Holy war and hagiography: views of the Ottoman Turks in the early vite of Pius V

Abstract

The vite (lives) of saints are useful ways of studying the beliefs and cultural practices of medieval and early modern society. Indeed, they often tell us more about the motives of their authors and patrons than about the actual lives of the saints they purport to depict. The early vite of Saint Pope Pius V are no different. Through a careful reading of these early vite, written from the late sixteenth century to the first decades of the seventeenth century, I will argue that in crafting an image of Pius as the true hero of Lepanto, his hagiographers provided an explanation for the Holy League’s victory. Rather than defeating the Ottoman Turks at Lepanto with superior weapons, it was the pope’s marshalling of divine assistance and the religiosity of the Holy League’s commanders and soldiers that won the battle. In creating this image, Pius’s hagiographers juxtaposed conflicting depictions of the two sides: the pious, disciplined, and zealous Christian soldiers, and the ambitious, faithless, and superstitious Turks. The goal of this negative portrayal of the Turks was to continue Pius’s call for action against the Ottoman Empire.