ethnic state of Sicily, his reign was influenced by Byzantine and Norman traditions that allowed Jews and Muslims a large degree of freedom. All the royal houses in Europe are said to have looked up to him in awe. He saw himself as successor to the Roman emperors and ruler by the grace of God – a notion that was bound to collide with the Pope's claim to universal power. Frederick waged a bitter battle to maintain his power with five different popes. The Church excommunicated him several times and branded him a heretic and anti-Christ. Frederick responded with the sword, for the emperor was prepared to resort to brutal violence to defend his supremacy. He even arrested his own son and left him to rot in the dungeon. A ruler rife with contradictions and a man who, 800 years after his death, has lost nothing of his fascination.
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The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance | Birth of a Dynasty (Episode 1)
A 2004 PBS Empire Special, History Documentary narrated by Massimo Marinoni. Audio in English with English subtitles (Click on CC).
From a small Italian community in 15th century Florence, the Medici family would rise to rule Europe in many ways. Using charm, patronage, skill, duplicity and ruthlessness, they would amass unparalleled wealth and unprecedented power. They would also ignite the most important cultural and artistic revolution in Western history - the European Renaissance. But the forces of change the Medici helped unleash would one day topple their ordered world.
Episode 1: Europe, 1400 - A continent torn apart by war and plague is dominated by the authority of the Catholic Church. In the towns and cities live merchants and entrepreneurs who sense that their world is changing. With increasing trade and wealth an appetite for enlightenment develops. No longer neglected in the shadows of the Church, classical philosophy, poetry, art and sculpture begin to reach a new audience. This is especially true in cosmopolitan cities like Florence, home of Cosimo de'Medici.
Episode 2: https://rumble.com/v4mg7qx-the-medici-godfathers-of-the-renaissance-the-magnificent-medici-episode-2.html
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The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance | The Magnificent Medici (Episode 2)
Episode 2: Florence, August 1466 - Lorenzo de' Medici, the 17-year-old heir to the dynasty, foils a murderous plot against his father and saves his family from a coup d'Etat. The Medici still dominate Florence, but now take extra precautions, picking a useful bride for Lorenzo. Clarice Orsini, a baron's daughter and cardinal's niece, brings connections, class, and military muscle to the Medici dynasty.
In the workshops of Florence, business has never been better. Under Medici patronage, artists like Sandro Botticelli go on to redefine the Renaissance itself. For now, Botticelli's “Adoration of the Magi” confirms his position at the heart of Medici power.
Episode 3: https://rumble.com/v4mgc7b-the-medici-godfathers-of-the-renaissance-the-medici-popes-episode-3.html
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The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance | The Medici Popes (Episode 3)
Episode 3: Florence, 1501 - 26-year-old Michelangelo carves a giant masterpiece which will come to symbolize his struggle against a family he once adored. Raised from a young age alongside the Medici heirs he watched as they were cast into exile with a price on their heads. Now they are searching for a path back to power.
Episode 4. https://rumble.com/v4mgwtt-the-medici-godfathers-of-the-renaissance-power-vs.-truth-episode-4.html
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The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance | Power VS. Truth (Episode 4)
Episode 4: Florence, 1537 - Alessandro de'Medici the Duke of Florence, lies murdered in his bed. His cousin is plucked from obscurity to lead Florence. He is just 17. His rivals think he's a puppet, but despite his youth, Cosimo de'Medici, the new Duke of Florence, is ambitious.
The Making Of: https://rumble.com/v4mhknc-the-medici-making-of.html
NOTE (on Cosimo I de' Medici): Cosimo I was not a nobody. It is true that up to the time of his accession, Cosimo had lived only in Mugello (the ancestral homeland of the Medici family) and was almost unknown in Florence - although, many of the influential men in the city favoured. However, he was the son of the famous Ludovico de' Medici (known as Giovanni dalle Bande Nere) and his wife Maria Salviati, herself a granddaughter of Lorenzo the Magnificent. He was the grandson of Caterina Sforza, the Countess of Forlì and Lady of Imola, and one of the most famous women of the Italian Renaissance.
The reason they chose him was exactly because of his lineage, and because the only male child of Alessandro de' Medici (the first Duke of Florence and the last lineal descendant of the senior branch), was born out-of-wedlock and was only four years' old at the time of his father's death. Thus the senior branch line of the Medici (those descended from Cosimo the Elder) died with Alessandro.
