Lepanto's Guns

The greatest naval conflict of the Renaissance, a battle that almost didn't happen! The year is 1571, and the mighty Ottoman Empire once again threatens to overwhelm the Mediterranean. Six years earlier, the Turks failed to capture Malta, the stronghold of the Knights of St. John Hospitaller. Now they return to the Mediterranean, with their vast fleet of galleys, determined to conquer Venice and Italy.

Antonio Pesaro, Knight of St. John, survived the great siege of Malta. As ambassador to the Republic of Venice, he knows that Spain, Italy, and Venice must combine their galleys if they hope to resist the Empire. But political bickering threatens to overwhelm the Europeans and their newly-created Alliance even before they give battle.

Antonio must not only resolve the political rivalry, but also convince Alliance leaders to change their battle tactics, or face certain defeat from the more numerous Turkish ships. He urges the use of a new weapon, the Venetian gallease, a floating gun platform which can give the Europeans a military advantage.

But the Alliance cannot even agree on a commander for the fleet, let alone accept a major change in galley warfare tactics unchanged in 1,500 years. While Antonio struggles to advance his new ideas, he is marked for death by political rivals in Venice. He must leave his wife in danger, and face the Turks from the deck of his gallease. Only victory at sea can save both the Mediterranean and his family.