Let Me Explain

Lepanto is an epic narrative poem by the English writer George Keith (“G. K.”) Chesterton, published in 1911. Click play below to hear my performance of this piece.

Lepanto is structured mainly in four-line stanzas called quatrains with an AABBCC rhyming scheme. As a narrative poem, its content is meant to tell a story through verse, in this case, an idealized account of the historical Battle of Lepanto. This battle was fought on October 7, 1571 between the naval forces of the Ottoman Empire and the Holy League, an alliance of Catholic Mediterranean nations organized by Pope Pius V that included the Kingdom of Spain, the Order of Saint John, and the Republic of Venice.

The main character of this poem is Don John of Austria (1547-1578), an illegitimate son of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and a half-brother to King Philip II of Spain. “Don” is the Spanish term for “lord” when addressing a member of the nobility. John was appointed by Phillip II as commander of the Holy League’s fleet, and he would go on to prove very capable in his job. The worshipful manner in which his actions are described in the poem portray him as an instrument of divine intervention, someone chosen not just by his brother but seemingly by God Himself to preserve Christendom.

Like the land-based Siege of Vienna that took place more than a century later in 1683, the Battle of Lepanto was a significant turning point in the long conflict between Christian Europe and the powerful Ottomans. In the aftermath of these decisive European victories, the Ottomans began to suffer a long period of decline, characterized by further military setbacks, internal strife, and economic difficulties. These became more and more pronounced throughout the eighteenth century nineteenth centuries, ultimately culminating in the collapse of the Ottoman Empire at the end of the First World War in 1918.