Murat Reis the Elder

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Murat Reis the Elder
Born1534 (1534)
Died1609 (aged 74–75)
Allegiance 
Ottoman conquest of Cyprus
Battle of the Strait of Hormuz (1553)

Murat Reis the Elder (

Barbary corsairs.[1]

Early career

Born into an Albanian family on Rhodes in 1534 he began his career when he joined the crew of Dragut at a very young age.[2][3][4] He also fought alongside Piri Reis in several expeditions. In 1534 Murat Reis accompanied Hayreddin Barbarossa to Constantinople where they were received by Suleiman I and appointed to take command of the Ottoman fleet. While in Constantinople, Murat Reis participated in the construction of new warships at the naval arsenal on the Golden Horn.

Battle of Preveza

Turgut Reis at the naval Battle of Preveza
in 1538

Murat Reis took part in all of the early naval campaigns of Turgut Reis. On September 25 and 26, 1538, he was assigned with the task of preventing the ships of the Holy League under the command of Andrea Doria from landing at Preveza, and he successfully repulsed them from the shoreline. On September 28, he took part in the main combat and played an important role in the Ottoman victory at the Battle of Preveza, where he fought along with Turgut Reis in the center-rear wing of the Ottoman fleet which had a Y-shaped battle configuration. He continued to accompany Turgut Reis until being assigned as the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Ocean fleet.

Siege and conquest of Cyprus

In 1570 Murat Reis, in command of a fleet of 25 galleys, was assigned with the task of clearing the area between Crete, Rhodes and Cyprus for the build-up of the naval siege and eventual conquest of Cyprus. He was also assigned with the task of blocking the Venetian ships based in Crete from sailing to Cyprus and assisting the Venetian forces in that island. He continued to undertake this task until the eventual surrender of Famagusta, the final Venetian stronghold on the island.

Canary Islands

In 1585 he led the first expedition of the Barbary corsairs in the Atlantic Ocean and captured several of the Canary Islands. During the attacks, among others he captured the Spanish governor of Lanzarote, who was later ransomed and released.

Mediterranean campaigns

Murat Reis was later assigned with the task of controlling the lucrative trade routes between

Maltese Knights. In 1609, he heard of the presence of a joint French-Maltese fleet of ten galleys, including the famous Galeona Rossa, a large galleon armed with 90 cannons which was known among the Ottomans as the Red Inferno, under the command of a knight named Fresine, off the island of Cyprus, and sailed there to engage them. After successfully striking the enemy ships with cannons from both long distance and close range, he severely damaged the Red Inferno and captured the ship. Six out of the ten French-Maltese galleys were captured, along with the 500 soldiers aboard, and the total of 160 cannons and 2000 muskets which they carried. During the battle Murat Reis was seriously injured. In 1609 he took part in the siege of Vlorë, during which he died.[1] Per his own wishes he was buried in Rhodes, in the cemetery of the Murat Reis Mosque, which was named in his honour.[5][6]

Legacy

Several submarines of the

well
) in his honor.

Under the name 'Morato Arráez, he is mentioned in several literary works of the Spanish Golden Age, for example by Miguel de Cervantes and Lope de Vega.[7]

See also

References and sources

  1. ^
    ISBN 978-1-84603-240-0
    .
  2. ISBN 1-57027-158-5
    .
  3. ISBN 9781585745166
    .
  4. ISBN 9780752488271
    .
  5. ISBN 9786055257149
    .
  6. ISBN 978-9757307693
    .
  7. ^ Muhaj, Ardian (26–29 September 2013). "Ottoman Corsairs in The Atlantic During the 16th Century: Murat Rais, The Albanian and The First Ottoman Expedition to The Canary Islands". Uluslararasi Piri Reis Ve Türk Denizcilik Tarihi Sempozyumu. Istanbul: 261–269.
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