Hayreddin Barbarossa - the commander of the Ottoman fleet and the sea wolf - gained great fame with his brother Aruj for their maritime enterprises on the coasts of Greece, Spain and Italy. He retook Algeria from the Spaniards and returned it to the jurisdiction of the Ottoman Caliphate. He also made a trip to Tunisia and proclaimed the power of the Ottomans there.

His name is Khizri Ibn Yaqub, and his nickname is Hayreddin, but for Europeans he is known as Barbarossa (red beard) the Second.

“Barbarossa is the name that Christians gave to the family of formidable sea robbers and Turkish admirals of the 16th century - Aruj (Kharuj), Khyzyr (Khaired-Din, Khairaddin) and Hasan, the son of Khaireddin. In 1840, Captain [Jean-Louis-Marie-Stanislas] Walsin-Esterházy, author of a historical description of Ottoman rule in Africa, suggested that Barbarossa - Redbeard - was simply a corruption of the name Baba Aruj (Aruj's father). The Arabic chronicle of the era under consideration, published by S. Rang and F. Denis in 1837, clearly indicates that the Christians called only Hayreddin by the name of Barbarossa. (British Encyclopedia)

He was born in Greece, on the island of Lesbos. He was the youngest of five brothers: Ishaq, Aruj, Ilyas and Muhammad. His father Jakub was a potter who moved to Greece from the Balkans, converted to Islam when the Ottomans conquered the island of Lesvos, and his mother Catalina was a Christian. At first, Khaireddin and his brother Aruj were also Christians and traded in piracy, but then Allah directed them to the true path, and they accepted Islam.

Activities of Arouge - Barbarossa the First

After the adoption of Islam, both brothers entered the service of the ruler Muhammad al-Khafsi in Tunisia. Their service was to capture enemy European ships. They later sold the property they received from this. They sent one of these captured ships to the Ottoman ruler Salim the First. The Sultan accepted this gift and thanked them with no less valuable gifts. After that, they were inspired and, together with other brothers, began to fight against Christian pirates in the Mediterranean, who were based on the island of Rhodes.

In one of the battles on Rhodes, Hayreddin's elder brother Ilyas was killed, and Aruj was captured. Aruj managed to escape from captivity to Italy, then from there to Egypt. After that, he met with the Sultan, who at that time was preparing a fleet to be sent to India to fight the Portuguese. The ruler gave him a ship, a team, weapons and sent him on a mission to free the Mediterranean islands from European pirates. In a short time, his fleet grew to four ships. On Djerba, the largest island off the Mediterranean coast of Africa, now owned by Tunisia, Aruj, together with two brothers, Ishak and Hayreddin, created a base and conducted further activities from there, which he transferred to the west of the Mediterranean.

He became especially famous after, from 1504 to 1510, he managed to free thousands of Muslims of Andalusia, whom he transported to northern Africa.

In 1515, he managed to liberate Algiers from the Spaniards, and then Tlemcen. Having occupied Algeria, he declared himself its ruler. At this time, the Europeans gave him the name Barbarossa the First. Then, having created a strong state on the territory of Algeria, he expelled the Spaniards from the coast of the territories subject to him. In the future, he, expanding the territory of his state, reached Tlemcen. At this time, he managed to meet with the Ottoman Sultan Salim the First, and he declared himself a vassal of the Sultan and announced the subjection of the territories subject to him to the Ottoman Caliphate. And for the Spaniards, the activities of Aruja in the Mediterranean became like a bone in the throat. They saw this as a direct threat to the policy of expanding Spain's influence in northern Africa. So they returned to Algiers with fifteen thousand men, forced Aruj to retreat, and then laid siege to Tlemcen. During the battles for Tlemcen, Aruj was captured and executed, and his younger brother Hayreddin (Barbarossa II) became his successor.

Hayreddin Barbarossa - Ruler of Algiers

Thus, Hayreddin replaced his brother in the fight against the Spaniards, but he lacked men and weapons for a full-fledged confrontation. Therefore, he turned to the Ottoman state for help. The Ottomans sent two thousand selected warriors, Janissaries (soldiers of their guards), to help him. In the future, Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent gave Khayreddin all kinds of support, sending people and weapons to help him. In his valor and courage, Khayreddin, in no way inferior to his older brother (Aruj), followed his example and became a full-fledged successor of his activities in the Mediterranean. Hayreddin managed to drive the Spaniards even from their homes on the coast of Algeria and annex new territories to his state. He was driven by an old dream to expel all the Spaniards back to their lands, so Hayreddin continued his noble deeds in the future. He freed more than seventy thousand Andalusian Muslims from the oppression of the Spaniards. In 1529 (AH 936) he transported them to North Africa on his 36 ships. To this end, he made seven trips to the shores of Andalusia.

