Hızır Reis, a Turkish pirate, is Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha, known as Captain-Darya. Oruç Reis, the brother of Hızır Reis, learned ship and maritime trade very well in his youth. With his courage, intelligence and entrepreneurship, he became a ship owner in a short time. In this period, the Barbaros brothers began to enter into great wars with the Spaniards, who oppressed the Muslims.
In a short time they captured Algeria. Oruç Reis has become not only a sailor but also the ruler of Algeria. But this only lasted a year. Because the next year, the Spaniards united with some locals to retake Algeria and attacked. In this war, Hizir Reis killed his brothers Isaac and Oruç Reis.
After this war, Hızır Reis, who received a heavy blow, took the head of Algeria, which they did not give into the hands of the enemy no matter what. He issued a coin on behalf of Yavuz Sultan Selim, the sultan of the period, and declared his loyalty to him by giving a sermon. Yavuz Sultan Selim appointed Hızır Reis as the governor of Algeria and took him under his protection.
Hizir Reis Takes the Name Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha:
Yavuz Sultan Selim gave Hızır Reis the name Hayrettin, which means the benevolent of religion, because of his service to the Ottoman state. The name Barbaros actually belongs to his older brother Oruç Reis. This name comes from Barbarossa, which means “Red Beard” in Italian, due to the redness of his beard. However, when he was called by that name after his death, he became Barbaros Hayrettin.
Hızır Reis is Turkish and Muslim. They are not like pirates who plunder and plunder. These are the sea raiders, the equivalent of the land raiders in the sea. In other words, they would follow the enemy ships at sea, hit the coasts of Christian countries dealing with Muslims, and neutralized their naval forces.
Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha is a brave commander with knowledge. Since he spent his life on the seas, he learned Mediterranean languages such as Greek, Arabic, Spanish, Italian and French very well. It continued to storm the Mediterranean at that time. He conquered new lands and gathered loot.
On the other hand, the Ottoman Empire, which made great conquests, showed everyone its power on land. Next up is reaching its destination in the Mediterranean. He wanted to continue conquests in the seas against Spain, the largest and most powerful state in Europe. Suleiman the Magnificent, who succeeded Yavuz Sultan Selim on the throne, invited Barbaros Hayrettin to Istanbul. Because Barbarossa is a captain who knows the seas very well, has fought against Spain for many years and knows them closely.
The news that Barbarossa would go to Istanbul and be subordinate to the Ottoman Empire made Europe, and especially the king of Spain, very uneasy. Because Barbarossa knows the Mediterranean like the back of his hand because of his struggle against the Christians. Hearing this, the Pope called out to the army: we will not fight against Barbarossa. Because he does not leave without taking his place. Understand well that those who fight and die when a place is decided to be taken by him cannot enter Paradise. That’s why Barbaros’s joining the ranks of Sultan Suleiman means a change in all balances. In this period, Barbarossa was even more famous than Kanuni in the Mediterranean world.
Achievements of Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha:
Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha became the admiral of the Ottoman navy, that is, the Admiral of the Sea. While Barbaros was the Captain of the Admiralty, there was another legendary name living at that time. Piri Reis, who drew the first world map and had the title of Derya Sancak Bey, that is, rear admiral, lived at that time. He participated in many expeditions with the Barbaros brothers and won victories.
In this period, Barbarossa sailed to the Mediterranean with the powerful Ottoman navy, hit the coasts of Italy and added the Venetian islands in the Aegean Sea to the Ottoman lands. The biggest naval battle in Turkish history, the Preveza naval battle, was fought in this period.
The Christian world definitively lost its dominance in the Mediterranean with the Battle of Preveza. Preveza was a turning point for the Ottoman maritime as well as for the Christian states. The Ottoman Empire, which was a land state until then, was literally involved in maritime politics. The Kanuni period was the period when the Ottoman naval power reached a level that would make itself felt in the Mediterranean. After this war, the Mediterranean began to be called “Turkish Lake”.
Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha died in Istanbul in 1546 and was buried in his tomb in Beşiktaş. Even today, Turkish ships embarking on an expedition or going on exercises greet Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha with a cannon ball or a special salute while passing by this tomb.
After his outstanding achievements, Kanuni said to himself: One by one, Hayrettin praised himself by saying that a servant’s life cannot be conquered in such a short time. He also requested that a book be written about Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha. When we look at his life in the seas, it is seen that he achieved many great victories. But Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha is a person who always gives thanks to Allah without being proud or arrogant.