Cosimo I united the two branches of the Medici family; the senior branch through his mother Maria Salviati (the daughter of Lucrezia de' Medici, the eldest daughter of Lorenzo de' Medici and Clarice Orsini) and the "junior" branch (the so-called "Popolani" ) who were descended from Lorenzo the Elder, the younger brother of Cosimo de' Medici the Elder. As such, he became the first Grand Duke of Tuscany. Marie de' Medici, Queen of France and Navarre as the second wife of King Henry IV, was his granddaughter.
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Wings of the Red Star - Tu-95: The Nuclear Bear
A 1993 Discovery Channel War Documentary hosted by Peter Ustinov.
During the 1940s, the Soviet government, knowing of the American nuclear program, elected to begin work on its own nuclear weapon program. The goal was to create and test the first Soviet atomic bomb within a short time interval to counter a major postwar threat from the West. An important secondary concern became apparent: how to deliver that weapon to the target. Thus, the Tu-95 Bear and the Tu-142, its close relative, were born.
The Tu-95 is a large, heavy strategic bomber with a slim fuselage, swept wings, and four powerful turboprop engines driving counter-rotating propellers. It remained in production as a maritime patrol aircraft and cruise missile carrier more than 30 years after it was first produced. The aircraft was revolutionary in the application of a swept wing and turbine powerplants. With its adaptability, enduring airframe and unique propulsion system the Tu-95 is one of the most successful Soviet bombers ever produced.
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Wings over the Pacific
A 1995 Discovery Channel War Documentary hosted by Stuart Culpepper.
Commando, Flying Tiger, Avenger, Lightning, Zeke, Mitchell, Betty – these are the names that made World War II the most amazing air war ever. Exciting action footage puts you in the cockpit of the military’s greatest fighters – from nimble P-51 Mustangs to the Boeing B-29 Superfortress. Discover little-known air combat facts. Meet the American and Japanese pilots who waged war over the Pacific. Relive all the pivotal campaigns and aerial battles, from Pearl Harbor and the Coral Sea to Midway and ultimate victory at Iwo Jima. Follow the air campaigns of the Pacific, from Pearl Harbor to Hiroshima, and discover how American birds – like the F6F Hellcat – matched up against their Japanese counterparts – like the Ki-100, nicknamed "Tony" by the Allies.The American Avenger dive bomber, P-40 Tomahawk, P-38 Lightning, P-51 Mustang and the B-29 Superfortress bomber are profiled. Learn the tactics American and Japanese pilots used to adjust to ever-evolving aircraft, changing battle strategies and the logistical problems of fighting a war that spanned thousands of miles.
Through archival footage and reenactments, we see their aircraft in action and relive the major aerial campaigns of a battlefield that covered nearly one third of the earth's surface. Rare footage presents military aircraft in wartime missions, dropping bombs and facing enemy wings head-on. See how the war in the Pacific was fought, from Pearl Harbor to the Coral Sea, Midway, Guadalcanal, and onward to the ultimate and decisive air attacks on the Japanese home islands.
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Wings of the Red Star - Yak-39
A 1993 Discovery Channel War Documentary hosted by Peter Ustinov.
Yak-3 was the easiest to fly and most maneuverable fighter aircraft, not only in the the family of "Yak", but also among the planes that fought all the World War II fronts. After the appearance of Yak-3 at the front German aces morale and fighting spirit were dealt a blow from which they were not able to recover before the end of the war. Participating in hostilities at the final stage of the war, the Yak-3 played an important role in the final defeat of air forces of Nazi Germany.
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Wings of the Luftwaffe - Fighter Attack
A 1994 Discovery Channel War Documentary narrated by Ron David.
Formed in 1935, the German Luftwaffe secretly began designing formidable military aircraft while other countries leisurely explored aviation. The Luftwaffe launched many of the greatest combat aircraft of the era. The Fw-190 was a deadly success. The Me-109 became the German's reliable workhorse. The Me-262 was the only truly successful jet fighter bomber. With these planes, German Aces gave the Allies an awesome challenge in the skies.
FW 190 "Butcherbird" - Armed with great speed, climbing ability and agility, it penetrated Allied bomber formations, and forced them to higher altitudes. Many who flew the Fw 190 call it the war's best fighter. Messerschmitt Me 109 "Legend" - The Bf 109, later known as Me 109, is credited for more than half of the German kills in WWII. This successful plane became the backbone of the Luftwaffe. Me 262 "Swallow" - The development of the Me 262 was plagued with controversy and setbacks, but in combat the jet's performance was unequaled. With speeds of almost 550 mph, the Me 262 flew lethal missions over Europe in 1944 and 1945.
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Wings - Firestorm in Dresden: The Bloody 100th Bomb Group
A 1997 Discovery Channel War Documentary hosted by John Hedges.