Hayreddin's arrival in Istanbul

After that, Sultan Suleiman summoned Hayreddin Barbarossa to Istanbul and instructed him to restore order in the Ottoman fleet. Also Hayreddin was instructed to oversee the construction of new ships. He received permission to build new ships in the Golden Horn and began to form and equip the fleet. He commissioned new ships, taught sailors how to handle sea ropes and sails, and established strict rules of behavior on ships. Especially a lot of time was devoted to weapons, it was required to keep them in order and clean.

He was then instructed to return the territory of Tunisia under the jurisdiction of the Ottoman Caliphate, until the Spanish king Charles the Fifth captured it completely. This campaign became one of the most important tasks in his entire life. Hayreddin, at the head of a fleet of eighty ships with eighty thousand soldiers, left the capital of the Ottoman state and headed for Tunisia. He successfully completed his mission, putting an end to the state of the Hafsites, who at that time ruled Tunisia, and in 1534 (942 AH) announced the citizenship of these territories to the Ottoman state.

This victorious expedition of Hayreddin infuriated Charles V. He saw in it a threat to the maritime communication between Italy and Spain, most of all he was angry about the transition of the initiative in the Mediterranean to the Muslims. It could also be an encouragement (stimulus) for North African Muslims to attack the coast of Spain in order to liberate the Muslims of Andalusia from the oppression of the Spaniards. Therefore, Charles the Fifth urgently gathered a huge army and immediately marched towards Tunisia. In the same year, he managed to return Tunisia to the rule of the Spaniards. But Hayreddin responded to this with a surprise attack on the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean. Capturing six thousand Spaniards, he returned to his base in Algiers. The news of this raid reached Rome at the height of the celebrations in honor of the retaking of Tunisia from the Muslims.

To be continued…

In 1532, the French king Francis I delayed the payment of salaries to the squadron of the famous Genoese admiral Andrea Doria. The gallant naval condottiere was offended and took his squadron from Toulon at the disposal of Emperor Charles V, France's worst enemy.At the same time, Charles V decided to strike the Ottoman Empire in Greece, trying to divert the attention of Sultan Suleiman I from land campaigns in the Habsburg possessions. The emperor tried to win over Venice, but she declared her complete neutrality. However, when Andrea Doria passed by the island of Zante, the Venetian admiral Vincenzo Capello joined him with 60 galleys without permission. On September 21, 1532, the fleet approached Coron, a fortress at the entrance to the Gulf of Patras, which was easily captured along with the nearby castles of Rio and Antario. Having limited this, the Doria flotilla retreated to Genoa.
In 1533, Suleiman sent a fleet of 60 galleys and 30 small ships to the Crown under the command of Admiral Lufti Pasha Pasius. Emperor Charles V and Pope Clement VII decided to defend the Crown, no matter what the cost.

On August 2, the Turkish fleet was discovered off the southwestern tip of the Peloponnese. Doria arranged auxiliary vessels with large galleons in one line, and the galleys under his command in another. Lufti, instead of attacking, fired at the enemy from a long distance. The Turks did not dare to board the galleons, and when Doria moved forward with the galley fleet, the Turkish admiral preferred to retreat.
Suleiman I was angry with Lufti Pasha for his indecisiveness and ordered Hayreddin Barbarossa to be summoned from Algiers.

In 1533, at the invitation of the Sultan, he arrived in Istanbul with his fleet of 18 galleys. His ships brought gifts for the Sultan, including slaves. Among the gifts were gold jewelry and bullion, precious stones and expensive fabrics, as well as camels, lions and other African animals, as well as a large group of young Christian women. In response, the Sultan generously endowed the pirate and appointed him commander of the entire Turkish fleet in North Africa and, at the same time, Beylerbey of Africa. From that day on, not only the fleet, but all the beys of the African provinces of the Ottoman Empire were subordinate to Barbarossa.

Suleiman also appointed Barbarossa Kapudan Pasha, that is, the chief admiral, and placed at his disposal the arsenal in Galatea, the shipyards in Istanbul and Izmir. Kapudan Pasha (kapudan-i derya) from his residence in the arsenal of Kasim Pasha in Istanbul led all the sailors and all the chiefs and workers of the arsenals who built ships and guns for them.
Instructed by the Sultan to "show his skill in building ships", Barbarossa, along with his people, went to the Istanbul shipyards to supervise, speed up construction and give advice on what kind of ships to build. Thanks to the efforts of the admiral, the naval power of the Ottoman Empire became tangible throughout the Mediterranean and most of the North African coast passed under the control of the empire.

