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Murat Reis the Elder | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1534 (1534) |
| Died | 1609 (aged 74–75) |
| Allegiance |  Ottoman Empire |
| Branch | Ottoman Navy |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Battles / wars | Battle of Preveza Ottoman conquest of Cyprus Battle of the Strait of Hormuz (1553) Sack of Lanzarote (1586) Action of 17 June 1595 Battle of Paphos † |
Murat Reis the Elder (Turkish:Koca Murat Reis;Albanian:Murat Reis Plakuc. 1534 – 1609) was anOttomanprivateer andadmiral, who served in theOttoman Navy. He is regarded as one of the most importantBarbary corsairs.[1]
Born into anAlbanian family onRhodes in 1534 he began his career when he joined the crew ofDragut at a very young age.[2][3][4] He also fought alongsidePiri Reis in several expeditions. In 1534 Murat Reis accompaniedHayreddin Barbarossa toConstantinople where they were received bySuleiman 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 theGolden Horn.
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 ofAndrea Doria from landing atPreveza, 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 theBattle 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 theIndian Ocean fleet.
In 1570 Murat Reis, in command of a fleet of 25 galleys, was assigned with the task of clearing the area betweenCrete,Rhodes andCyprus for the build-up of the naval siege and eventualconquest of Cyprus. He was also assigned with the task of blocking theVenetian 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 ofFamagusta, the final Venetian stronghold on the island.
In 1586 he led the first expedition of the Barbary corsairs in the Atlantic Ocean and captured several of theCanary Islands. During the attacks, among others he captured the Spanish governor ofLanzarote, who was later ransomed and released.
Murat Reis was later assigned with the task of controlling the lucrative trade routes betweenEgypt andAnatolia which were often raided by the Venetians, the French and theMaltese Knights. In 1609, he heard of the presence of a joint French-Maltese fleet of ten galleys, including the famousGaleona Rossa, a largegalleon armed with 90 cannons which was known among the Ottomans as theRed 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 theRed 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 ofVlorë, during which he died.[1] Per his own wishes he was buried in Rhodes, in the cemetery of theMurat Reis Mosque, which was named in his honour.[5][6]
Several submarines of theTurkish Navy have been named after Murat Reis (seeOruç Reis-class submarine). One of the municipalities that form the City ofAlgiers, which was once the regional capital of theOttomanEyalet ofAlgeria (1517–1830), is namedBir Mourad Raïs (Murat Reis'well) in his honor.
Under the name 'Morato Arráez, he is mentioned in several literary works of theSpanish Golden Age, for example byMiguel de Cervantes andLope de Vega.[7]
