The republic was able to stop the expansion of the Ottoman Empire in various occasions, such as during the battle of Lepanto or the conquest of Morea. Venice lost its independence in 1797 when Napoleon conquered the city and ceded its territories to Austria. The Republic of Genoa benefited from the alliance with Spain, providing economic support to the Habsburgs and managing to retain some of its mediterranean possessions for some time (the period from 1557 to 1627 has been described as the "age of the Genoese").[7]