July 20, 2025 • 40 mins
The narrative of Barbarossa, a figure synonymous with naval supremacy in the 16th-century Mediterranean, unfolds as one of both ruthless ambition and strategic brilliance. Born Hizar in the Ottoman Empire, he rose to infamy as a feared pirate and privateer, ultimately becoming the Grand Admiral of the Ottoman Navy. His exploits, characterized by brutal raids and the enslavement of countless individuals, left a profound impact on the socio-economic landscape of coastal Europe. While European chronicles cast him as a villain, the Ottoman perspective revered him as a national hero, a defender of the faith, and an architect of imperial power. As we delve into the complexities of his legacy, we examine how Barbarossa’s actions exemplify the intricate interplay of heroism and villainy within the turbulent tapestry of history.
Listen now to uncover the truth! 🎧💡
Hosts: Michael and Alana are professional historians with a passion for bringing the most captivating and often overlooked criminal events of the past to light. ✨
Connect with Us:
Follow "History's Greatest Crimes" on social media for behind-the-scenes content, historical facts, and updates on future episodes! 👇
- X (formerly Twitter): @podcasthgc
- Facebook: History's Greatest Crimes Facebook 👍
- Instagram: @historys_greatest_crimes📸
Support History's Greatest Crimes:
Love the show and want to dig deeper into history's most infamous crimes? Consider supporting us by subscribing to one of our tiers: 🙏❤️
Detective Tier: Get exclusive access to:
- History’s Greatest Crimes Discord Channel
- Early access to new episodes several days in advance👂🔓
- Shout-outs on the podcast
Special Agent Tier: Unlock all Detective Tier benefits PLUS:
- Special BONUS Episodes⭐
Subscribe here: 👉 https://historys-greatest-crimes.captivate.fm/support
Takeaways:
- Barbarossa, originally named Hizar, emerged as a formidable figure in the 16th-century Mediterranean, transforming his humble beginnings into a legendary career.
- His life exemplified a complex duality, perceived as both a ruthless pirate by Christian Europe and a revered hero within the Ottoman Empire.
- The Barbary Corsairs, under Barbarossa's command, conducted extensive raids that resulted in the enslavement of hundreds of thousands, significantly impacting coastal European societies.
- Barbarossa's strategic alliances and naval innovations established Ottoman supremacy in the Mediterranean, reshaping the balance of power during a turbulent historical period.
- The contrast between European and Ottoman narratives of Barbarossa illustrates the polarized perceptions and biases of the era, complicating our understanding of his legacy.
- Ultimately, Barbarossa's story exemplifies the intricate interplay between piracy, state power, and the brutal realities of 16th-century imperial ambitions.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:19):
16Th century Mediterranean.
A battleground of empires, ahighway for unimaginable wealth and
and a hunting ground for the ruthless.
From the sun drenched Greekislands of the Aegean to the fortified
posts of North Africa, onename, one red bearded visage struck
terror into the hearts ofChristian Europe.
(00:41):
He was born with the nameHizar in the late 1400s in the Ottoman
Empire.
And being an excellent seaman,he eventually became Kapudin Pasha,
Grand Admiral of the Ottoman Navy.
But history would remember himmost by the name his enemies whis
in fear, Barbarossa, which wasItalian for Redbeard.
(01:03):
As you've probably alreadyimagined correctly, Barbarossa was
a fierce man with verynoticeable red hair.
But more importantly, over thecourse of time, Barbarossa was a
pirate, a privateer, a sultanand even a grand admiral at one point.
His life was a saga of brutalraids, cunning strategy and the forging
(01:25):
of a naval power that woulddominate the seas.
I'm Michael.
And I'm Elena.
And today on History'sgreatest Crimes, we're discussing
the man who Europeanchronicles painted as the scourge
of the Mediterranean.
A man whose fleets left trailsof devastation.
Historians describe him aspossessing a restless and enterprising
(01:47):
spirit combined with valor andambition, but also driven by a hatred
of Christianity.
This was Barbarossa.
That's right, Michael.
Throughout the 1500s, his veryname, Barbarossa, became synonymous
with the terror of the Barbary Corsairs.
The term corsair comes fromthe French word for pirate or privateer
(02:12):
and it referred generally toMediterranean pirates who attacked
with or without state sanction.
But more specifically, theBarbary Corsairs referred to North
Africa, mostly Muslim piratesand privateers who raided coastal
settlements in search ofpeople to enslave and sell.
In total, it is believed thatover the course of the 16th and 17th
(02:36):
centuries, Barbary Corsairscaptured over 850,000 people from
Italy, France, Spain,Portugal, the British Isles, even
as far as as Iceland.
