- Salih Reis
Salih Reis (1488 ca. - 1568) was a Turkish
privateer and Ottomanadmiral .In 1529, together with Aydın Reis, he took part in the Turkish-Spanish War near the Isle of
Formentera , during which the Ottoman forces destroyed the Spanish fleet, whose commander, Rodrigo Portundo, died in combat.In 1538 he commanded the right wing of the Turkish fleet at the naval
Battle of Preveza , where the Ottoman forces under Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha defeated the Holy League of Charles V under the command ofAndrea Doria .In 1551, due to his success in the conquest of
Tripoli (Libya) together withTurgut Reis and Sinan Pasha, he was promoted to the rank ofPasha and became theBeylerbey i (Ottoman equivalent ofGrand Duke ) ofAlgiers and the "Bahriye Beylerbeyi" (Admiral) of the Ottoman West Mediterranean Fleet.In 1553 he conquered
Morocco and extended Ottoman territory into theAtlantic Ocean , far beyond theStrait of Gibraltar .He is alternatively referred to as "Salah Rais", "Sala Reis", "Salih Rais", "Salek Rais" and "Cale Arraez" in several European resources, particularly in Spain, France and Italy.
Background and early career
Salih Reis was born in a village between
Çanakkale andEdremit , near Kaz Dağı (Mount Ida) to the south of ancientTroy , on the Aegean coast ofTurkey , in around 1488.At a very young age he joined the fleet of Oruç Reis (Aruj Barbarossa), the most famous of the Turkish corsairs and privateers from
Anatolia who sought fortune in the West Mediterranean by operating from their bases on theBarbary Coast . He gained experience in seamanship as a crew member of theBarbarossa brothers, Oruç Reis and Hızır Reis, and soon became one of their chief lieutenants.Salih Reis was around 30 years old when Oruç Reis died in 1518 during a battle against the Spaniards in Algeria. From 1518 onwards, he joined the fleet of Hızır Reis, who inherited the title of "Barbarossa" from his older brother, "Baba Oruç" (Father Aruj).
In 1520 he went to
Djerba together with Hızır Reis andTurgut Reis , and later that year assaulted Bône, which was under Spanish control.Career in the Ottoman Navy
In 1529, commanding a force of 14
galliot s, Salih Reis assaulted the Gulf of Valencia before joining the fleet of Aydın Reis which took part in the Turkish-Spanish War near the Isle ofFormentera , where the Ottoman forces destroyed the Spanish fleet, whose commander, Rodrigo Portundo, died in combat. During the war, Salih Reis captured the galley of Captain Tortosa and took the son of Admiral Portundo, the Spanish commander, as a prisoner of war.When the Ottoman Sultan
Suleiman the Magnificent summoned Barbarossa toIstanbul , who set sail in August 1532, Salih Reis took part in Barbarossa's fleet. Having raidedSardinia ,Bonifacio inCorsica , the Islands ofMontecristo ,Elba andLampedusa , they captured 18 galleys nearMessina and learned from the captured prisoners thatAndrea Doria , theGenoese admiral in service of Charles V, was on his way toPreveza . Barbarossa proceeded to raid the nearby coasts ofCalabria and then sailed towards Preveza. Doria's forces fled after a short battle, but only after Barbarossa, accompanied by Salih Reis and Murat Reis, had captured seven of their galleys. Barbarossa arrived at Preveza with a total of 44 galleys, but sent 25 of them back to Algiers and headed to Istanbul with 19 ships, one of which was commanded by Salih Reis, who, along with Murat Reis, was one of the 19 men received by Suleiman the Magnificent atTopkapı Palace . Suleiman appointed Barbarossa "Kaptan-ı Derya" (Fleet Admiral) of the Ottoman Navy and "Beylerbey" (Chief Governor) of North Africa. Barbarossa was also given the government of the Sanjak (Province) of Rhodes and those of Euboea and Chios in the Aegean Sea. Salih Reis, on the other hand, was promoted to the rank of Navy Colonel. In 1533 Barbarossa and Salih Reis operated together against the Spanish-controlled ports in theMediterranean Sea .In July 1535 Salih Reis was appointed by Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha for the task of defending