Having received the honorary title of "Guardian of the Faith" from the Sultan, Hayreddin Barbarossa became a very religious person, began to observe all Muslim rites and demanded the same from his subordinates, which did not arouse their enthusiasm at all. Barbarossa believed that it was Allah who would grant him victory in battles. He was joined by some European sailors who rioted on their ships because of poor food and meager salaries.

Incidentally, the green flag of Barbarossa featured the Star of David. In Islam, it was a symbol of the seal of Solomon and meant wisdom, power over genies, the ability to talk with animals and, in general, power over any elements, including the sea.

Barbarossa was now building ships in Istanbul and Izmir. He established strict rules of conduct on ships. Forbidding sailors to drink was completely hopeless. The admiral only demanded that the sailors not get drunk drunk, but that they would certainly go into battle sober. But playing cards and dice for money on ships was absolutely forbidden, as this corrupted the crews and often led to stabbing. Violators were severely punished. Hayreddin demanded that the weapons be kept clean and in order, otherwise he threatened to deprive the sailors of their share of the booty.

The portrait of Barbarossa, preserved in the Turkish archives, depicts a man with shaggy eyebrows, a thick beard, a thick nose and a thick lower lip protruding forward. What is called, rolled his lips! Kapudan Pasha was of average height, but at the same time incredibly strong. According to legend, he held a two-year-old sheep on his outstretched arm until it died.

The commander of the Christian fleet and the main opponent of the Turkish admiral, the Genoese admiral Andrea Doria, who served Emperor Charles V, tried to challenge Barbarossa to battle, but he skillfully evaded the battle in unfavorable conditions.

In relation to the Christians, Hayreddin showed extraordinary cruelty, he mercilessly executed the captives, exposing the severed heads to the public.

At the same time, Barbarossa was superstitious and wore an eye-shaped amulet around his neck, a gift from Suleiman. He never took women on ships, not only out of superstition, but also because he understood that the presence of women on board would fundamentally undermine the discipline of his not very virtuous host.

In July 1534, the fleet of Barbarossa, numbering 84 galleys, left the Dardanelles. Barbarossa decided to move westward in order to devastate the coasts and ports of Italy along the Strait of Messina and to the north, in the possessions of the Kingdom of Naples. With part of the ships, Kapudan Pasha passed the Strait of Messina, plundered the cities of the Reggio di Calabria region, capturing 18 Venetian galleys in Cetraro and landing Turkish landings along the Italian coast as far as Fondi. But the Italian campaign was just a distraction, since the main goal of Barbarossa was Tunisia.

On August 16, 1534, the fleet of Barbarossa entered the harbor of Tunisia. Under the pretext of restoring the power of the pretender to the Tunisian throne, Kapudan Pasha landed his Janissaries at La Golette, at the narrowest point of the canal that led to the lake harbor of Tunisia. The local ruler, Moulay Hassan, fled, and after a light skirmish, Tunisia surrendered to the Turks. The country was proclaimed a possession of the Ottoman Empire.

This news did not please the emperor, who had his own views on Tunisia. Charles V ordered the collection of all warships in Spain, Naples, Sicily and Malta. In total, up to 600 ships were accumulated under the command of Andrea Doria (according to other sources, the Genoese admiral had only 400 ships). Kupudan Pasha could not resist such superior forces. A month later, Tunisia was captured by the allied fleet, but Barbarossa managed to get away with part of her ships.

The allied fleet approached Tunis at the end of June 1535. On board were detachments of imperial troops, consisting of Spaniards, Germans and Italians. Soon they landed near the ruins of Carthage. Before reaching Tunisia proper, they had to capture the twin towers of the fortress of La Goletta, which guarded the "mouth of the stream" leading to the city. The emperor's troops besieged the fortress for twenty-four days, suffering heavy losses. For a long time they could not overcome the desperate resistance of the Turks. The fortress was skillfully defended under the leadership of a capable commander, a corsair from Smyrna (Izmir), a Jew by origin, with the help of artillery taken from ships in the lake harbor.

But La Goletta still fell, mainly due to breaches in the walls that appeared as a result of shelling from the guns of the ship of the Knights of St. John - the huge eight-deck Santa Anna galleon, which was perhaps the most armed warship of all that existed at that time.

