The Ottoman Pirate Who Inspired “Captain” Jack Sparrow

Jack Ward, who would later become Yusuf Reis, was one of the most famous pirates of the early 17th century. Born in England in 1553, Ward worked as a fisherman before he started piracy. Besides his daring raids on Spanish and Dutch ships in the Mediterranean, with his colorful personality and love for exotic birds was known.

But what makes Jack Ward’s story remarkable is that it inspires Jack Sparrow, the beloved main character of Pirates of the Caribbean, one of the world’s most popular fantasy fiction. Even more interestingly, this pirate who inspired Jack Sparrow become a Muslim later. and ending his career as an Ottoman sailor.

The early phase of Jack Ward’s life is a bit of a gray area.

We know that he was born around 1553 in Faversham, a town in the southeast of England. He grew up in the coastal area, where he learned to sail and fish. It also lasted from 1585 to 1604. Served in the Royal Navy during the Anglo-Spanish War may be presumed.

During this time, England; It was at war with Spain, the dominant power in Europe and the New World. Spain had a large fleet of ships carrying gold and silver from its colonies in the Americas, as well as goods and spices from Asia. These ships were commissioned by Queen Elizabeth I. Government-authorized pirates authorized to attack and plunder Spanish ships were attractive targets.

Jack Ward was one of these pirates who used his skills and courage to attack Spanish ships and get rich. He would also attack Dutch ships, which were allies of England at that time but were in a trade with Spain. This situation makes it both an independent pirate and a traitor This made him unpopular among Spanish and Dutch authorities, who saw him as

(Does the story of playing both sides and getting as much loot as possible sound familiar?)

In 1603, King James I ascended the throne of England and Scotland. He wanted to end the war with Spain and restore peace in Europe. All the government-authorized pirates issued a statement ordering the Spanish ships to cease their attack and return to England. He also offered forgiveness of their crimes if they surrendered their weapons and ships. So these people fighting for England, they were suddenly guilty.

However, most of the government-sanctioned pirates refused to quit this lucrative business and continued to operate as an independent pirate. As you can imagine, Jack Ward was one of them.

He abandoned his Royal Navy ship Lyon’s Whelp and left Portsmouth with some of his comrades. a small bar (a three-masted sailing ship) stoleHe named it ‘Gift’ which means gift. They chose him as captain and sailed to the Isle of Wight, capturing another ship called the Violet.

Ward later hoped to find more wealth and opportunity. sailed to the Mediterranean. He attacked Spanish and Dutch ships with his two ships, Violet and Gift, in a short time. became one of the region’s most feared pirates. He also joined forces with other famous pirates such as Richard Bishop, Anthony Johnson, Peter Easton, Simon Danseker.

Ward was seen as a leader and hero by some writers in his native England. Even a few theater plays were written about him. The subject in which he is praised is the king himself. defiance of the ceasefire declaration was.

Ward’s reputation eventually reached the Ottoman Empire, which was Spain’s rival and the ruler of the Eastern Mediterranean.

The Ottomans admired Ward’s courage and skill and used him against their enemies. a potential ally as they saw. In exchange for his loyalty and service, they offered him protection and support.

In 1605 Ward sailed to Algiers, an Ottoman province and a haven for pirates. He hoped to sell his loot and recruit more men for his crew. However, it was not welcomed by local authorities and they arrested some of their men. This was because Algiers had been attacked a few months ago by another British pirate, Richard Giffard.

Ward then sailed to Salé, a port city in Morocco, where he met up with other English and Dutch pirates. There are also pirates operating under the Ottoman flag. met some Muslims. These pirates were mostly converts from Christianity, converted to Islam and joined the Ottoman navy.

The pirates told Ward the benefits of being a Muslim and serving the Ottoman sultan. They said he would enjoy more freedom, wealth and respect than he had in England. And without fear of retaliation or punishment that he could raid any Christian ship he wanted. they said too.

