Everything about Salih Reis totally explained
Salih Reis (1488 ca. - 1568) was a
Turkish privateer and
Ottoman admiral.
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 of
Andrea Doria.
In
1551, due to his success in the conquest of
Tripoli (Libya) together with
Turgut Reis and
Sinan Pasha, he was promoted to the rank of
Pasha and became the
Beylerbeyi (Ottoman equivalent of
Grand Duke) of
Algiers and the
Bahriye Beylerbeyi (Admiral) of the Ottoman West Mediterranean Fleet.
In
1553 he conquered
Morocco and extended Ottoman territory into the
Atlantic Ocean, far beyond the
Strait 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 and
Edremit, near Kaz Dağı (
Mount Ida) to the south of ancient
Troy, on the
Aegean coast of
Turkey, 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 the
Barbary Coast. He gained experience in seamanship as a crew member of the
Barbarossa 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 and
Turgut Reis, and later that year assaulted
Bône, which was under Spanish control.
Career in the Ottoman Navy
In
1529, commanding a force of 14
galliots, 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 of
Formentera, 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 to
Istanbul, who set sail in August
1532, Salih Reis took part in Barbarossa's fleet. Having raided
Sardinia,
Bonifacio in
Corsica, the Islands of
Montecristo,
Elba and
Lampedusa, they captured 18 galleys near
Messina and learned from the captured prisoners that
Andrea Doria, the
Genoese admiral in service of
Charles V, was on his way to
Preveza. Barbarossa proceeded to raid the nearby coasts of
Calabria 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 at
Topkapı 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 the
Mediterranean 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 of
Sarno, whose fortress was near the city walls of
La 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 to
Istanbul to take command of the Ottoman naval attack on the Habsburg
Kingdom of Naples. In July
1537 the Turks landed at
Otranto and captured the city, as well as the Fortress of Castro and the city of
Ugento in
Puglia.
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, namely
Syros,
Aegina,
Ios,
Paros,
Tinos,
Karpathos,
Kasos and
Naxos. In the same year Barbarossa captured
Corfu from Venice and once again raided
Calabria. These losses caused Venice to ask
Pope 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 of
Charles 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 of
Andrea 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 of
Skiathos,
Skyros,
Andros and
Serifos 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 Sultan
Suleiman 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 of
Genoa 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 the
Costa Brava in
Catalonia,
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 of
L'Estartit, before proceeding to
Palafrugell and
Palamós, 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 at
Empúries (Ampurias) and
Cadaqués, capturing and sacking both cities, before sailing to
Algiers. 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 at
Gozo in
Malta with 12 ships - having sent 6 of his ships to Algiers where they'd 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 of
Tripoli (Libya), which had been a possession of the
Knights of St. John since 1530, when it was given to them by
Charles V of
Spain. 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 the
Beylerbeyi (the Ottoman equivalent of
Grand Duke) of
Algiers 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 of
Naples, and together with him later assaulted the coasts of
Lazio and
Tuscany. From there Salih Reis sailed to
Marseille, before capturing and sacking the Island of
Majorca (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) of
Algeria inwards. The troops advanced south and captured the city of
Touggourt, built around an
oasis in southern Algeria. From there the Turks marched towards
Ouargla, 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 with
Spain against the Turks, and leading his troops westwards, he pre-emptively struck and captured Morocco, including its Atlantic coastline beyond the
Strait of Gibraltar. This conquest marked the extension of the
Ottoman Empire into the
Atlantic Ocean.
Return to Algeria
In
1555 the French Navy, then allied with the
Ottoman Empire of
Suleiman the Magnificent, sent a detachment to
Algiers 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 of
Valladolid.
Later that year, Salih Reis conquered
Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera from the Spaniards, before sailing to
Istanbul 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 couldn't 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 of
Turgut 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 capture
Fort Saint Elmo on the main island, but at the cost of too many casualties, including the famous
Turgut 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 friend
Turgut Reis.
Interestingly,
Turgutlu and
Salihli are two neighbouring town centers within the Province of
Manisa in the
Aegean Region of
Turkey.
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 and
Seydi 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.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Salih Reis'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://salih_reis.totallyexplained.com">Salih Reis Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
