[Restorer]

Another who took part in the great battle of Lepanto, Miguel de Cervantes, lived longer to write his famous tribute to Christian chivalry, Don Quixote.

It would perhaps be more accurate to describe Don Quixote as a parody of Christian chivalry. Cervantes would have been quite at home on Saturday Night Live.

[Lizard_King]

It depends on how you see Don Quijote and at what level of introspection. I spent much of my educational career in Costa Rica studying Spanish literature, and one of the ongoing debates in our class was whether the portrayal of the noble knight tilting at windmills was meant as a criticism of idealistic Christian knighthood or as a criticism of the cruel world that appeared to leave no place for noble sentiments to exist. I believe it is the latter perspective that is far more significant in the meaning of the work, and part of what made it so epic in literary history (appalling Hollywood sing-along versions aside).

[justshutupandtakeit]

True, but the satire is not really of the Christian aspect of chivalry but rather the more fantastic notions of distant lands and beings. Cervantes was also captured at Lepanto and was held prisoner for some time before he was ransomed.