The proposal intrigued Ward, but she was not yet ready to renounce her faith and identity. He decided to sail to Tunis, another Ottoman province and an important center of piracy. There the governor of Tunisia and the commander of the Ottoman navy Kara Osman Dey(Uthman Dey) talked to.

Kara Osman Dey was impressed by Ward’s reputation and achievements. He offered him a deal: if Ward converted to Islam and became an Ottoman subject, he gave him the main port of Tunis. He would give a large piece of land near La Goulette. It would also allow him to retain his ships and men and operate as an independent pirate under the Ottoman flag.

Ward accepted Kara Osman Dey’s offer and He became a Muslim in 1606.. name Yusuf Reis and adopted a new look and lifestyle. He wore a turban, robe and grew a beard. He learned Arabic and Turkish. He prayed five times a day and followed Islamic rules.

Ward’s conversion was prompted by his crew and compatriots in his homeland. not welcomed. Most of his men abandoned him and returned to England or joined other pirate crews. Some issued leaflets accusing him of being a traitor. They accused him of betraying his faith, king and nation.

But WardHe did not regret his decision. He felt that he had found a new home and a new purpose in Tunisia. He also felt that he had gained much more power and prestige as an English pirate than he had ever had.

As a matter of fact, it really happened; The new Ottoman Admiral Yusuf Reis began to make his presence felt in the seas much more strongly.

Yusuf Reis, as an Ottoman pirate, sailed to Spanish and Dutch ships in the Mediterranean. The raids continued. He also attacked the ships of the Italian, French, Portuguese, Maltese, Venetian, Genoese, Papal States. He captured hundreds of ships and thousands of prisoners, which he sold as slaves or ransom for money.

Yusuf Reis also expanded its fleet and crew as well. Among them Little John (the name of his friend John King) and Reniera e Soderina (the names of the two Florentine bankers who financed itHe bought several new ships, including two large galleons he named .

In addition, within the Ottoman Empire Turks, Arabs, Berbers, Moors, Greeks, Albanians, Jews, Christians His crew was also much larger than before, as he recruited more men of various nationalities and creeds.

Yusuf Reis, one of the most powerful pirates of Tunisia and Kara Osman Dey He has become one of his most reliable allies. He was appointed as an admiral to the Ottoman navy and was given the title of Reis. He also became a wealthy landowner and respected citizen in Tunisia. By dying in 1622, he put an end to this full adventure.

Although this is the most accepted story of Jack Ward, according to some sources, Jack Ward’s life turned out to be completely different.

As we mentioned in the previous paragraphs, according to many sources, Ward converted to Islam around 1610 and took the name Yusuf Reis; even local married a woman and they had children by him. until his death in 1622 continued to lead the pirate crew. He was buried in Tunisia with a magnificent ceremony.

However, some other sources claim that Ward never converted to Islam and remained a Christian until his death. In addition, the plague or died from alcohol poisoning they suggest. The last quarter of his fate has not been fully elucidated to date, based on an official source.

So how did Jack Ward or Yusuf Reis inspire this cunning Jack Sparrow?

Jack Sparrow has a history as far as we know from the Pirates of the Caribbean series. He’s not a pirate serving the British government, nor has he been fishing.. As we can see from the movie Salazar’s Revenge, he was also a notorious pirate in his youth.

However, Salazar is an admiral in the Spanish navy. After Jack Ward became an independent pirate He plundered the ships of the Spanish and Dutch navies. do you remember? This is how the first connection is established. If you remember, when Ward was a sailor working for the British government, he was constantly scheming between the Dutch and Spanish navies.

of Jack Sparrow having a cunning character that only cares about his own interests it comes from here. His colorful dressing style during his piracy times also played a big role in the creation of the character of Jack Sparrow.

We also mentioned Ward’s interest in birds. This is where Jack Sparrow’s last name comes from. ‘Sparrow‘ means sparrow. Of course, later on, we see how Jack actually took the surname Sparrow in the movie Salazar’s Revenge, but in the first movie, Jack Ward was inspired by the creation of the character.