Battle of Lepanto, illustration. The Battle of Lepanto was a naval battle that took place in the Gulf of Corinth off Greece on 7 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. 1874 reproduction of an illustration by Jose Vasquez (1768-1804).