Tunis . Accompanied by Cafer Reis and very few Turkish soldiers, Salih Reis encountered the forces of Girolamo Tuttavilla, Count ofSarno , whose fortress was near the city walls ofLa Goulette . Salih Reis pretended to retreat, and eventually routed and trapped the forces of Tuttavilla, who followed him. Tuttavilla was killed in combat, and his fortress was captured by the Turks. Still in July 1535, Salih Reis assisted Hasan Reis (later Hasan Pasha), the son of Barbarossa, in governing Algiers. In 1536 Barbarossa and Salih Reis were called back toIstanbul to take command of the Ottoman naval attack on the HabsburgKingdom of Naples . In July 1537 the Turks landed atOtranto and captured the city, as well as the Fortress of Castro and the city ofUgento inPuglia .In August 1537, Lütfi Pasha and Barbarossa led a huge Ottoman force, in which Salih Reis also took part, that captured the Aegean and Ionian islands belonging to the
Republic of Venice , namelySyros ,Aegina ,Ios ,Paros ,Tinos ,Karpathos ,Kasos and Naxos. In the same year Barbarossa capturedCorfu from Venice and once again raidedCalabria . These losses caused Venice to askPope Paul III to organize a "Holy League" against the Ottomans.Battle of Preveza
In February 1538, Pope Paul III succeeded in assembling a Holy League (comprising the Papacy, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire, the Republic of Venice and the Maltese Knights) against the Ottomans, which was to be commanded by
Andrea Doria , the chief admiral ofCharles V, Holy Roman Emperor .Salih Reis, now a "Bahriye Sancakbeyi" (Rear Admiral, Upper Half) commanded the 24 galleys which formed the right wing of the Ottoman fleet during the
Battle of Preveza in September 1538, in which the numerically inferior Turkish forces of Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha won an overwhelming victory over the Holy League under the command ofAndrea Doria . In one of the most famous incidents of the battle, Salih Reis and his men boarded and assaulted the "Galeone di Venezia" (Galleon of Venice), the huge Venetian flagship under the command of Alessandro Condalmiero (Bondumier), together with two other Venetian galleys which were drifted away from the rest of the Venetian fleet due to the heavy loss of oarsmen which resulted from the bitter fighting.Recapture of Castelnuovo and the conquest of Venetian islands in the Aegean
In June 1539 Salih Reis set sail from Istanbul with 20 galleys, and near Cape Maleo joined the fleet of Barbarossa which was appointed with the mission of recapturing Castelnuovo (
Herceg Novi ) from the Venetians. On the way to Castelnuovo their combined fleet captured the islands ofSkiathos ,Skyros ,Andros andSerifos from the Venetians. In August 1539 Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha,Turgut Reis and Salih Reis laid siege to Castelnuovo and took the city back. They also captured the nearby Castle of Risan and later assaulted the Venetian fortress of Cattaro and the Spanish fortress of Santa Veneranda near Pesaro. The Turkish fleet later took the remaining Christian outposts in the Ionian and Aegean Seas. Venice finally signed a peace treaty with SultanSuleiman the Magnificent in October 1540, agreeing to recognize the Turkish territorial gains and to pay 300,000 gold ducats.Operations on the French coast and Catalonia
According to some Turkish resources, in 1540, Salih Reis was together with
Turgut Reis in Girolata,Corsica , where the two were captured by the combined forces of Giannettino Doria (Andrea Doria's nephew), Giorgio Doria and Gentile Virginio Orsini while repairing their ships at the harbour. These sources also mention that Salih Reis and Turgut Reis were both forced to become oar slaves in Genoese ships until they were liberated by Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha in 1544, who threatened to attack the port ofGenoa with his massive fleet of 210 ships.French, Italian and Spanish sources, however, acknowledge the captivity (1540) and liberation (1544) of Turgut Reis, but make no mention of the captivity of Salih Reis. It is probable that the close friendship between Salih Reis and Turgut Reis and their numerous joint operations may have possibly caused a confusion.