The way to Tunisia for the imperial troops was opened. Having mastered the lake, they captured the bulk of the Barbarossa fleet. However, Kapudan Pasha, insuring himself against a very likely defeat, sent a squadron of his galleys to Bon, a port between Tunisia and Algiers, thus saving them from death. He was preparing to meet the emperor's land army, which was advancing along the shore of the lake in a terrible heat. Having failed in an attempt to block her advance to the wells along the route, Barbarossa withdrew under the walls of Tunis, where he prepared to fight the next day at the head of his army, consisting of Turks and Berbers.

However, in Tunisia, several thousand captive Christians, led by one of the knights of Malta, broke free, seized the arsenal and, armed, attacked the Turks. The emperor entered the city, meeting only minor resistance. But his soldiers staged murders, robberies and violence that lasted three days. The former ruler Moulay Hassan, deposed by Barbarossa, was restored to the throne, now as a vassal of the emperor. A Spanish garrison was left to guard La Goletta.

Meanwhile, Barbarossa sailed from Beaune with galleys and troops. However, he did not go to Istanbul, but attacked the Spanish Balearic Islands. The Spaniards did not expect such a turn of events. The Turkish squadron under the Spanish and Italian flags was greeted with honors, as it was mistaken for part of the emperor's armada, returning with victory. The ships entered the port of Mago (now Mahon) on the island of Minorca. Suddenly, the ships opened fire and landed troops. The city was burned, and the troops of Barbarossa, without meeting resistance, plundered the city, captured and enslaved 5,700 Christians, and took the captured wealth and supplies with them to Algiers.

At the end of the autumn of 1535, Barbarossa returned to Istanbul with the remnants of the fleet. The Sultan ordered him to build a new fleet of 200 galleys.

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 was without a doubt the "Thunderstorm of the Mediterranean" Khairetdin, or more precisely Khair ed-Din Barbarossa. In fact, his real name was Khyzyr, he was one of the 4 sons of the Orthodox Albanian Jacob, 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, Khizir converted to Islam and followed his older brothers, preferring the romance and danger of sea voyages to the peaceful profession of a tableware manufacturer. Years later, he came under the leadership of his older brother Aruja and became one of the most formidable pirate captains in the Mediterranean. By the way, he inherited his nickname Barbarossa (from "Barba" - beard and "rossa" - red), he inherited from his older brother Aruj (Uruj), who had a large fiery red beard, which he cherished and cherished in every possible way. The younger beard was small, not very red, and he cut it almost to the root. The brothers earned themselves the fame of successful pirates and enterprising people. This allowed them to negotiate with the Emir of Tunisia in order to get at their disposal the paradise island of Djerba, which for many years became their main base and place of accumulation of values.

Khair ed-Din Barbarossa

Uruj was indomitable in his rage and furious in battle and in anger, Khair ed-Din is more cautious and prudent. The pirate fleet of Arouge terrorized all the ports of the Mediterranean coast, and in 1516 he was able to capture Algeria with the help of cunning and treachery, and became its new ruler under the name of Barbarossa I. After his death on the Salado River at the hands of the Spanish soldiers of Arouge in 1518, all power over Algeria and by pirate fleets passed into the hands of Khair ed-Din.
The Ottoman Sultan Selim I, called Yavuz (Grozny) looked closely at the brothers for a long time and, in the end, decided that it was better to have them as allies than opponents, 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 fortune of the famous pirate. De jure, the corsair career of Hayreddin ended, de facto it never stopped. He was and remained a pirate until the end of his days: strong, smart, prudent, talented. Although he was a rather peculiar filibuster - he was quite good-natured, rarely lost his temper (although if he was already furious, then furious), senseless cruelty was not characteristic of him. Well, and most importantly, for example, I was personally very struck by the fact that he had no slaves in the 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 bestowed the honorary title of Beylerbey. Many at court were against such honors, but Suleiman was able to discern in a middle-aged already (57 years old) and rather overweight man with a bronze tan on an ugly face and gray hair breaking through in a short-cropped beard, someone who would understand his plans and be able to fulfill them brilliantly. By the way, Barbarossa never failed the Sultan, carrying out daring and complex operations, making the Turks the prevailing maritime power in the Mediterranean. Barbarossa provided glory to the sultan, while Suleiman turned a blind eye to his admiral's weaknesses for beautiful women, fine wine and the opportunity to rob 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, if the political situation required 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

