Ottoman westward expansion stalled due to the Safavid threat in the east

Evidence

The Spanish view of how things turned out is that eventually, in 1571, at the Battle of Lepanto, Spain and its allies heroically stemmed the tide that had been flowing westward. Is that the right way to look at these events? Both fleets suffered grievous losses in that battle. Lepanto was a disaster for both sides, although the Christian naval forces claimed the victory. But the Turks were able to replace their losses within a relatively short space of time, whereas the concentration of Spain on the Enterprise of England meant that its buildup of ships in the Mediterranean was not as rapid. What caused the westward progress of the Ottomans to falter was rather that, unexpectedly to the east of Turkey, on the land frontiers of Anatolia itself, the Ottomans had to direct their attention to the Safavid threat. — L. P. Harvey, Muslims in Spain, 1500 to 1614, 1550 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: The Safavids, not Lepanto, halted Ottoman westward expansion — L. P. Harvey, Muslims in Spain, 1500 to 1614, 1550; The Ottoman advance west redirected European expansion and split East from West. — Stuart Hall, Essential Essays, Volume 2: Identity…, 561; Ottoman naval expeditions for Southeast Asian allies were repeatedly diverted by nearer crises — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans: Interpreting…, 596

Broader Connections

• The Safavids, not Lepanto, halted Ottoman westward expansion #corroborates (0.92) — L. P. Harvey, Muslims in Spain, 1500 to 1614, 1550