Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573)
| Fourth Ottoman–Venetian War | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Ottoman–Venetian Wars and Spanish–Ottoman wars | |||||||||
The Battle of Lepanto | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Ottoman Empire | |||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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| Strength | |||||||||
| 167,000–187,000 | 73,500 | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 70,000–75,000 killed | 15,000–20,000 killed | ||||||||
The Fourth Ottoman–Venetian War, also known as the War of Cyprus (Italian: Guerra di Cipro) was fought between 1570 and 1573. It was waged between the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Venice, the latter joined by the Holy League, a coalition of Christian states formed by the pope which included Spain (with Naples and Sicily), the Republic of Genoa, the Duchy of Savoy, the Knights Hospitaller, and the Grand Duchy of Tuscany.
The war, the pre-eminent episode of Sultan Selim II's reign, began with the Ottoman invasion of the Venetian-held island of Cyprus. The capital Nicosia and several other towns fell quickly to the considerably superior Ottoman army, leaving only Famagusta in Venetian hands. Christian reinforcements were delayed, and Famagusta eventually fell in August 1571 after an 11-month-long siege. Two months later, at the Battle of Lepanto, the united Christian fleet destroyed the Ottoman fleet, but was unable to take advantage of this victory. The Ottomans quickly rebuilt their naval forces and Venice was forced to negotiate a separate peace, ceding Cyprus to the Ottomans and paying a tribute of 300,000 ducats.