Sinan, a Jew from Smyrna, able to determine the height of the sun above the horizon with the butt of a crossbow, a man of unknown origin under the name of Kakka diabola (Beat the Devil), Salih Rais, an obese Arab from the Nile, the famous traveler Sidi Ali, and later, the furious son of an Anatolian peasant, Dragut (Torgut), and the cunning Croat Piali. Redbeard valued people for their qualities, and not for nationality. All his approximate captains were bright and talented people.
Among the most striking deeds of Hayreddin, I would single out the conquest of Tunisia; repelling the invasion of the fleet of Charles V of Habsburg in the spring of 1535, when the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire proclaimed his triumph, without any reason for this, since not only could he not find Barbarossa and recapture Tunisia as planned, despite the first successes in military operations, but also missed the raid of pirates on the island of Menorca, which was put to the sword and fire; raids on Italy in the summer of 1537; defeat of the 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 which this city lies, the redbeard's fleet was doing some minor repairs and resupply when Andrea Doria was able to track him down and lock him up in a narrow bay. Doria was an experienced naval commander and at first he did everything perfectly - he did not climb his ships (which could get stuck aground) into the bay, did not succumb to the provocations and false maneuvers of the Turks and correctly lined up his ships. Under his leadership, there was a powerful fleet of ships from Venice, Genoa, Spain, the Papal States and the Order of Malta, consisting of more than 200 ships, among which were the most powerful karakki (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 dreamed of came together - he would meet with Barbarossa in an open battle, having a clear numerical and fire superiority, a better tactical position and the "necessary" wind. However, in the end, the Genoese admiral lost, and with a bang. It is difficult today to restore the true state of affairs, how exactly this battle took place, because the sources describe this naval battle in different ways. Well, the result is the same - thanks to better tactics, more skillful teams and personal courage, the Turkish fleet managed to destroy 13 ships and capture 36. The losses of the allies only as prisoners 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 Oumed Bezad.

The fat point of the brilliant career of the red-beard 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 the Spaniards and making Genoa tremble, which he threatened by storm. Having freed Dragut, 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 sections 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, plundered the port of Ercol. Sparing the papal lands, he led the fleet into the Gulf of Naples, devastated a number of islands, moored at 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 he returned to Istanbul with huge trophies, where he lived for the last 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 are carved on the tomb: "Maat rais al bahr", which means: "The deceased is the beylerbey of the sea." The mosque itself is located near 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 saluting the tomb of Barbarossa.

Monument to Barbarossa in the courtyard of the Dolmabahce Palace (Istanbul)

Redbeard went to 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 for another quarter of a century, until the famous Battle of Lepanto in 1571, to be an invincible naval force.
The Turks still remember their famous commander. Now in the courtyard of the Istanbul Dolmabahce Palace there is a monument to him.
P.S. One of my readers gave a link to a very good community about the Ottomans and Turkey. I advise!

Often the name of Hayreddin Barbarossa was mentioned among the pirates. However, he was no ordinary robber. The outstanding sailor demonstrated the talent of a military leader and organizer both as a corsair and as an admiral of the Sultan's fleet.

The future admiral of the Turkish fleet, who bore the name Azor, was born around 1468 on the island of Mytilene (Lesvos). The Barbarossa brothers, nicknamed because of their red beards, were Greek sons of the potter Jacob Reiss, who migrated from the Balkans to Lesbos and converted to Islam when the Turks captured the island. On a small ship, the sons of Reis began both naval service and robbery. When the brother of Arouge was captured by the knights of St. John, Azor had to collect a ransom for several years by piracy in order to save him. Aruj, who had reached the position of ruler of Algiers, died in battle in the spring of 1518. Azor replaced him and continued his pirate raids. In the hands of an experienced and prudent person were thousands of pirates of the brother's flotilla. To get the necessary support, Azor Barbarossa declared himself a vassal of the Turkish Sultan, received the title of beylerbey (bey over beys) and 2000 Janissaries. In 1519, he successfully resisted the Spanish attack on Algeria and killed the Spanish landing on the coast. However, the betrayal of some feudal lords forced Barbarossa to leave Algeria and settle first in the harbor of Jijeli, and then on the island of Djerba, the pirate nest of the Barbarossa brothers. From here, relying on the troops provided by the Sultan, he began to reconquer Algeria and in 1525 returned it with the help of the local population. In 1529, he finally drove the Spaniards from the nearby island of Peñon. In May, Barbarossa concentrated about fifty ships against the island, and after sixteen days of shelling, the fortress walls collapsed. The pirates rushed into the gaps, and by the end of the day on May 21, the fortifications fell completely. To permanently eliminate the danger, Barbarossa rounded up thousands of captives who built a huge pier that connected the island to the mainland. Algeria became the center of activity for the Barbary pirates.

