Piri Reis, whose real name is Ahmet Muhyiddin Piri, was born in 1470 as a child of a Karaman family. He is one of the families who were immigrated from Karaman to Istanbul during the reign of Mehmet the Conqueror. The family lived in Istanbul for a while, then settled in Gallipoli. Piri Reis’ father is Hacı Mehmet from Karaman and his uncle is Kemal Reis.
Piri Reis is a captain and cartographer who is famous for his books “World Map” showing the Americas and “Kitab-ı Bahriye”. When he was 80 years old, he was executed by beheading in Cairo in 1554 by the decree of Suleiman the Magnificent.
Important Developments in Piri Reis’s Life:
Piri Reis started sailing with his uncle Kemal Reis. Between 1487 and 1493, he and his uncle were pirates in the Mediterranean. Beyazıt II wanted the sailors engaged in piracy in the Mediterranean to join the Ottoman navy. Thereupon, he entered the service of the Navy with his uncle.
Piri Reis took part as a ship commander in the Ottoman navy’s struggle with the Venetians. Thus, he served as war captain for the first time. They achieved great success in these wars. He took notes of what he saw and experienced during his voyages in the Mediterranean. He collected the notes he took in his book called Kitab-ı Bahriye.
After the death of his uncle, Piri Reis settled in Gallipoli. In this period, he embarked on expeditions on the Mediterranean with the navy under the command of the Barbaros brothers. Using the events he observed, he drew the first world map in 1513. Barbarossas became the world’s largest naval power in 1515 and made conquests in North Africa. Piri Reis served as one of the captains of Oruç Reis at that time.
During the Egyptian expedition of the sultan of the period, Yavuz Sultan Selim, Piri Reis went to Cairo from the Nile road, made a map of this place and gave extensive information about the region. During the Egypt expedition, he had the opportunity to meet Yavuz Sultan Selim personally. He presented the World Map he had made to Yavuz Sultan Selim.
Reason for Piri Reis’ Execution:
Piri Reis rejoined the Ottoman navy during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent. During this period, he participated in many expeditions. In the last Egypt expedition he participated in, the event that led to his execution took place.
In 1533, since Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha was the Captain-i Derya, he became the Derya Sanjak Bey in Piri Reis. At the age of 80, Piri Reis sailed to the Indian Ocean with approximately 30 ships. Here he managed to defeat the Portuguese, who were much more than himself. The Portuguese fleeing the war took refuge on the island of Hormuz. Piri Reis besieged this place to take it. But when the people of the region helped the Portuguese, he got angry and plundered this place. The looting incident was one of the issues that started the execution process.
Meanwhile, he received the news that the Portuguese were coming to the region by preparing a large navy. Piri Reis did not want to go to sea because the maintenance and repair of the ships were not completed. He left the navy and soldiers behind and returned to the Suez shipyard in order not to be stuck in the area.
He sought help from the governor of Basra. But the governor arrested the Piri Rei for plundering and confiscated his property. Piri Reis was arrested by the governor of Egypt upon the complaint of the governor of Basra. The governor of Egypt brought the issue to the Divan.
Piri Reis was tried and found guilty of lifting the siege and leaving the soldiers and navy behind. Although Piri Reis wanted to defend himself that the navy was not ready, he could not prevent the result. Upon the decree of Suleiman the Magnificent, he was executed by beheading in Cairo in 1554.
