There is a fortress in the Aegean Sea that the Turks can be proud of. There is the Barbarossa fortress there. It is located near the "Bird City", Kusadasi. And they named it not in honor of Frederick, but in honor of the Turkish naval commander and pirate Khyzyr. Why was he called that? Everything is very simple, but I won’t get ahead of myself. Everything is in order
Hayreddin Barbarossa (birth name - Khyzyr, Khyzyr-reis; 1475 - July 4, 1546) - Turkish naval commander and nobleman. Commanding a pirate fleet, he became the ruler of Algeria, and then Kapudan Pasha of the Ottoman Empire.
Having inherited a large pirate flotilla of several thousand people after the death of his elder brother, Aruja Barbarossa I, Khyzyr Reis in 1518 proclaimed himself Sultan Barbarossa II and recognized the supreme power of the Ottoman Empire. He continued the work of his older brother, continuing to seize new lands. The Spaniards were preparing an attack on Algeria, Khairuddin foresaw such a turn of events. On August 17, 1518, a large Spanish army under the command of the Viceroy of Sicily, Hugo de Moncada, approached the walls of Algiers. The Spaniards demanded immediate surrender. Khairuddin refused, deciding to stand to the end. Moncada was ready to storm the fortress, but the artillery commander dissuaded him, offering to wait for reinforcements sent by the Sultan of Tlemcen. A sudden strong wind destroyed 26 Spanish ships. About four thousand soldiers died. Without much effort, Khairuddin dealt with the remnants of the Spanish army.
The Ottoman Sultan Suleiman I appointed him commander-in-chief of his entire fleet and beylerbey (“emir of emirs,” and there were only seven of them in Turkey at that time) of Africa. Since Turkey at this time entered into an unspoken alliance with France, the Barbarossa pirates conducted operations against the fleet of the opponents of King Francis I, primarily the Holy Roman Empire.
The active activity of the pirates under the leadership of Barbarossa II required significant efforts from Emperor Charles V, who sent a powerful fleet against them in 1535 under the command of the outstanding naval commander Andrea Doria. However, despite a number of victories in the Tunisian campaign, the Spaniards lost the war to Barbarossa and his pirates
Having accumulated untold wealth, Barbarossa II lived his last years in Istanbul, where he died in his palace above the Bosphorus and was buried in the mosque he built. For a long time, every Turkish ship leaving the Golden Horn fired a salute in front of his mausoleum, and the crew offered prayers in honor of the greatest Turkish navigator and powerful pirate.
The nickname "Barbarossa" means "red-bearded". The Encyclopaedia Britannica says:
Barbarossa is the name that Christians gave to the family of formidable sea robbers and Turkish admirals of the 16th century - Aruj (Haruj), Khyzyr (Khair ed-Din, Hayraddin) and Hassan, the son of Hayraddin. In 1840, Captain [Jean-Louis-Marie-Stanislas] Valsin-Esterházy, author of a historical account of Ottoman rule in Africa, suggested that Barbarossa - Redbeard - was simply a corruption of the name Baba Arouj (Father Arouj). The Arab chronicle of the era in question, published by S. Rang and F. Denis in 1837, clearly states that Christians called only Hayraddin by the name Barbarossa.
Barbarossa Khyzyr Hayreddin Pasha(also known as Khyzyr-reis; 1475 - July 4, 1546) - Turkish naval commander and nobleman. Commanding a pirate fleet, he became the ruler of Algeria, and then an admiral of the Ottoman Empire.
Biography
Hayreddin Barbarossa or Khyzyr Reis was born in 1475 on the Greek island of Lesbos, in the family of a Turk and a Greek woman. His father Jakub Agha participated in the Turkish conquest of Lesbos (1462), received land in the Lesbos village of Bonova and married a Greek woman, Katerina, the widow of an Orthodox priest.