On the advice of the chief vizier Ibrahim, the Turkish Sultan in 1533 invited Barbarossa to take command of the Turkish fleet in North Africa. Hayreddin, then self-styled "King of Algeria", arrived in the Golden Horn in the manner of the Roman conquerors - with his own fleet. The ships of his main force were splendidly decorated and laden with gifts for the Sultan. Barbarossa promised the Sultan to defeat his main enemy at sea, Andrea Doria. In 1534, he took command, reinforced the Turkish fleet to 84 galleys, and opened a 40-year period of bitter warfare, culminating in the Battle of Lepanto.

In the spring of 1534, Barbarossa undertook a devastating cruising expedition along the entire southern and northern coast of Italy, reaching as far north as Civita Vecchia. Reggio, Messina, Naples, Fundi and other cities were destroyed. At one time, Barbarossa was anchored off the Tiber hill near Rome. Before returning to Tunisia at the arrival of winter, he still had time to fall on Corsica and Sardinia. In August, the pirates took Guletga, a fortified town that covered the approaches to Tunisia, and soon Tunis itself, the latter being taken by Barbarossa with the help of diplomacy. However, having already got into the city, he had to prove his dominance with a sword.

In the spring of 1535, the Christians retaliated. Under the command of Andrea Doria, 290 ships with troops were assembled. The emperor himself participated in the campaign. Doria locked up his ancient rival in Tunisia, captured the city and handed over the rule to a vassal of Spain. However, the cunning Barbarossa hid the best galleys in Bona, 200 miles west of Tunis. Leaving the besieged city, he went through the scorching desert to Bona, from where he fled by sea to Algeria. After 10 months, Barbarossa destroyed Port Mahon (the island of Menorca) and took 5,500 people into slavery. With the prisoners taken on Menorca, in October, Barbarossa arrived in Constantinople, to the Turkish Sultan. Delighted by the rich booty, on October 15, 1535, the Sultan appointed the sailor the commander of the entire Turkish fleet and the Beylerbey of Africa. Based in Algiers, Barbarossa continued to raid the islands and cities of the Mediterranean. He tried to ruin Nice, devastated Elba and the Aeolian Islands, then Bizerte and the island of Corfu. Thousands of captives became his prey.

In February 1536, a Franco-Turkish treaty was concluded, according to which Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent sent the fleet of Barbarossa to help the king. In 1536, on the way to France, the batteries of the port of Reggio fired on Turkish galleys. The city was ravaged by the Janissaries. In this city, an aging pirate found himself a young wife. In Marseilles, Barbarossa was solemnly welcomed. But Barbarossa repaid the meeting with an attempt to take Nice, and then the king had to pay a lot before he could drive out the pirate fleet that was wreaking havoc on the French coastal cities. On the way back, Barbarossa attacked the islands of Elba, Ischia, Procida and Lipari, capturing 7,000 prisoners and a lot of booty. In the next campaign (1536-1537), the Turkish fleet under the command of Barbarossa captured Bizerte in Tunisia, created a threat to Naples, devastated several islands in the Aegean and Ionian Seas - the possessions of Venice, an ally of the emperor. In 1537, during the collision of Doria and Barbarossa at Messina, the first captured 12 Turkish galleys, but the pirate robbed the coast of Apulia in revenge, then attacked the island of Corfu.

In 1537, the united fleets of the Christian states under the command of Andrea Doria defeated Barbarossa at Messina. But he took revenge in the Gulf of Preveza.

Barbarossa learned that Doria was gathering in the Gulf of Lion a powerful fleet of all the countries of Christendom for a decisive blow against the pirates. Doria had 200 ships, including 80 Venetian, 36 papal, 30 Spanish galleys, 60,000 men and 2,500 guns. Barbarossa transferred a force twice as large to the Ionian Sea. On September 25, 1538, two of the most powerful fleets met in a calm in the Gulf of Preveza. While there was a calm, the opponents were inactive. When the wind blew in the back of Barbarossa, this allowed him to maneuver and attack the helpless ships of the enemy. The ensuing naval battle did not become decisive in the struggle between the Christians and the Turks. On the first day there were only skirmishes between the advanced galleys expelled by Doria and Barbarossa. On the second day, September 26, 1538, when Barbarossa emerged from the narrow strait with the main body, Andrea approached and maneuvered more seaward. Barbarossa drew up a fleet near the shore. However, the battle did not take place. At dusk, Andrea Doria, seeing the uncertainty of the situation, gathered his forces and, to the great disappointment of the Venetians, went to Messina. There is an opinion that the intentions of Emperor Charles did not include a pitched battle. Others write that a battle took place near the occupied coast on the eve of the season, when unfortunate weather could lead to misfortune. Some believe that Doria and Barbarossa had a secret intention not to enter into a general battle, because it was beneficial only to Venice, with whom no one was on friendly terms. It was said that Barbarossa roared with laughter, boasting that Andrea had to "put out his lantern so that they would not see where he ran." The Turkish admiral announced his victory in order to remain a hero in the eyes of the Sultan.

