The Disciples of Khair ad Din Barbarossa
Hyr ad Din Barbarossa, which was described in the article Islamic Pirates of the Mediterranean, became the most famous leader of the Barbary pirates, but even after his death there were people who worthily continued the work of this admiral. One of them was Sinan Pasha, the Great Jew from Smyrna, mentioned in a previous article.
Sinan Pasha
Heart tremble and mouth go numb.
“If we don’t drown, we’ll burn it!
Save yourself who can! "- and overboard soon:
He goes after the prey of Sinan el-Sanim,
Cruel pirate, bloodthirsty Jew.
Like a hog, he’s fat, a freak and an eunuch,
But the heart is iron in loose breasts.
You are a fisherman, a tramp, a soldier or a merchant -
Not death - it means the slave chain is ahead.
That choice is uncomplicated and irresistible:
Here the galley is flying predatory - and on it
On the black gallery - Sinan el-Sanim,
Cruel pirate, bloodthirsty Jew.
Goods - to the market, and dishes - a prize.
And the captives hear a silent buzz:
Slave Market, Algeria, Tunisia,
Beauties - to the Sultan, to Seral, to Istanbul.
He is greedy, he is relentless to captives,
And the saber sparkles faster and faster.
Sinan el-Sanim gets drunk with blood
Cruel pirate, bloodthirsty Jew!
(Daniel Kluger.)
This Ottoman pirate and admiral was a descendant of Marrans - Jews expelled from the united kingdoms of Castile and Aragon after the publication of the infamous Alhambra edict there (dated March 31, 1492). The tragic events of those years were described in detail in the article. The Great Inquisitor of Torquemada. Some of these Jews, by order of the Ottoman Sultan Bayazid II, were evacuated to the territory of the empire on the ships of Admiral Kemal Reis. They were settled in Istanbul, Edirne, Thessaloniki, Izmir, Manisa, Bursa, Gelibole, Amasya and in some other cities. The family of the future corsair was in Edirne. Having accepted Islam, he took the name Sinan ad-Din Yusuf.
Sinan began his career as a pirate on the ship of the famous Khair ad Din Barbarossa, but over time he himself became the admiral of the corsair squadron - and very impressive: the number of his subordinates sometimes reached 6 thousand people. On his flag, Sinan placed a six-pointed star, which the Turks called the “Seal of Suleiman”.
Among the Maghreb pirates, there was a widespread belief about Sinan's magical abilities. It was said, for example, that with the help of a crossbow butt he could determine the height of the Sun above the horizon (in fact, this crossbow was a kind of sextant - “the rod of Jacob”).
The squadrons of the Great Jew became the horror of all the Christian coasts of the Mediterranean Sea, but he was especially glorified for its capture of the Tunisian harbor, the narrow entrance to which is La Goletta ("Throat"), was called so because it held Tunisia by the throat. It happened on August 25, 1534. Under the command of Sinan, a whole fleet of 100 ships then appeared.
The Ottoman base in Tunisia jeopardized shipping throughout the Mediterranean, and therefore the next year, Emperor Charles V moved to Tunisia a huge fleet of 400 ships and a 30-strong international army, which included Spaniards, Germans, Genoese, mercenaries from other states Italy, the Maltese knights. Karl attached such importance to this expedition that he personally headed it, saying before sailing that he was just “the standard bearer of Christ”. On June 15, 1535, his fleet approached Tunisia, where Barbarossa himself was located, and the fort, built at the narrowest point of La Goletta, was defended by Sinan, under whose command there were 5 thousand people. Sinan stayed on for 24 days, thrice made sorties, but the walls of the fortress were destroyed by the fire of the cannons of the Maltese 8-deck galleon, which “threw” shells weighing 40 pounds. The fort fell, but Barbarossa and the retreating Sinan were still defending in Tunisia.
They say that Barbarossa was ready at that moment to order the execution of 20 thousand Christian slaves, but Sinan dissuaded him, saying: "This monstrous crime will forever put us outside of human society."
During the decisive assault under Charles V, a horse was killed, smiling, he said: "The bullet never took the Emperor before."
According to contemporaries, Barbarossa also fought like a lion, personally killing many enemy soldiers, but the forces were unequal.
At the head of the last four-thousandth detachment, Barbarossa and Sinan retreated to Algeria through the desert, and the “crusaders” robbed the city for three days, it came to the point that the soldiers and the former Christian slaves freed by them began to fight for booty on the streets of the city. So many Tunisians died so much that even some Catholic chroniclers later called this massacre "the most shameful act of the century." It went to the Jews, who "had no salvation on the day of God's wrath."
In 1538, Sinan participated in the victorious naval battle of Barbarossa at Preveze, which was described in an article Islamic Pirates of the Mediterranean.