Having inherited a large pirate flotilla of several thousand people after the death of his elder brother, Aruj Barbarossa I, Khyzyr Reis in 1518 proclaimed himself Sultan Barbarossa II and recognized the supreme power of the Ottoman Empire. He continued the work of his older brother, continuing to seize new lands. The Spaniards were preparing an attack on Algeria, Hayreddin foresaw such a turn of events. On August 17, 1518, a large Spanish army under the command of the Viceroy of Sicily, Hugo de Moncada, approached the walls of Algiers. The Spaniards demanded immediate surrender. Hayreddin refused, deciding to stand to the end. Moncada was ready to storm the fortress, but the artillery commander dissuaded him, offering to wait for reinforcements sent by the Sultan of Tlemcen. A sudden strong wind destroyed 26 Spanish ships. About four thousand soldiers died. Without much effort, Hayreddin dealt with the remnants of the Spanish army.
The Ottoman Sultan Suleiman I appointed him commander-in-chief of his entire fleet and beylerbey (“emir of emirs,” and there were only seven of them in Turkey at that time) of Africa. Since Turkey at this time entered into an unspoken alliance with France, the Barbarossa pirates conducted operations against the fleet of the opponents of King Francis I, primarily the Holy Roman Empire.
The active activity of the pirates under the leadership of Barbarossa II required significant efforts from Emperor Charles V, who sent a powerful fleet against them in 1535 under the command of the outstanding naval commander Andrea Doria. However, despite a number of victories in the Tunisian Campaign, the Spanish lost the war to Barbarossa and his pirates.
Last years and death
Having accumulated untold wealth, Barbarossa II lived his last years in Istanbul, where he died in his palace above the Bosphorus and was buried in the mosque he built. For a long time, every Turkish ship leaving the Golden Horn fired a salute in front of his mausoleum, and the crew offered prayers in honor of the greatest Turkish navigator and powerful pirate.
Barbarossa
The nickname "Barbarossa" means "red-bearded". The Encyclopaedia Britannica says:
Barbarossa is the name that Christians gave to the family of formidable sea robbers and Turkish admirals of the 16th century - Aruj (Kharuj), Khyzyr (Khair ed-Din, Hayraddin) and Hassan, the son of Hayraddin. In 1840, Captain [Jean-Louis-Marie-Stanislas] Valsin-Esterházy, author of a historical account of Ottoman rule in Africa, suggested that Barbarossa - Redbeard - was simply a corruption of the name Baba Arouj (Father Arouj). The Arab chronicle of the era in question, published by S. Rang and F. Denis in 1837, clearly states that Christians called only Hayraddin by the name Barbarossa.
Frederick I of Hohenstaufen also bore the nickname “Barbarossa”. Frederick received it in Italy because of his reddish beard (from Italian barba, “beard”, and rossa, “red”).
In art
In the series “The Magnificent Century,” the role of Khizyr Reis was played by Turkish actor Tolga Tekin.
Among the pirates there were many excellent sailors, many successful (Bartholomew Roberts), noble, bright, unusual, sometimes cruel (Edward Teach “Blackbeard”) and famous pirates. But only a few of them can be called Great without any exaggeration. One of these Great Pirates, without a doubt, was the “Storm of the Mediterranean” Hayretdin or, more precisely, Khayr ed-Din Barbarossa. In fact, his real name was Khyzyr, he was one of the 4 sons of the Orthodox Albanian Yakov, a potter by profession who lived with his family in the homeland of the poetess Sappho, one of the pearls of Greece - the island of Lesbos. In his youth, Khyzyr converted to Islam and followed his older brothers, preferring the romance and danger of sea travel to the peaceful profession of a cookware manufacturer. Years later, he came under the leadership of his older brother Urouge and became one of the most feared pirate captains in the Mediterranean. By the way, he inherited his nickname Barbarossa (from “Barba” - beard and “rossa” - red), from his older brother Urouja (Uruja), who had a large fiery red beard, which he groomed and cherished in every possible way. The younger one had a small beard, not very red, and he cut it almost to the root. The brothers gained fame as successful pirates and enterprising people. This allowed them to negotiate with the Emir of Tunisia to gain control of the paradise island of Djerba, which for many years became their main base and place of accumulation of valuables.