In the years 1538-1540, Barbarossa continued successful military operations off the coast of the Ionian and Adriatic Seas, for which he received the honorary title of Khair-ed-Din ("Keeper of the Faith") from the Sultan.

On October 20, 1541, over five hundred ships of the Christian fleet under the flag of Andrea Doria approached Algiers. After the Algerians refused to surrender on October 23, the Spaniards landed 25 thousand people ashore. However, a hurricane with a downpour in the evening of the same day threw dozens of ships onto the rocks, scattered the tents of the camp, and in the morning the attack of the pirates of Barbarossa completed the rout. Only on October 30, the remnants of the Spanish troops, fighting off their pursuers, were able to reach the place where they were taken on board by the surviving ships.

Soon the pirates recaptured Djerba, where they erected a pyramid of bones of killed Christians - the defenders of the island.

In 1543, the Sultan sent Barbarossa with a fleet to help the French King Francis I, who was at war with Emperor Charles V. Hayreddin appeared at Marseilles at the head of a powerful, well-organized force, including 110 galleys. Following the Sultan's orders to help his new quasi-ally, Francis I, break the Spanish blockade of Marseilles, Barbarossa did what Andrea Doria had done 30 years earlier. He helped Francis quickly capture Nice on August 22, 1543, for which the French provided him with a port in Toulon. Emperor Charles, who was in charge of operations in Germany, instructed Andrea Doria to support the planned operation to liberate Nice with a fleet from the sea. Again Hayreddin and Andrea had a chance to meet on the high seas, commanding a powerful force. But at this time Barbarossa sailed to the port of Antibes, west of Nice. As is now clear, he heard a rumor about the conclusion of a peace treaty in Greece between Emperor Charles and France.

After the conclusion of peace in 1544, on the way back, Barbarossa plundered and devastated the island of Elba, the cities of Telamo, Monteana, Porto Grecale, Orbetello with the islands of Giglio, Ischia, Progida, Lipari and the coast of the Policastro Gulf.

The next year, Barbarossa, heavily laden with booty, headed west on a peaceful journey. When he came to Genoa, he ransomed his assistant Dragut, who was captured by the Genoese sailors. Later, Andrea Doria had to regret the release of Dragut, who became the successor to Barbarossa.

On June 19, 1547, Suleiman concluded a five-year truce with the Habsburgs, thanks to which relative calm was established in the Mediterranean. This period coincided with the death of Khair ed-Din Barbarossa. Barbarossa, "king of the sea" of the Muslims, died July 4, 1547 in Constantinople. He retired when he was about 80 years old. The looted wealth allowed him to become independent even from the Sultan. Kapudan Pasha built a magnificent palace over the sea, and nearby a mosque and a mausoleum of extraordinary beauty. Barbarossa was buried in the mausoleum. For many years, the ships of the Turkish fleet saluted as they passed the mausoleum of the famous Turkish naval commander.

Contemporaries noted the remarkable physical strength of Barbarossa, although he was of medium height. His courage, dexterity and skill, knowledge of the laws of the sea helped him successfully complete the most desperate enterprises. However, intelligence and determination in attack, vision and courage in defense, efficiency and invincibility were combined in him with relentless and cold cruelty.

Turkish ships have been called the name of Barbarossa more than once. To a certain extent, he created the fleet that in the following decades fought for dominance in the Mediterranean.

Zukhal Karadag

Since 1926, July 1 has been celebrated in Turkey as Shipping Day. Shipping is the right of a state to transport passengers and goods between its ports. However, the privileges of the Ottoman state for the navigation of foreign ships under the treaties of surrender were abolished in 1923 by the Treaty of Lausanne, which was legislated on April 20, 1926. The Shipping Law came into force on July 1, 1926, and therefore this date began to be celebrated as Shipping Day in Turkey. According to this law, Turkish citizens are granted the right to freight and passenger transportation along rivers, lakes, in the Sea of ​​Marmara and straits, in all territorial waters and bays, ports, bays located in them using mechanized, sailing and rowing vehicles. In addition, the law determines that Turkish citizens can perform the professions of a diver, pilot, captain, ship mechanic and sailor. It was established that foreign ships can carry out cargo and passenger transportation only between Turkish ports and the ports of a particular country.
In our today's article, we will talk about the famous navigator Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha, who went down in the history of Turkish navigation.