When the 100th Bomb Group first arrived at their new base of Thorpe Abbott, England, they had 30 bombers, 300 aircrew and 3,000 support staff. Of those original thirty crews, 86% were shot down. It earned the Group the chilling nickname 'The Bloody 100th'. This is the story of the men of the 'Bloody 100th' and the B-17 Flying Fortresses they flew on some of the most dangerous daylight bombing missions of the war, as told by the members of the 'Lucky Bastards Club' - the few who successfully flew 25 missions and were sent home.
The Bloody 100th took part in Operation Gomorrah against Hamburg, and in the infamous Schweinfort and Regensburg raids. They were decimated over Munster, spearheaded raids against Berlin and - most controversially of all - were part of the terrible attack on Dresden that caused so many civilian casualties.
Using much rare colour footage (including private home movies), gun camera film and dramatic archive material, this is the story of one of USAAF's most combat-experienced Bomber Groups.
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Wings - Target Berlin
A 1995 Discovery Channel War Documentary hosted by John Hedges.
Before the advent of the long-range escort fighter, American bomber groups flying daylight bombing raids into the heart of Nazi Germany were at the mercy of the Me109s and Fw190s of the Luftwaffe. Losses on a single mission could sometimes exceed 30%. As the B-17s and B-24s were brutally torn out of the skies by 20 and 30mm cannon fire, the whole feasiblity of daylight bombing was called into question. And then the P-51 Mustang arrived.
The P-51 was the only fighter with the range to escort bombers deep inside Germany - and it was a natural killer. By early 1944, the Luftwaffe had to be smashed as a prelude to D-Day and the P-51 would do the smashing, while the 100-mile-long bomber formations acted as fighter-bait... Packed with archive footage, dramatic gun camera film and exclusive interviews with Mustang pilots, this programme is a tribute to the fighter aircraft that won air superiority for the Allies in the war-torn skies over Europe.
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La Vera Storia di Romeo e Giulietta
Un documentario del 2011 diretto da Alessandra Gigante.
La storia dell'amore infelice di Romeo e Giulietta divenne nota grazie a una delle tragedie più famose di William Shakespeare. Ma dove trovò ispirazione il grande poeta inglese? Romeo e Giulietta sono esistiti davvero? Era quello il loro nome? E perché Shakespeare scelse la Verona medievale come ambientazione? In una parola, qual è la verità nella storia d'amore più famosa del mondo?
Più di cinquecento anni fa, a Udine, nacque un ardente passione tra una ragazza nobile, Lucina Savorgnan, quindicenne rampolla della nobile famiglia, e Luigi Da Porto, uomo d'armi e di lettere, fu amore a prima vista. Ma ad avversare la travolgente passione si mise di mezzo il destino. La loro tormentata vicenda darà vita alla più famosa storia d'amore di tutti i tempi, che Shakespeare scriverà alcuni decenni più tardi.
Mariotto o Luigi e non Romeo? Giannozza o Lucina e non Giulietta? Siena o Udine invece di Verona…? E’ possibile che la storia d’amore più celebre di tutti i tempi abbia una base storica? Shakespeare si è limitato a cambiare nomi di persone e luoghi oppure ha lasciato che la fantasia coprisse completamente una delle tante storie di amore e morte che hanno popolato il Medioevo italiano? Oppure, più semplicemente, il famoso dramma shakespeariano, così come le novelle che l’hanno preceduto e ispirato, ha mischiato realtà e finzione? E fin dove è stato rispettoso della Storia? Un viaggio-inchiesta su un enigma storico-letterario che si incrocia con quello dell’uomo che ha reso immortali Romeo e Giulietta: chi era davvero Shakespeare? E cosa deve allo sfortunato letterato italiano Luigi Da Porto?
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The Battle of Lepanto: 1571
A 2002 ZDF History Documentary narrated by Nick F. Bolton and Martin Heckmann. Audio in English.
The Battle of Lepanto took place on 7 October 1571 when a galley fleet of the Holy League, a coalition of Venice, the Papacy (under Pope Pius V), Spain, Republic of Genoa, Duchy of Savoy, the Knights of Malta and others, defeated a force of Ottoman galleys.
The 5-hour battle was fought at the northern edge of the Gulf of Patras, off western Greece, where the Ottoman forces sailing westwards from their naval station in Lepanto met the Holy League forces, which had come from Messina, in the morning of Sunday 7 October. Of the major naval battles fought solely between rowing vessels, this was the last in world history.
Follow an expedition to find the battlefield and the remains of the Lepanto Battle and learn about the greatest naval battle in world history.
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