HOW IMPORTANT WAS THE BATTLE OF LEPANTO? Fought 450 years ago this month, the great sea battle between Christian Europe and the Ottoman Empire was seen as a pivotal moment in history. Have its consequences been exaggerated?.

The article ponders the importance of the Battle of Lepanto or the sea battle between Christian Europe and the Ottoman Empire. Topics discussed include the claims of many historians that the battle did not effect significant changes in light of the retention of Ottoman rule on Cyprus, portrayal of the battle as the victory of the Christian West over the Muslims, and the effect of the Battle of Lepanto on the tax gradient in the Ottoman Empire.