The Ottoman Empire grew from being a minor power in modern Turkey to controlling much of the Middle East and Eastern Europe. By 1453, they had broken the power of the Byzantine Empire and taken the great city of Constantinople as their new capital of Istanbul. Constantinople had been the biggest thorn in the side of westward expansion and after it was taken the powerful Ottomans burst into Eastern Europe and quickly challenged Venice for control of the seas.
Due to their vast resources, the Ottomans quickly got the upper hand in the Mediterranean and had control of most of the islands east of Greece by 1570 and were able to secure most of Northern Africa including areas around modern day Tunis. With their power the Ottomans freely conducted raids along the Christian kingdoms of Italy, Spain, and Malta, destroying towns and taking thousands of slaves.
Finally, Pope Pius V had enough and made great efforts to gather a Holy League to combat the encroaching Ottoman threat. This was easier said than done as Western Europe was full of fractious states almost always embroiled in conflict. The Ottoman raids hit many of the coastal powers, however, and helped motivate the union that was formed between the Venetians, who had been fighting a losing naval war against the Ottomans for over a century, the Knights of Malta, The Spanish Empire, and several smaller Italian powers.
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