O'Doherty Militant
Words, whether poetry or philosophy, could render Neil O'Doherty humble before the brilliance of the person who wrote them, could inspire him, could anger him, or could just make him laugh. In terms of poetry, I remember best his reading aloud Chesterton's poem Lepanto, a wonderfully rhythmic historical narrative. It was as if the flavor of each word lingered deliciously on his palate after it was spoken. Lepanto recounts how the naval forces of an alliance of Christian nations fought the powerful fleet of the Ottoman Empire. The cadence of the words carries the listener the length of the Mediterranean, determinedly riding the swells and falling into the troughs in between.
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The Ottoman Empire and the Battle of Lepanto
The Ottomans rose to power in fourteenth century Turkey. Within a century and a half, their rule had spread through southeastern Europe, the Arabian peninsula, and across north Africa from Egypt to Algeria. They defeated the powerful Byzantine Empire, turning the Christian city of Constantinople into the Islamic city of Istanbul. Their forces were fierce, converting defeated Christians by force into Muslims, much as their empire converted the huge Cathedral Church of Holy Wisdom into the Hagia Sophia Great Holy Mosque. The generous respect for Christians and Jews shown by the Moors at the Alhambra does not come to mind when thinking of the oft-brutal Ottomans.
In 1571, the Ottoman Empire threatened to expand further, and Western Europe worried. A Holy League of nations assembled a fleet to send against it, led by Don John of Austria, half-brother of the King of Spain. Much to the Muslims' surprise, the League was victorious; what remained of the Ottoman fleet scurried back home. Although the battle proved to be a turning point in the long run, the Ottoman Empire would remain a force for another three centuries and more.
The situation, like Chesterton's poem, seems tailor-made for the militant part of Neil's nature. It was a good guy vs. bad guy moment in Western history: an underdog younger brother, leading the fight for a people who believe in truth, defeats an oppressive foe. One can imagine Neil admiring Don John's victory, and perhaps sometimes even thinking that his own little victories in debate continued the same never-ending battle.
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Not Decimated
Lepanto was a tipping point; though defeated, the Ottomans would continue to thrive. Neither their power nor their empire was destroyed. In fact, they still had their heroes.
At Lepanto, one of them was a lesser admiral named Ali Pasha (note that this was a common name, one sometimes adopted by Westerners who had been forced to convert to Islam). As defeat loomed, the Ottoman forces had begun to panic, but this man assumed command where his superiors could not. He organized an orderly retreat, thereby saving many Ottoman ships and lives. Back home, his efforts were acknowledged, and he went on to have a long and celebrated naval career. Eventually, he was named Chief Admiral of the Empire, and to his name was added the prefix Kılıç (which means Sword).
Interior of Kılıç Ali Pasha Mosque, Istanbul
photograph by Ronald A. Wencer
When he was old, in gratitude for all the successes granted to him during his lifetime by Allah, Ali Pasha commissioned the construction of a beautiful mosque. Four and a half centuries later, it still stands in Istanbul, perpetuating his name. Tourists like me come from all over the world, walk inside, and have their breath taken away.
This post script to the battle suggests that Lepanto seemed a bigger success for Europe than it seemed a defeat for the Ottoman Empire. The latter dialed down its ambitions, and missed a step or two, but it kept on going.
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