Marcantonio Colonna

Count Frederick espoused in 1560 Virginia de la Rovere, the daughter of the Duke of Urbino, in every respect a most desirable match, and about the same time his sister Camilla married Cesare Gonzaga, Prince of Mantua.

From her childhood, Anna Borromeo had been a fiancée to Fabrizio, the son of the celebrated Constable Marcantonio Colonna, Viceroy of Sicily, and of his wife Felicia Orsini.

She was the favorite sister of Charles.

Consequently this alliance, uniting her with a scion of the two noblest and most distinguished of the old Roman families, gave him great pleasure.

When St. Pius V heard of their atrocious deeds, he wept bitter tears, and after long hours spent in prayer and penance, he redoubled his efforts to persuade the Christian princes to come to the aid of the Venetian Republic in their war against the infidel.

He succeeded.

Under the command of Don John of Austria, the allied fleets of Spain, Genoa, the Holy See, and Venice, commanded respectively by Sebastiano Venier of Genoa, Andre Doria of Venice, and the Roman prince Marcantonio Colonna, won the famous Battle of Lepanto on October 7th, 1571, the Feast of the Holy Rosary.

It was one of the most decisive victories of the world, for it checked forever the Mohammedan power in the Gulf of Corinth.

The line runs for three miles, on the left against the shore, Agostino Barbarigo of Venice.

In the center, Don Juan of Austria on the Real, with the Pope's Admiral, Marcantonio Colonna, and old Sabastino Veneer of Venice beside them.

On the right, Genoese Gian Andrea Doria, and behind them all in the reserve, a Spanish named Alvaro de Bazan, the Marquis of Santa Cruz.

Out in front of the whole line were the Galliases, the big Venetian floating fortresses.

Count Frederick espoused in 1560 Virginia de la Rovere, the daughter of the Duke of Urbino, in every respect a most desirable match, and about the same time his sister Camilla married Cesare Gonzaga, Prince of Mantua.

From her childhood, Anna bore a male heavenly fiancé to Fabrizio, the son of the celebrated constable Marcantonio Colonna, viceroy of Sicily, and of his wife Felicia Orsini.

She was the favorable sister of Charles.

Consequently, this alliance, uniting her with the scion of the two noblest and most distinguished of the old Roman families, gave him great pleasure.