Those captured were then oftensold as slaves in North Africa and
the Ottoman Empire, which atthat time stretched all the way from
(02:57):
the Balkans of Eastern Europe,through Greece and Turkey, down through
the Holy Land and into presentday Saudi Arabia and Iraq.
Like the golden age of piratesin the Caribbean, the Barbary Corsairs
were brutal and unflinching intheir ambitions to enrich themselves.
And like those same pirates inthe Caribbean, the Barbary Corsairs
(03:20):
often crossed over from legalprivateering for the state to illegal
piracy and back again,depending on what circumstances were
happening at the moment.
And yet to the Ottoman Empire.
Barbarossa was a hero.
He was nicknamed lion of theMediterranean, and hey Reddin, which
(03:41):
translated from Arabic at thetime meant best of the faith, came
to be one of his most famous Nickn.
His victories reshaped thebalance of power in Europe and the
Middle East.
His strategies redefined navalwarfare, and his alliance with sultans
like Suleiman the Magnificentprojected Ottoman might across the
(04:02):
waves.
Barbarossa and the otherBarbary corsairs that followed weren't
just pirates, though.
They were empire builders of agrand and terrifying scale.
The sheer scale ofBarbarossa's operations, the thousands
captured in slave raids, andthe economic devastation inflicted
on coastal Europe mark hisreign as a period of profound criminality
(04:27):
from one perspective andheroic expansion from the other.
Stay with us as we discuss thebloody rise of Barbarossa, the pirate
king who held theMediterranean and his fearsome grip
for decades in the 16th century.
(05:04):
Barbarossa's story begins notas a feared corsair, but as a boy
named Hizar.
Born on the Greek island ofLesbos Sometime during the 1460s
or 1470s, his father was anOttoman cavalryman of Turkish or
Albanian origin who hadparticipated in the Ottoman conquest
of Lesbos and other Greekislands from the Genoese in 1462.
(05:29):
At that point in the late1400s, the Ottoman Empire was nearing
its apex, including much ofthe present day Middle east, southeastern
Europe and North Africa.
So being on the island ofLesbos pretty much in the center
of all of that could be reallygood for business.
Most Ottomans were SunniMuslim, although many conquered peoples
(05:51):
were allowed to continue theirown religious traditions in private.
It was a diverse island at thecenter of a number of important Christian
and Muslim trade routes.
A great place to start a business.
In the mid-1400s, his fatherwas rewarded for his loyalty to the
Ottoman Empire with a fief ora piece of land on the island of
(06:11):
Lesbos.
There he settled down, becamea potter, and even owned a boat to
trade his wares.
He married a woman namedCaterina, a local Greek Orthodox
Christian, possibly the widowof a priest.
This mixed Muslim, Christian,Ottoman Greek heritage is fascinating,
placing him and his siblingsat a cultural crossroads in a strategically
(06:34):
vital and often contested partof the Aegean Sea in the Mediterranean.
Hiser had three brothers,Ishak, Arush and Elias, and all of
the brothers, including Hizar,were drawn to the sea.
Initially involved in maritimetrade, as we'll.
See, the four brothers wouldeventually transition from being
(06:56):
Mediterranean traders topirates, or corsairs, as they were
known then at the time.
But theirs wasn't a suddenleap into lawlessness.
It actually began in responseto the threat of the Knights Hospitaller
of St. John.
Based on the island of Rhodes,who frequently attacked Ottoman shipping,
the Knights Hospitaller.
(07:17):
Were connected to the medievalhistory of the Crusades, during which
western Europeans mademultiple attempts to retake the Holy
Land from Muslim rulers.
The Knights Hospitaller were amilitary order dedicated to helping
the sick and the poor whilealso defending Christians in the
hol.
But after Jerusalem was lostto Crusaders in 1187, the Knights
(07:39):
Hospitaller were driven out ofthe area to the island of Rhodes,
where they remained for centuries.
To put things into bettergeographical perspective, the island
of Rhodes is located in theAegean Sea, just off the southwestern
coast of present day Turkey.
And as mentioned, hisr thefuture pirate Barbarossa was living
a bit further north on adifferent island in the same coast.
(08:03):
So while his OR is growing up,his family maintained a healthy trading
business.
But it was always at risk ofattack from the Knights Hospitaller.
By this time in the late1400s, the Knights Hospitaller on
the island of Rhodes hadshifted their focus to privateering
for Christian Europe.
Specifically, they oftenattacked Ottoman merchant ships like
(08:24):
that owned by his OR and his family.
As young adults, Hizar'seldest brothers, Arush and Elias,
expanded their father'strading business.
They now operated primarily inthe Levant between Turkey, Syria
and Egypt, and they spent mostof their days aboard ships.