And inspired by the success of Charles V, he decided to deliver the next blow to Algeria. But it seemed that after the shameful Tunisian massacre, the heavens themselves turned away from the Christian emperor: on October 23, 1541, a terrible storm began during the landing, destroying many ships and causing the death of about 8 thousand soldiers and sailors. The Moorish cavalry, which attacked the Spaniards from the surrounding hills, almost threw them into the sea. Charles V personally, with a sword in his hand, tried to stop the running soldiers, but was forced to give an order to load onto the surviving ships. Three thousand Spaniards were captured.
As part of this expedition was Hernan Cortes, who in Mexico was on the verge of death several times and saw something else like that.
He persuaded the emperor not to despair and give an order for a new landing, but the downhearted Charles no longer believed in victory. The Spanish fleet left the shores of Algeria.
Among the inhabitants of Algeria, there were 2 thousand Jews who had heard about what happened to their tribesmen in Tunisia. For a long time they celebrated this Spanish failure with a three-day fasting and subsequent holiday.
After this victory, Sinan was appointed commander of the Ottoman fleet The Indian Ocean, which was based in Suez and fought against the Portuguese.
One of the sons of the Great Jew was captured and ended up on the island of Elba, where he was baptized. Sinan could not help him, since he was in the Red Sea, but in the Mediterranean was Khair ad Din Barbarossa. In 1544, he entered into negotiations with the goal of freeing the son of his comrade-in-arms, having not achieved success, captured the city of Piombino. And the far more accommodating governor of the island gave him a boy.
Sinan's other son, Sepher Reis, was also an admiral of the Indian Navy. In 1560, he defeated the Portuguese squadron of Admiral Cristvo Pereira Homen. In 1565, Sefer fell ill and died in Aden.
Sinan Pasha returned to the Mediterranean in 1551 and became governor of Algeria. He captured Tripoli and the territory of modern Libya. The Maltese knights captured during that military campaign, Sinan brought to Constantinople, held in chains in front of the Sultan - and freed them.
In May 1553, Sinan led a squadron of 150 ships (including 20 French!) To the coast of Italy and Sicily, ending this campaign with the capture of Corsica.
There is no more information about the “exploits” of this admiral, so some researchers believe that he died after returning from this expedition. But there is evidence that the Great Jew died in 1558 - in the same year as Emperor Charles V:
In an underwater paradise, in the core of the seas.
He is quiet and calm, Sinan el-Sanim,
Cruel pirate, bloodthirsty Jew.
(Daniel Kluger.)
Another “disciple” of Khair ad-Din Barbarossa was the famous Turgut-reis - a native of a Greek-speaking peasant family living near the city of Bodrum.
Turgut Reis
Turgut (in some sources - Dragut) was born around 1485 and was 10 years younger than Khair ad-Din Barbarossa. He began military service at the age of 12: he studied to be a gunner and in this position took part in the Egyptian campaign of Selim I. After conquering this country, he remained in Egypt; in Alexandria, he entered the service of Sinan (which we already spoke about in this article). Soon he rose to the rank of captain of a pirate brigantine, bought his ship and went into "free sailing". Over time, he exchanged this ship for the galliot, and in 1520 he entered the service of Khair ad Din Barbarossa, who praised the talents of the new ally, placing him at the head of a squadron of 12 ships.
In 1526, Turgut-reis captured the Sicilian fortress of Capo Passero, and until 1533 robbed the coast of southern Italy and Sicily with impunity, captured several fortresses on the coast of Albania and the Venetian fortress of Candia in Crete, attacked merchant ships between Spain and Italy. In May 1533, his squadron numbered 22 ships. And in the battle of Preveza (1538, see article Islamic Pirates of the Mediterranean), Turgut already commanded 20 galleys and 10 galliotes.
In 1539, he replaced his former commander Sinan Pasha (who was sent to Suez) as governor of Djerba. Ironically, his castle on this island was the castle built in 1289 by Roger Doria, the ancestor of the famous adversary of the Ottoman squadrons and pirates of the Maghreb, Admiral Andrea Doria. Turgut got married to Djerba, but he did not forget about “affairs”. In 1540, captured several Genoese ships, plundered the islands of Gozo and Capraia, but on June 15 his squadron, which stopped for repairs in Corsica, was attacked and defeated by the combined fleet of Gianettino Doria (admiral's nephew), Giorgio Doria and Gentile Orsini. Turgut was captured in which he spent 4 years. He was liberated by Khair ad Din Barbarossa, who besieged Genoa in 1544. One of the conditions for lifting the blockade, he set the liberation of Turgut. The mediator was the Maltese knight Jean Parisot de la Valette, who in 13 years will become the Grand Master of Hospitallers.