In the spring of 1538, the largest fleet in history was founded: it included 600 ships from such European countries as Spain, Germany, Venice, Portugal, Genoa, the Vatican, Florence and Malta. At the head of this Crusader fleet, the German Emperor Charles Quintus placed Andrea Doria, Europe's most prominent admiral in the 16th century. The main purpose of this huge fleet was to defeat the Ottoman fleet under the command of the Algerian Beylerbey Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha. This fleet posed a significant threat to European countries in the Mediterranean. At the beginning of September 1538, the ships of the Crusader fleet began to gather in the Ionian Sea to deliver a powerful blow to the enemy fleet. This bad news soon reached the Council of State in Istanbul, and from there reached Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha, who was on the island of Egriboz. Andrea Doria launched a massive cannon attack on the island of Preveza in the territorial waters of Greece, which was an important naval base of the Ottoman fleet in the Mediterranean, while some of the ships moored in the port were sunk.

Following this, Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha sends one of the commanders of a flotilla of 20 ships, Turgut Reis, to reconnaissance in the Ionian Sea. Turgut Flight , having entered the territorial waters of the island of Zanta in the south of the Ionian Islands, he saw a crusader flotilla of 40 ships and then informed Barbarossa about the positions of the enemy. In accordance with the information received, the Ottoman fleet left the island of Egriboz and, heading for the Peloponnese peninsula, arrived at the southern base of Modon. Andrea Doria, in turn, having learned about the approach of the Ottoman ships, lifted the siege of Preveza and sent his flotilla towards the island of Corfu. In response, the Ottoman fleet, passing through a narrow strait from the northwestern tip of the Gulf of Arta, arrived at the naval base at Preveza, where it anchored. Admiral Andrea Doria achieved this. According to the plan he developed, the Turkish fleet, inferior in strength to the crusader fleet, would refuse to engage in battle on the high seas and would be blockaded in Preveza. The fleet of the crusaders was 3 times the strength of the Turkish fleet.

On September 27, Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha gathered the admirals of his fleet and discussed with them a strategy against the enemy, taking into account the superiority of the latter's forces, putting forward a proposal to leave Preveza and attack a powerful enemy armada. According to Hayreddin Pasha, the main advantages of the Ottoman flotilla were the high maneuverability of Turkish ships and the long range of Turkish guns. That night, the entire fleet was preparing for battle, and at dawn on September 28, the ships left the Straits of Preveza, and a few hours after sunrise, both flotillas entered into battle. The Ottoman fleet was divided into 3 flanks: in the center the ships were commanded by Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha himself, the right flank was led by Salih Reis, and the ships of the left flank were commanded by Seydi Ali Reis, while Turgut Reis led the reserve behind. The ships of the Ottoman fleet fired on the flotilla of the crusaders from three flanks and, continuing the onslaught, went on the offensive. A few hours later, half of the Crusader ships were sunk in the Mediterranean. Admial Andrea Doria in this unpredictable situation, in order to avoid further losses, hastily left the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe naval battle and, having collected the surviving ships, withdrew his forces through the Gulf of Arta. This naval battle of Preveza, which became one of the most significant in the history of the navy, ended with a brilliant victory for Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha.

Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha , born in 1473, is known as the most prominent commander of the navy of the Ottoman Empire. At first, he, along with his older brother Oruch Reis, traded in piracy in northern Africa and gained fame in the Mediterranean. After the accession in 1528 to the Ottoman Empire of the state of Barbarossa he created in Algeria, Hayreddin Pasha was appointed commander of the Ottoman fleet, which under him became the best in the Mediterranean. And it was under him that the foundations of Turkish navigation were laid.

Barbarossa won one of his biggest victories at the age of 70: on August 5, 1543, together with allied French courts, Barbarossa went to the coast of Nice, surrounded the city, which was then under the rule of the German king Charles Quint, and on August 20 handed it over to the French kingdom . A few centuries later, in the municipality of Toulon, the naval base of the French naval forces, a painting appeared showing the Ottoman fleet anchored in Toulon. Here is the last line of the poem placed under the canvas: "Here is depicted Barbarossa and his fleet, who came to our aid."
2 years after this campaign, Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha died in Istanbul and was buried in a tomb in Besiktas, opposite the modern Museum of Navigation. His return from the campaign was immortalized in the following lines of the great poet Yahya Kemal Beyatli:
“Where do cannon volleys come from in the vastness of the sea?
Maybe it's Barbarossa returning from a campaign?
From the islands, from Tunisia or Algeria?
200 ships plowing the horizons of freedom.
They return from where the new moon is born.
From what campaign do these blessed ships come?