Battle of Preveza
1538 CE · Greece
The Battle of Preveza was fought in 1538 CE in Greece between Ottoman Empire vs the Holy League; decisive Ottoman victory that secured Ottoman naval dominance in the Mediterranean for a generation.
Battle of Preveza: quick facts
- Date
- 1538 CE
- Location
- Greece
- Belligerents
- Ottoman Empire vs the Holy League
- Commanders
- Hayreddin Barbarossa vs Andrea Doria
- Result
- decisive Ottoman victory that secured Ottoman naval dominance in the Mediterranean for a generation.
- Era
- ⚔️ Ottoman & Islamic Empires
- Quiz difficulty
- hard
What happened at the Battle of Preveza?
The Ottoman fleet under the legendary admiral Hayreddin Barbarossa decisively defeated a combined Holy League fleet of Spanish, Venetian, and Papal ships near Preveza in western Greece. Barbarossa's superior tactics and seamanship routed the disorganized Christian coalition. The victory secured Ottoman naval supremacy in the Mediterranean for over three decades until the Battle of Lepanto in 1571.
Did you know?
Hayreddin Barbarossa started his career as a simple pirate from the island of Lesbos before becoming the most feared admiral in the Mediterranean and the Ottoman Empire's Grand Admiral.
Sources and further reading
- Battle of Preveza on Wikipedia for the full account, historiography and primary sources.
- How BattleGuess compiles and checks battle facts: see the About page.
Entry last reviewed 26 September 2026.