Khair ed-Din Barbarossa
Urouj was indomitable in his rage and furious in battle and anger, Khair ed-Din was more careful and circumspect. The pirate fleet of Arouja terrorized all the ports of the Mediterranean coast, and in 1516 he was able, with the help of cunning and treachery, to capture Algeria, and became its new ruler under the name of Barbarossa I. After his death on the Salado River at the hands of Spanish soldiers, Arouja in 1518 gained all power over Algeria and by pirate fleets it passed into the hands of Khair ed-Din.
The Ottoman Sultan Selim I, called Yavuz (Terrible), looked closely at the brothers for a long time and, in the end, decided that it was better to have them as allies than as enemies, and showed them signs of favor. However, his son Suleiman I Kanuni, the greatest of all the sultans of the Ottoman Porte, went even further. He decided to use the Algerian pirates as the main tool in his foreign policy and regime, which some of the researchers even called pax Turcica.
Sultan Suleiman I the Magnificent
In the cold autumn of 1532, Sultan Suleiman invited Barbarossa to his capital to make him commander of the entire Turkish fleet. He appreciated the fame and luck of the famous pirate. De jure, Hayreddin’s corsair career ended; de facto, it never stopped. He was and remained a pirate until the end of his days: strong, smart, calculating, talented. Although he was a rather unique filibuster - he was quite good-natured, rarely lost his temper (though, if he was furious, then furious), senseless cruelty was not characteristic of him. Well, the main thing that, for example, personally amazed me, was that he had no slaves on his galleys. He believed that only free teams could fight well.
The Sultan not only made him Kapudan Pasha (commander of the Ottoman fleet), but also granted him the honorary title of beylerbey. Many at court were against such honors, but Suleiman was able to discern in an already middle-aged (57 years old) and rather overweight man with a bronze tan on an ugly face and gray hair breaking out in a short-cropped beard, someone who would understand his plans and be able to carry them out brilliantly. By the way, Barbarossa never let the Sultan down, carrying out daring and complex operations, making the Turks the predominant naval power in the Mediterranean. Barbarossa ensured glory for the Sultan, while Suleiman turned a blind eye to his admiral’s weaknesses for beautiful women, fine wine and the opportunity to plunder captured ships.
Until his death in 1546, Khair ed-Din was invincible in the Mediterranean, regularly defeating the Spaniards, the Imperials, the Genoese and even, when the political situation demanded it, the fleet of the Magnificent Signora (Venice). His main rivals for this period were the family of famous naval commanders Doria from Genoa and the Knights of Malta.
Dargut
His faithful companions and best captains were Sinan, a Jew from Smyrna, capable of determining the height of the sun above the horizon using the butt of a crossbow, a man of unknown origin under the name Kakka Diabola (Beat the Devil), Salih Rais, an obese Arab from the Nile, the famous traveler Sidi Ali, and later the boisterous son of an Anatolian peasant Dragut (Torgut) and the cunning Croatian Pjali. Redbeard valued people for their qualities, and not for their nationality. All his close captains were bright and talented people.
Among the most striking deeds of Hayreddin, I would highlight the conquest of Tunisia; reflection of the invasion of the fleet of Charles V of Habsburg in the spring of 1535, when the Holy Roman Emperor declared his triumph, without having any basis for this, since he not only could not find Barbarossa and recapture Tunisia as planned, despite the first successes in military operations, but also missed the pirate raid on the island of Minorca, which was put to the sword and fire; raids on Italy in the summer of 1537; defeat of imperial troops near Algiers in 1541.
