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Where did Miguel de Cervantes serve as a soldier?

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Miguel de Cervantes began his military career in 1570 by enlisting in a Spanish infantry regiment stationed in Naples, which was then a Spanish possession.1

His active service included several notable engagements and locations:

  • Battle of Lepanto: In 1571, he served aboard the Marquesa as part of the fleet commanded by Don Juan de Austria, fighting against the Ottoman Empire in the Gulf of Lepanto.1
  • Mediterranean Campaigns: Between 1572 and 1575, he continued his service while based primarily in Naples, participating in military actions at Navarino, Tunis, and La Goleta.1

Cervantes’s military service concluded in 1575 while he was returning to Spain, at which point his ship was captured by Barbary pirates, leading to his enslavement in Algiers.1