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Which side did Miguel de Cervantes fight for 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 in 1571, Miguel de Cervantes fought for the Holy League, an allied Christian coalition that included Spain, Venice, and the papacy.12

Cervantes, who had enlisted in a Spanish infantry regiment, served aboard the Marquesa, which was part of the fleet commanded by Don Juan de Austria. Despite suffering from a fever, he participated in the intense fighting and sustained three gunshot wounds—two in the chest and one that permanently disabled his left hand. He remained proud of his service in this historic naval engagement throughout his life.2