Battle of Lepanto, historical illustration. The Battle of Lepanto was a naval battle that took place in the Gulf of Corinth on 7th October 1571 between the Holy League (a coalition of Spain and other Catholic European countries) and the Ottoman Empire. Each side had over 200 ships. In five hours of fighting, over 25,000 were killed, wounded or captured, and large numbers of Ottoman ships captured or sunk. The decisive victory by the Holy League helped prevent the expansion of the Ottoman Empire. Image from the cover of a schoolbook published in France, circa 1900.