Andrea Doria agreed to release the corsair for an impressive amount of 3500 gold ducats. Contemporaries called this deal the most successful purchase of Barbarossa, because for 4 years Turgut missed his favorite work so much that in the same year he “recaptured” this money. Taking command of some of Barbarossa's ships, he immediately took the Corsican city of Bonifacio, attacked the island of Gozo and captured several Maltese ships near it. The following year, Turgut sacked the Italian cities of Monterosso, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore, Rappalo and Levante, in 1546 the Tunisian cities of Sfax, Sousse and Monastir. After these victories, satisfied Ottomans began to call him the Sword of Islam.
When the great Admiral Khair ad-Din Barbarossa died in July 1546, everyone began to consider Turgut-Reis as his successor.
In 1547, the new hero and idol of the Ottoman Empire and the Maghreb attacked Malta, Apulia and Calabria. The following year he was appointed Baylerbey (viceroy) of Algeria: this appointment he noted as an attack on the Campania. At the same time, he “thanked” La Valetta, who was then the governor of Tripoli: he captured the Malta galley “La Caterinetta”, which brought the knight 7 thousand escudos intended to finance the work to strengthen the walls of this city. It was not possible to raise new funds, and in 1549 La Valette returned to Malta.
Turgut-reis continued to "hero" at sea: in 1549 he plundered Rappalo, in 1550 - captured Mahdia, Monastir, Sousse and Tunisia, and then attacked the coast of Sardinia and Spain.
Andrea Doria and his Maltese allies led by Claude de la Sangle in October of this year recaptured Mahdia and blocked the Turgut squadron off the island of Djerba. The pirate admiral got out of the situation by ordering to dig a canal to another bay of the island, and not only escaped from the enemy, but also defeated the squadron, which was going to the aid of Doria and la Sangli, capturing 2 warships.
On April 30, 1551, Suleiman I appointed the lucky corsair commander of the entire fleet of the Ottoman Empire, conferring on him the rank of Kapudan Pasha. He led 100 warships that year, along with his old acquaintance and former commander Sinan Pasha, walked well in the Mediterranean Sea: he plundered the eastern coast of Sicily, attacked Malta and captured the island of Gozo (about 5 thousand Christians were captured). In August of the same year Tripoli was taken, of which Turgut became the sanjakbei. Until the end of the year, he managed to sack Liguria, and then - captured the Misurata region in Libya.
In 1552, Turgut, like Barbarossa, became an ally of the French king (this time Henry II) in the war against Emperor Charles V: for 300 thousand gold livres, the sultan kindly agreed to “rent out” his victorious fleet, led by a successful admiral, for 2 years .
The new Kapudan Pasha did not fail: he plundered many cities, defeated the squadron of his old enemy Andrea Doria near Naples and the combined Spanish-Italian fleet of Charles V off the island of Ponza.
The victories were so impressive that Turgut was appointed the Baylerbay of the Mediterranean Sea.
The following year, he captured the Calabrian cities of Corrotone and Castello, ravaged Sicily, Sardinia, Capri and Corsica (in order to recapture Corsica from the French occupying it, the Genoese needed a 15-thousand army). The French king "encouraged" Turgut 30 thousand ducats.
In 1554, Turgut “visited” Apulia, and then captured Ragusa, in 1555 he again attacked Corsica (Bastia was taken), Sardinia, Calabria and Liguria (San Remo fell here). However, the ungrateful Frenchmen expressed dissatisfaction, reproaching the admiral for "slowness." As a result, Piyale Pasha was appointed to the place of the fleet commander (about him in the next article), and Turgut was sent to Tripoli in 1556. Here he was engaged in the construction and reconstruction of walls around the city and the port, but he did not forget the sea trade either: he captured Gafsa in Tunisia, went to Liguria, Calabria and Apulia, and in 1558 robbed Menorca and the Balearic Islands. In 1559 he participated in repelling the Spanish attack on Algeria and crushed the uprising in Tripoli.
In 1560, the squadrons of Turgut, Piyale Pasha and Uluja Ali defeated the Spanish fleet of Philip II, who captured the island of Djerba. Aged Andrea Doria was so shocked by the news of the defeat of this fleet, commanded by the son of his nephew Giannettito - Giovanni, that he became seriously ill and never recovered: he died on November 25, 1560. The death of the illustrious admiral made a grave impression in all Christian countries, where they now doubted the very possibility of confronting the Ottomans in the Mediterranean Sea.
The following year, Turgut and another hero of this era, Uluj Ali, attacked the islands of the western part of the Mediterranean Sea, captured seven Maltese galleys and besieged Naples with a fleet of 35 ships.
In 1562, Turgut made a successful attack on Crete.
This admiral was killed in 1565 during the assault on the Maltese fort St. Elm.
He was killed either by a cannonball, or by a stone fragment falling into his eye, and was buried in Tripoli. At this time he was already 80 years old.
You may be surprised, but on the island of Malta in the town of Sliema, the area where once the first battery of Turgut was located, which fired at Fort St. Elm, is named after him - Dragut Point.
In the next article, we continue the story of the famous Islamic corsairs and great admirals of the Mediterranean Sea.
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