In fact, according to French, Italian and Spanish sources, Salih Reis took part in the Franco-Ottoman conquest of
Nice (Nizza) on 5 August 1543, which was commanded by Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha. According to the same sources, following the conquest of Nice, Salih Reis commanded the Ottoman force of 20 galleys and 3 fustas which assaulted theCosta Brava inCatalonia ,Spain , in that same year. In early October 1543, Salih Reis landed his troops at Rosas and sacked the city. The following day, Salih Reis appeared at the Medas Islands (Illes Medes) about 1 km off the coast ofL'Estartit , before proceeding toPalafrugell andPalamós , the latter being severely sacked following a fierce battle for its capture. From there Salih Reis proceeded to the nearby San Juan de Palamós, which was likewise sacked, and captured the Spanish galley "Bribona" off the coast of Calelh, a fishing village in the area. He later landed his troops atEmpúries (Ampurias) andCadaqués , capturing and sacking both cities, before sailing toAlgiers . He was spotted sailing together with Barbarossa in the spring of 1544.Operations in Sicily, Malta and the West Mediterranean
In mid June 1548 Salih Reis appeared at Capo Passero in
Sicily with a force of 18 ships, before appearing atGozo inMalta with 12 ships - having sent 6 of his ships to Algiers where they would join Turgut Reis, upon the order that he received from Hüseyin Çelebi.In the Autumn of 1550
Andrea Doria contacted Salih Reis and attempted to convince him for serving Spain instead of the Ottoman Empire, but failed.Conquest of Tripoli (Libya) and subsequent promotion to the rank of Bahriye Beylerbeyi of Algiers
In June-August 1551, Salih Reis joined the fleet of Sinan Pasha and
Turgut Reis , and played an important role in the conquest ofTripoli (Libya), which had been a possession of theKnights of St. John since 1530, when it was given to them by Charles V ofSpain . He bombarded the fortress of the Knights from a distance of approximately 150 steps, eventually forcing Gaspare de Villers, their commander, to surrender. Salih Reis returned to Istanbul, where, due to his success in the conquest of Tripoli, he was promoted to the rank of "Bahriye Beylerbeyi" (Admiral) of the Ottoman West Mediterranean Fleet and was appointed as theBeylerbey i (the Ottoman equivalent ofGrand Duke ) ofAlgiers in 1551.In April 1552 he reached Algiers, and later set sail towards
Sicily , where he captured a Maltese ship. In the summer of 1552, he joined the forces of Turgut Reis who landed at the Gulf ofNaples , and together with him later assaulted the coasts ofLazio andTuscany . From there Salih Reis sailed toMarseille , before capturing and sacking the Island ofMajorca (Mallorca).Marching overland to the Sahara Desert (1552)
From Majorca he sailed back to Algiers, where he prepared his troops to march overland to the Sahara Desert and expand the Ottoman
Vilayet (Province) ofAlgeria inwards. The troops advanced south and captured the city ofTouggourt , built around anoasis in southern Algeria. From there the Turks marched towardsOuargla , finding a ghost city whose inhabitants fled upon hearing their arrival.Conquest of Morocco and the extension of Ottoman territory into the Atlantic Ocean (1553)
In 1553 Salih Reis heard the news that the ruler of
Morocco made initiatives to arrange an alliance withSpain against the Turks, and leading his troops westwards, he pre-emptively struck and captured Morocco, including its Atlantic coastline beyond theStrait of Gibraltar . This conquest marked the extension of theOttoman Empire into theAtlantic Ocean .Return to Algeria
In 1555 the French Navy, then allied with the
Ottoman Empire ofSuleiman the Magnificent , sent a detachment toAlgiers for asking the assistance of Salih Reis against the Spaniards. Salih Reis accepted the request and conceded 22 of his galleys, carrying Turkish soldiers and cannons, to the service of the French fleet. Later, with his remaining force of 40,000 men, he laid siege to Bougie. After 14 days of continuous artillery bombardment, he destroyed the two main defenses of the city walls: the Fortress of Vergelette which controlled the entrance of the port, and the Spanish castle which stood right in front of the city walls. The Spanish Governor of Bougie, Alfonso di Peralta, decided to make peace with Salih Reis instead of continuing to defend the city until the bitter end. According to the pact, the Turks allowed all the surviving Spanish inhabitants of Bougie to safely return back to Spain with their belongings, and the Spanish forces to take away their cannons and weapons. However, even though the Governor, Alfonso di Peralta, could sail safely to Valencia, together with 20 of his high ranking officials, on a French ship, some of the Spanish civilians (around 400 men, 120 women and 100 children) were captured and enslaved by the corsairs operating in the area. Alfonso di Peralta was arrested as soon as he entered the port of Valencia and Charles V ordered his execution for treason, which took place in a public square ofValladolid .Later that year, Salih Reis conquered
Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera from the Spaniards, before sailing toIstanbul where he was received by the Sultan.Sieges of Oran, 1556 and 1563
In 1556 he left Istanbul and set sail towards the Spanish stronghold of
Oran in Algeria, which he assaulted with a force of 30 galleys. He destroyed the Spanish forts defending the entrance of the port, but could not capture the city itself due to the fierce resistance by the local population as well as the Spanish army garrison. He then retreated his fleet to Algiers.In April 1563, commanding a force of 10,000 soldiers, he once again laid siege to Oran and
Mers-el-Kébir , this time also with the assistance ofTurgut Reis who supported him with a force of 20 ships and 20 pieces of siege artillery. Oran once again defended itself to the bitter end, until it was saved by a large Spanish force which arrived in June, but the Turks bombarded and destroyed the Fortress of Mers-el-Kébir.Siege of Malta, 1565
In August 1565 Salih Reis took part in the Turkish Siege of Malta and commanded a force of 15,000 soldiers which attacked
Fort Saint Michael . Towards the end of August he managed to set up a powerful mine which breached the walls of Castiglia, and attacked the bastion with 4,000 men. In the meantime,Lala Kara Mustafa Pasha commanded the main attack against Fort Saint Michael, until he was almost killed by a cannon fire which severely wounded him. Salih Reis then took his place and placed his troops around the ruins of the Bastion of Castiglia. The Turks managed to captureFort Saint Elmo on the main island, but at the cost of too many casualties, including the famousTurgut Reis who was 80 years old when he died in Malta, shortly before the capture of Fort Saint Elmo. The siege was eventually lifted when a large Christian fleet that was assembled to support the Maltese Knights reached the island.Death in Algiers, 1568
The Siege of Malta was also the final mission of Salih Reis, who was around 77 years old at that time. He died in
Algiers 3 years later, in 1568, close to the age of 80, just like his life-long friendTurgut Reis .Interestingly,
Turgutlu andSalihli are two neighbouring town centers within the Province ofManisa in the Aegean Region ofTurkey .Legacy
Salih Reis was from the generation of great Turkish seamen in the 16th century such as
Kemal Reis , Oruç Reis, Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha,Turgut Reis ,Kurtoğlu Muslihiddin Reis ,Piri Reis ,Piyale Pasha , Murat Reis andSeydi Ali Reis .He played an important role in the Battle of Preveza (1538) which secured the Turkish domination of the Mediterranean during his lifetime, until the
Battle of Lepanto (1571) which took place 3 years after his death.He vastly enlarged the Ottoman territories in northwestern Africa and extended them to the coasts of the
Atlantic Ocean .Several warships of the
Turkish Navy have been named after Salih Reis.See also
*
Turkish Navy
*History of the Turkish Navy References and sources
* E. Hamilton Currey, "Sea-Wolves of the Mediterranean", London, 1910
* Bono, Salvatore: "Corsari nel Mediterraneo" ("Corsairs in the Mediterranean"), Oscar Storia Mondadori. Perugia, 1993.
* [http://www.corsaridelmediterraneo.it/indice/a.htm Corsari nel Mediterraneo: Condottieri di ventura. Online database in Italian, based on Salvatore Bono's book.]
* Bradford, Ernle, "The Sultan's Admiral: The life of Barbarossa", London, 1968.
* Wolf, John B., "The Barbary Coast: Algeria under the Turks", New York, 1979; ISBN 0-393-01205-0
* [http://www.theottomans.org/english/chronology/index.asp# The Ottomans: Comprehensive and detailed online chronology of Ottoman history in English.]
* [http://www.dzkk.tsk.mil.tr/TURKCE/tarihiMiras.asp?strAnaFrame=TarihiMiras&strIFrame=INDEX Turkish Navy official website: Historic heritage of the Turkish Navy (in Turkish)]
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