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What happened to Miguel de Cervantes at the Battle of Lepanto?

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Engraving of Miguel de Cervantes, shown with a mustache and beard, wearing a ruffled collar and cloak, based on works by Gregorio Ferro and Fernando Selma. — Miguel de Cervantes Miguel de Cervantes, engraving by E. Mackenzie after Gregorio Ferro and Fernando Selma; from *The Imperial Dictionary of Universal Biography* (1863).

At the Battle of Lepanto on October 7, 1571, Miguel de Cervantes served as a soldier aboard the Marquesa under the command of Don Juan de Austria.1

Despite being ill with a fever, Cervantes insisted on participating in the fighting rather than remaining below deck. His conduct during the engagement was widely recognized as courageous. During the battle, he sustained two gunshot wounds to the chest and a third injury that rendered his left hand permanently useless. Throughout his life, Cervantes maintained a sense of pride regarding his service and actions during this historic naval victory.1