Turkish galley of the 16th - 18th centuries
The brightest, most brilliant victory of the famous pirate was the Battle of Preveza on September 28, 1538. Preveza is a small town in the Greek province of Epirus. In the Gulf of Arta, on the shores of which this city is located, the redbeard's fleet was carrying out minor repairs and resupply when Andrea Doria was able to track it down and lock it in a narrow bay. Doria was an experienced naval commander and at first he did everything perfectly - he did not put his ships (which could get stuck in the shallows) into the bay, did not succumb to the provocations and false maneuvers of the Turks, and lined up his ships correctly. Under his leadership there was a powerful fleet of ships from Venice, Genoa, Spain, the Papal State and the Order of Malta consisting of more than 200 ships, among which were the most powerful carracks (galleons), which the Algerian admiral did not have in principle. The allied fleet had a fivefold advantage in terms of people. It seemed that everything that Doria had dreamed of had come together - he would meet Barbarossa in open battle, having a clear numerical and fire superiority, a better tactical position and the “right” wind. However, in the end, the Genoese admiral lost, and miserably. It is difficult today to restore the true state of affairs, exactly how this battle took place, because sources describe this naval battle in different ways. Well, the result is the same - thanks to better tactics, more skillful commands and personal courage, the Turkish fleet managed to destroy 13 ships and capture 36. Allied losses in prisoners alone amounted to more than 300 people. The Sultan's fleet did not lose a single ship, and personal losses amounted to 400 people killed and about 700 wounded. The triumph was complete - Hayreddin took possession of the entire Mediterranean.
Battle of Privez. Painting by Shannes Umed Bezad.
The highlight of the redbeard’s brilliant career was his last campaign. In the spring of 1543, Barbarossa, at the head of a huge fleet, visited allied France, where he stood in the port of Toulon all winter, scaring off the Spaniards and making Genoa tremble, which he threatened to storm. Having freed Dragut, who was languishing in captivity, and 400 of his other associates, he made a farewell pirate raid from Toulon
Returning home, Barbarossa terrified the population of those parts of the coast of the empire that he visited. Bypassing Genoa, he devastated the island of Elba and the Tuscan coast, raided the island of Giglio, and plundered the port of Ercole. Having spared the papal lands, he led the fleet into the Gulf of Naples, ravaging a number of islands, landed in Pazzuoli and made a forced march to the gates of Naples. At the Strait of Messina, Barbarossa plundered the population of the Aeolian Islands and only after that returned to Istanbul with huge trophies, where he lived in recent years. He died 2 years later on July 4, 1546 and was buried in a mosque erected especially for his honors in a tomb made of durable gray granite. The Arabic words “Maat rais al bahr” are carved on the tomb, which means: “The deceased is the beylerbey of the sea.” The mosque itself is located right next to the sea in full view of passing ships. For many decades, not a single ship set sail from the pier at the palace cape without a salute to the tomb of Barbarossa.
Monument to Barbarossa in the courtyard of Dolmabahce Palace (Istanbul)
Redbeard went into another world, but left a wonderful plan for the development of the Ottoman fleet, and most importantly, good sailors and admirals, which allowed the Turks to be an invincible naval force for another quarter of a century, until the famous Battle of Lepanto in 1571.
The Turks still remember their famous commander. Now his monument stands in the courtyard of the Istanbul Dolmabahce Palace.
P.S. One of my readers gave a link to a very good community about the Ottomans and Turkey. I recommend!
History has known many famous, noble, sometimes cruel and unshakable pirates, such as Bartholomew Roberts or “Blackbeard” (Edward Stitch). Their merits are not in doubt, but not everyone can be called “great.” But Hayreddin Barbarossa is possible - this bright, talented and determined sailor was remembered in his life not just as a robber.
It was this sailor who played a huge role in the formation of the Ottoman Empire and managed to make the greatest naval powers of that time bow to the power of the Ottomans. Sultan Suleiman granted Barbarossa not only the title of fleet commander (Kapudan Pasha), but also endowed him with one of the most honorable titles in the Empire - the title of beylerbey.
Barbaros Hayreddin Pasha (Khizir Reis) and his brother, Oruch Reis
Hayreddin Barbarossa (Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha) was born into the family of a simple Albanian potter Yakup Bey, who, in addition to the future corsair and naval commander, had three more sons. About the mother of the future pirate, only her name is known - Katerina.
