Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha: The Legendary Ottoman Admiral

Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha, (1467-1546), initially a trader and later a pirate, dominated the Mediterranean and captured Algeria from European powers. Fearing joint attacks from the Spanish and Arabs, he sent an envoy to Sultan Selim, expressing willingness to submit his territories to Ottoman rule and swear allegiance. Yavuz Sultan Selim accepted this proposal and appointed him as the Beylerbey of Algeria.

Thriving in the blue waters, he clashed with French, Spanish, Genoese, and Venetian sailors. Due to his achievements, he was appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of the Ottoman navy by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. Initially known as "Redbeard" by the Italians, possibly due to his appearance, this distinguished seafarer made history by transitioning from piracy to leading the navy.

Barbarossa, originally named Hızır, ventured into the azure seas as Hızır Reis. In 1533, Sultan Suleiman bestowed upon him the name "Hayreddin". Born in 1467 in the island of Lesbos to a sipahi from Gallipoli, he and his brother Oruç Reis turned to the sea at a young age. While trading, they fell captive to the Knights of Rhodes in the Aegean Sea. During their captivity, his brother İlyas Reis passed away. After their release, the two brothers, Oruç and Hayreddin, decided to become pirates, using the island of Jerba as their base for expeditions along the Mediterranean coasts. Their reputation as pirates spread rapidly throughout the entire Mediterranean.

The Barbarossa brothers expanded their influence, eventually gaining control over all of Algeria in the north of the Mediterranean. Oruç Reis was declared the ruler of Algeria. However, in a war where the Spanish, with the support of the Arabs, attacked Algeria, İshak and Oruç lost their lives. Devastated by the loss of his brothers, Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha sought help from the Ottoman court. Subsequently, Sultan Yavuz Sultan Selim appointed him as the Beylerbey of Algeria, ensuring his protection.

Although Algeria was now considered Ottoman territory, Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha ultimately lost control of it. Despite the loss, he retained his power and withdrew to the Seychelles islands. After a while, Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha recaptured Algeria in 1530, and a year later, he fought against the renowned Genoese admiral Andrea Doria in Jijel. Meanwhile, Sultan Suleiman ascended the Ottoman throne. Sultan Suleiman was disturbed when Andrea Doria launched an attack on the coasts of Morea, prompting him to summon Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha to Istanbul.

In 1533, in the Topkapi Palace, Sultan Suleiman announced that he had appointed Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha as the Commander-in-Chief of the Ottoman navy and bestowed upon him the name "Hayreddin". Leading the Ottoman navy as the Kaptan-ı Derya, Barbarossa embarked on expeditions to the coasts of Italy in 1534, seizing control of Tunis. Due to the increased control of the Ottomans over the Mediterranean, Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha withdrew from Tunis and returned to Istanbul, where he was faced with a more powerful navy led by Andrea Doria. In 1536, he set sail again with a stronger fleet and annexed the Venetian islands in the Aegean Sea to Ottoman territory. Perturbed by this expansion, the Pope took action, initiating the Crusades. This led to a war against the Ottoman Preveza Fortress, where a formidable Christian fleet composed of Spanish, Venetian, Maltese, Portuguese, and Genoese ships, commanded by Andrea Doria, besieged the fortress.

In the battle known as the Battle of Preveza, Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha positioned his ship in the center, forming the crescent formation for the Ottoman navy. Initially, the weather favored the Christians, and they had the advantage in terms of ships, troops, and weaponry. However, according to Barbarossa's own account, when he cast verses onto the sea during the battle, the wind shifted in favor of the Ottoman navy. Thanks to the skilled seamen like Barbarossa and Turgut Reis, the Christian fleet lost 128 ships, and 29 ships fell into the hands of the Ottoman sailors by the end of the battle. While Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha did not lose a single ship, around 400 sailors were martyred. Also known as "Red Beard," the Admiral Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha, on September 27, 1538, etched the Battle of Preveza into history as a victory, strengthening Ottoman dominance in the Mediterranean by defeating the two other major powers, Venice and Spain.

Although the Crusaders lost at sea, they did not abandon their ambitions at the negotiating table. The Holy Roman Emperor Charles V even attempted to bribe Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha. According to the proposed terms, Barbarossa would be recognized as the ruler of North African territories, and tribute would be paid to him. Barbarossa's refusal to betray his cause led to armed conflict. In 1544, with a force of 516 ships and 36,000 warriors under the command of Andrea Doria, they approached the shores of Algeria, seeking revenge for the earlier defeat at Preveza. Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha, with his army of 9,000, once again dealt a resounding defeat to the Christian fleet. Among the defeated was the renowned Spanish seaman and explorer Hernán Cortés.

When the King of France, Francis I, sought aid from the Ottomans, Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha entered the port of Marseille with 30,000 soldiers. There, he clashed once again with Andrea Doria, forcing the Spanish to negotiate with the French and capturing Nice (1543). In his final two years, Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha stayed away from the sea and passed away on the night of July 4, 1546, in his mansion in Beşiktaş.

He conducted numerous expeditions to Andalusia, rescuing thousands of Muslim men, women, and children from Spanish fire and sword, bringing them to North Africa. According to his own account, he had the minarets of the mosques in Algiers, which were in the hands of the Spanish, targeted by artillery, eventually leading to them being dismantled and thrown into the sea. When Vizieriazam and son-in-law İbrahim Pasha expressed interest in exploring the newly discovered New World, namely America, they were met with the response that venturing into distant seas was not their concern.

The account of his life, narrated in "Gazavat-ı Hayrettin Pasha" and written by him for Seyyid Muradi, is considered the first autobiographical attempt in Ottoman and Turkish literature.

The Spanish football team, Deportivo la Coruna, is nicknamed the Turks in Spain. The team's supporters often wave the Turkish flag during matches. This is because the residents of the Galician region of Spain, to which the team belongs, are believed to have supported Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha in his battle against the Spanish. As a result, those living in the city of Vigo are often referred to as "Turks" due to their historical connection to Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha. This rivalry continues to this day, especially during matches between Celta Vigo and La Coruna.