Oruç Reis, one of the most daring pirates of the Mediterranean, sometimes carried out activities under the auspices of the Ottoman Empire, but in fact, like Turkish raiders, he was a captain who always thought of his soldiers with whom he fought and instilled fear in western sailors. Let’s take a closer look at questions such as who is Oruç Reis and how he died.
Those who are afraid are not only in the ocean, but also in the Mediterranean, which is an inland sea, there have been many pirates throughout history. Moreover, the most important of them were Turkish pirates. He is the brother of Barbaros Hayreddin Pasha, whom we later know as the Captain-i Derya. Oruç Reis was one of these pirates. Oruç Reis always listened to the pirate in him, even though he was under the protection of the Ottomans from time to time.
Oruç Reis, who spent his life in the salty waters of the Mediterranean, participated in countless wars, destroyed countless ships and captured many regions. One of the greatest characteristics of the captain, who was also in captivity for a period, was that he always thought of his soldiers, namely his levents, even more than himself. Bride Let’s take a closer look at who Oruç Reis is Let’s see the answers to questions such as why his arm was cut off and how he died.
Who is Oruç Reis? A well-educated boy who is interested in the sea:
Vardari Yâkub Ağa participated in the conquest of Lesbos with the Ottomans in 1462 and made important contributions to the island. The village of Bonova was a sipahi given as a fief. He had four sons, whom he named Isaac, Oruç, Hızır and İlyas. Hızır will later be referred to as Barbaros Hayreddin Pasha. The brother of Hızır, who was born in 1470, is Oruç Reis.
Born on an island, Oruç and his siblings were raised as master sailors like all other children. As a plus of maritime, other maritime nationalities They learned Italian, Spanish, French and Greek. Oruç, the brightest and bravest among them, bought a boat for himself and became Oruç Reis and started to transport goods between Syria, Alexandria, Egypt, Tripoli and Anatolia.
Being captured by the Knights of Rhodes changed Oruç Reis’s life:
Oruç Reis and his brother İlyas Reis set off from Lesbos Island to Tripoli for an expedition as usual. A conflict broke out when they encountered the ships of the Knights of Rhodes. While İlyas Reis lost his life on the spot Oruç Reis was taken prisoner.
It is said that Oruç Reis was held captive by the Knights of Rhodes for three years. Although uncertain While the ship he was a prisoner of rowing to Antalya docked It is said that he somehow escaped. Oruç Reis, who took refuge in the Mamluk State, one of the important powers of the period, served as an admiral here. “Your right to live is as much as your strength to fight.” He said his word after all these experiences.
Oruç Reis begins piracy under the auspices of the Ottoman Empire:
After leaving the Mamluk State, Manisa Sanjak Bey of the period, brother of Yavuz Sultan Selim. Oruç Reis met with Şehzade Korkut, Taking a warship from him, he sailed into Mediterranean waters. She lost her ships in an unexpected raid on the coast of Rhodes.
Oruç Reis, who met with Prince Korkut again in 1511, sailed to the Mediterranean waters again, this time with the support of larger ships and the approval of piracy. Oruç Reis, who learned a great lesson from his experiences, As an Ottoman sailor, he had sworn not to let Christians live in the Mediterranean.
Intimidating Europe, Oruç Reis is beginning to be called Barbarossa:
Oruç Reis first started his activities by conquering Djerba Island in 1513. Oruç Reis, who used this place as a base, He began to seize the warships of the Pope’s forces one by one. It was unbelievable because while Oruç Reis used small ships called “pullers”, European ships were giant galleys called “bastarda”.
According to the rumor, Oruç Reis first seized a ship of the Pope, then he and his soldiers were waiting for other ships, wearing Italian clothes. Other ships that thought they were docking with their own ships were ambushed and surrendered on the spot. Our red-bearded pirate pirate He started to be called Barbarossa because of what he did. His brother Hızır Reis, Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha, would later be referred to by the same name.
He lost his arm because of the wound he received during the conquest of Algeria:
Oruç Reis, who took advantage of the confusion after the death of King Ferdinand of Spain, With the support of his brothers İlyas and Hızır, he set sail on Algeria. Oruç Reis, who saw a great power against him, was injured in his left arm, and when it was understood that he could not be saved, it was decided to amputate at the elbow. The conquest of Algeria ended in success.
The ambition and courage of Oruç Reis, who lost his arm, increased even more. To support the Umayyads Oruç Reis, who went to North Africa, took sides with the Muslims against the Spaniards. it provided them with both weapons and other basic needs such as food. Of course, this added to his reputation.
Oruç Reis, who did not want to leave a single soldier behind, lost his life for this cause:
Realizing that they could not solve this problem with valor, the Spaniards settled in a city in the west of Algeria. They took over the region by agreeing with the order of Telimsan. Oruç Reis returned to his homeland of Algeria and defended the region against the Spanish for seven months. But the Emir of Tilimsam drew the people to his side and stabbed Oruç Reis in the back.
Even though it was difficult, Oruç Reis and his men, who came out of the castle he defended, survived the attack. But rumor has it that some of his soldiers stayed behind. Trying to infiltrate the enemy again to save them It was ambushed by the Spanish and Arabs. Even though he fought to the last drop of his blood, Oruç Reis, who was injured, lost his life.
According to the rumor, the king of Spain announced that he would give a great reward to the one who killed Oruç Reis. Oruç Reis’ head was cut off and placed in a honeypot and taken to Spain. The soldiers, who took the remaining headless body, buried them in the tomb of Sidi Abdurrahman, located next to the Sidi Abdurrahman Mosque. He is estimated to have been only 48 years old when he died in 1518.
Why is Oruç Reis an important figure?
Although his brother Hızır Bey later became the Captain of the Ottoman Empire under the name of Barbaros Hayreddin Pasha, Oruç Reis was actually behind his success because he He was one of the first sailors who devoted himself to the domination of Turks and Muslims in the Mediterranean. What they do is similar to what the Turkish raider lords did, who rode horses from Central Asia to Anatolia. The only difference is that he has ships, not horses.
pirates who tried to establish Turkish dominance in the Mediterranean and Who is the Ottoman sailor Oruç Reis? We talked about the details about his life by answering his question. Horse, ship, car, plane; a Turk makes his Turkishness speak everywhere, right?