Barbarossa's real name is Khyzyr. The whole family lived for a long time on the Greek island of Lesbos. According to tradition, the sons were supposed to continue the work of their father, but all of them, while still young, made a completely different decision and connected their lives with navigation, setting out on journeys across the sea. The elder brother Arouja took patronage over the younger one, and it was under his leadership that Hayreddin, who converted to Islam, became one of the most famous and dangerous Mediterranean pirates. By the way, he was also named Barbarossa thanks to his brother, who had a huge beard of a fiery red color (translated from Italian, the word “Barbarossa” means “red beard”). Hayreddin himself did not have such luxurious facial hair, but this did not prevent the nickname from taking root and becoming his calling card. There was a legend according to which the youngest of the brothers, after the death of the eldest, dyed his small beard with Levsonia leaves, so as not to break the tradition.
The fame of the brothers went far beyond the country. They were known as indomitable and intelligent pirates. Such fame helped them conclude an agreement with the ruler of Tunisia on the transfer to their possession of the island of Djerba, on the territory of which the pirate crew was based for many years and accumulated jewelry.
The elder brother Urouj was furious and frantic in battles, while the younger brother was famous for his greater cunning, insight and caution. Their flotilla harassed all the seaports of the Mediterranean, and in 1516 they carried out a victorious raid on Algeria, which culminated in their capture. Urouj, officially named Barbarossa the First, became the ruler of the country. Two years later, the ruler died in a battle with Spanish soldiers on the Salado River, after which Hayreddin became ruler.
The Turkish padishah Selim the First watched his pirate brothers for a long time, and then decided that such allies would not interfere with him. And no wonder, because no one wanted to have such opponents. And Selim’s son, Suleiman, decided to act even more enterprisingly - pirates became his main instrument of foreign policy actions. The brothers began to serve the regime, which some historians called pax Turcica.
Hayreddin Barbarossa in the service of the Sultan
Barbaros Hayreddin Pasha, pirate and naval commander
On a cold autumn day in 1532, the padishah sent an invitation to Barbarossa. The pirate was to arrive in Istanbul to then take command of the entire Ottoman fleet. This was truly a worthy reward for the luck, ingenuity and enterprise of the navigator.
It is worth noting that Hayreddin Barbarossa knew languages such as Greek, Arabic, Spanish, Italian and French.
By the way, it was Sultan Suleiman who nicknamed Barbarossa Hayreddin, from the Turkish words Dinin Hayırlısı - i.e. doing good deeds (hayret eden).
It turned out that the career of a corsair for Hayreddin Barbarossa was supposed to end. But this is only official; in fact, it lasted until the end of his days. He always continued to be a talented pirate, but not quite an ordinary one. Calculation and courage were harmoniously combined in him with good nature and calmness. Very few people managed to catch Barbarossa in a rage, but if such a thing happened, the naval commander was relentless and furious. It is interesting that slaves never worked on the pirate’s ships. Hayreddin was convinced that only free fighters can give themselves completely and completely in battle.
Sultan Suleiman granted Barbarossa not only the title of fleet commander (Kaptan-ı Derya), but also endowed him with one of the most honorable titles in the Empire - the title of beylerbey. Of course, there were enough opponents to such a decision of the padishah at court, but it was not for nothing that the wise sultan showed so many honors to the brilliant sailor, seeing in him an excellent defender of the state.
During the entire period of cooperation (and this is how the relationship between Suleiman the Magnificent and Barbarossa can be called), the naval commander never let the ruler down, invariably emerging victorious from the most difficult and dangerous situations. It was thanks to Hayreddin that the Ottoman Empire gained a dominant position in the Mediterranean. The corsair, who by the will of fate received a noble title, died in 1546, and until that moment neither the Spaniards, nor the Genoese, nor the famous Venetians could defeat him. Barbarossa maintained the fame of the indestructibility of the Turkish lands, and for this the Sultan forgave him some shortcomings in the form of love for beautiful ladies, good alcohol or the ruin of captured ships.
Vivid battles and pirate companions
Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha
Of course, Barbarossa did not achieve everything alone; he had faithful comrades, such as the Turk of Jewish origin Sinan, who had the unique ability to calculate the height of the sun above the horizon using a crossbow butt. Also, the naval commander’s faithful comrades were Kakka Diabola, Salih Rais, Sidi Ali, Pyali, Dragut (Torgut) and others. Hayreddin was extremely selective in his partnerships, but if he chose his allies, he treated them with constant respect, despite their social origin and nationality. For the naval commander, the greatest value was the fighting and business qualities of people. Each of his comrades was distinguished by an inquisitive mind and military talents.
