Holy League (1571)

For other alliances with similar names, see Holy League.
Holy League (1571)
FounderPope Pius V
IdeologyCatholicism
Allies Papal States
 Spanish Empire
 Republic of Venice
 Republic of Genoa
Knights of Malta
 Grand Duchy of Tuscany
 Duchy of Savoy
Duchy of Urbino
 Duchy of Parma
OpponentsOttoman Empire
The banner of the Holy League, flown by John of Austria on his flagship Real. It is made of blue damask interwoven with gold thread, of a length of 7.3 m and a width of 4.4 m at the hoist. It displays the crucified Christ above the coats of arms of Pius V, of Venice, of Charles V, and of John of Austria. The coats of arms are linked by chains symbolizing the alliance. The banner was given to Toledo Cathedral in 1616 by Philip III of Spain. It was moved to the Museum of Santa Cruz in 1961. [1]
The coats of arms of the leaders of the Holy League (Habsburg Spain, Pope Pius V, Republic of Venice, John of Austria) as depicted in the printed order of battle published on 14 November 1571 by Antonio Lafreri in Rome.

The Holy League (Latin: Liga Sancta, Spanish: Liga Santa, Italian: Lega Santa) of 1571 was arranged by Pope Pius V and included the major Catholic powers of southern Europe (Iberian Peninsula and Italian Peninsula), specifically the Spanish Empire as well as the Italian maritime powers. It was intended to break the Ottoman Empire’s control of the eastern Mediterranean Sea and was formally concluded on 25 May 1571.

  1. ^ The image shown is a reproduction of an 1888 watercolor drawn from a copy of the banner in the Museo Naval in Madrid. F. Javier Campos y Fernández de Sevilla, "Cervanted, Lepanto y el Escorial"