Hayreddin Barbarossa, who was also called Kaptan-ı Derya (i.e., commander of the entire naval fleet), participated in many significant battles during his life, but some of them need to be especially highlighted. For example, the victory over Charles the Fifth and the capture of Tunisia, as well as several raids on Italian lands and the defeat of the imperial army near Algeria.
One of Barbarossa's most famous battles was the Battle of Preveza in 1538. A small Greek provincial town, which went down in history thanks to Hayreddin, was located on the coast of the Gulf of Arta. The Ottoman flotilla found refuge here, which needed to replenish supplies and repair the ships. At this time, Barbarossa was being watched by Andrei Doria, who managed to seize the moment and lock all the ships in the bay. Doria is also known for his entrepreneurial spirit and intelligence. He gathered Venetian, Spanish, Genoese ships, as well as ships of the Order of Malta and the Papal State, under his flags. That is, the flotilla was quite extensive (about 200 units of armed watercraft). Many of the ships were much more powerful than Barbarossa’s, but despite this, the Ottoman naval commander managed to win a devastating victory.
It is difficult to say today how the battle went, since different sources describe it differently. Only one thing is known for certain: Barbarossa won with the help of correctly chosen tactics, ingenuity and skill of his team. The opponents had not only numerical, but also weapons superiority, but Hayreddin captured as many as 36 foreign ships in the battle, and simply sank 13 ships. The Ottoman flotilla remained safe and sound, but, of course, there were some casualties - there were about 700 wounded and 400 killed. These sacrifices became the payment for the inevitable triumph - Barbarossa became the sole ruler of the Mediterranean!
Decline of a career
Wood engraving of Barbaros Hayreddin Pasha, 1500s
The career of Hayreddin Barbarossa was brilliant throughout the life of the naval commander, and it also ended with the brightly significant campaign of 1543. During this period, the commander went with a flotilla to friendly France and settled for the entire winter period in the port of Toulon, thereby frightening both the Genoese and Spain.
In 1544, a peace treaty was concluded between the countries, and Barbarossa sent the ships on their way back, plundering and devastating the cities and islands along the way.
When the ships of the fleet were literally bursting with spoils, the naval commander decided to go west as a peaceful traveler. Having reached Genoa, Hayreddin paid a ransom for his comrade-in-arms Dragut, whom sailors from Genoa captured during one of the battles. Time has shown that Andrea Doria made a fatal mistake for himself by allowing Dragut, who later became Barbarossa’s successor, to go free.
In 1547, Sultan Suleiman signed a truce agreement with the Habsburgs for a period of 5 years. A few weeks later, Hayreddin Barbarossa passed away. The Muslim “king of the seas” died at an old age, he was already 80 years old. His mausoleum is located in a magnificent palace built directly above the sea waters. On the tombstone you can read the inscription, which is translated into Russian as “Here lies the beylerbey of the sea.” For many years, ships passing by the palace and mosque paid tribute to the naval commander by firing cannon salutes.
Hayreddin's contemporaries recalled that he was small in stature, but at the same time possessed enormous physical strength. Barbarossa was dexterous, decisive, courageous, perspicacious and courageous, which allowed him to remain undefeated. It is not for nothing that many Turkish ships were named after him. The naval commander passed away, but left behind an invaluable legacy. In fact, he developed a unique plan for the development of the fleet and managed to train excellent sailors who allowed Turkey to remain invincible at sea until 1571, namely until the Battle of Lepanto.
A deep sea exploration vessel named after Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha
In 2013, a ship named after Hayreddin Barbarossa was launched onto the waters of the Bosphorus. The vessel is a ship for exploring the bottom of the seas and oceans for oil and gas reserves.
Today on the European side of Istanbul, in the Besiktas district, you can see. Near the square, near the seashore, stands the mausoleum of Barbarossa, open to everyone.