The brothers also supposedlylearned to speak a series of languages,
(08:45):
including Italian, Spanish,French and Greek, along with Arabic,
which I'm sure was great for business.
Absolutely, Michael.
We have to remember that theMediterranean in the late 1400s was
actually pretty diverse,including multiple kingdoms and empires
and multiple religious groupswho all had their own cultures.
So all looked very optimistic.
(09:07):
For his family, their tradingbusiness was booming.
But then in the 1480s, whileLaRouge and Elias were returning
from a trading expedition inTripoli, Lebanon, the brothers ship
was attacked by the Knights Hospitaller.
Elias was killed and Arush was captured.
Arush then spent the next fouryears rowing as a galley slave for
(09:28):
the Knights Hospitaller, atwhich point his father was able to
pay the ransom to get him release.
Imagine the impact of that, Elena.
If Aarush and the family hatedthe Knights Hospitaller before, they
certainly did now.
Upon his release, Aarouche'scareer shifted decisively towards
organized privateering.
(09:49):
It seems that he now onlydesired a career that would allow
him to get revenge for whathappened to him and his brother.
According to the records,Arush received ships from an Ottoman
prince specifically to combatthe Knights Hospitaller.
And when he was successful atthat, the same Ottoman prince ordered
Arush to participate in theOttoman naval expedition to the southern
(10:13):
eastern region of of Apulia in Italy.
There, in Italy, Arushbombarded several coastal castles
and captured two ships.
And on the way back home tohis island, his home island of Lesbos,
he captured three more galleons.
Clearly, Arush was pretty goodat privateering for the Ottoman Empire.
And Arush's success made himindispensable to other Muslim rulers
(10:36):
as well, including theEgyptian Sultan, who gave him another
ship and entrusted him withthe task of raiding the coasts of
Italy and the islands of theMediterranean that were under Christian
rule.
In 1503, Hisser joined Arushin the privateering business, marking
the true start of theirlegendary partnership.
And they were shrewd operators.
(10:58):
In 1504, the brotherscontacted the Sultan of Tunis and
asked permission to use thestrategically located seaport of
La Goulette for their operations.
The Sultan granted them theright to do so on the condition that
the brothers gave him onethird of their spoils.
This was a classic Ottomancorsair arrangement.
(11:20):
The privateers would gain asecure base and the local ruler would
get a share of their profits.
Their reputations grew witheach daring capture.
Within a year, the brothershad captured two large galleys that
belonged to the Pope, as wellas a Sicilian warship called the
Cavalleria, which wastransporting hundreds of Spanish
(11:40):
soldiers and knights to Naples.
These knights were of course,ransomed for a nice price.
And in 1505, Arush and Hiserraided the southern Italian coast
of Calabria.
These exploits increased thebrothers fame and notoriety, as well
as their fortune.
And not wanting to miss out onthe fame and fortune, it was also
(12:02):
at this time that the thirdsurviving brother, Ishak, also joined
the family privateeringbusiness off the coast of Tunis.
But what's really interestingis that the brothers did something
that elevated them beyond mere Raiders.
Between 1504 and 1510, theytransported thousands of Muslim refugees,
Moriscos and Jews who werefleeing persecution in Christian
(12:27):
Spain to Muslim North Africa.
Just to provide some contexthere, this was when Queen Isabella
and King Ferdinand of Spaincarried out large scale expulsions
of Jews and Muslims whorefused to convert to Roman Catholicism.
Just months before ChristopherColumbus landed in the new world
in 1492 and claimed it forSpain, the king and queen issued
(12:49):
the Alhambra Decree.
That decree demanded theimmediate conversion of all Jews
and Muslims who wished toremain in the kingdom.
And as a result, over the nextcouple of decades, multiple waves
of expulsions forced thousandsfrom their homes and across the Mediterranean
Sea to other more welcomingkingdoms, one of which was the Ottoman
(13:10):
Empire.
The expulsions were anextremely risky time for Muslims
and Jews leaving Spain.
Those who chose to leaverather than convert were not permitted
to take their wealth with them.
It had to stay in Spain, ofcourse, and therefore belong to the
Spanish king and queen.
Being penniless made itdifficult to hire safe passage, as
one could imagine.
(13:31):
And making matters worse, arumor began circulating that those
leaving had swallowed theirjewels and other wealth, order to
take it out of the kingdomwith them.
As a result, there were quitea few incidents of Jewish and Muslim
passengers being gutted andthrown overboard by greedy sailors
in search of treasure.
Into this chaos sailed thethree brothers, Arush, Hizur and
(13:54):
Ishak.
They used their ships to helptransport people from Spain to the
Ottoman Empire.
This particular act cast themas protectors and warriors for the
faith, generating immensegoodwill for them in North Africa
and throughout the Ottoman Empire.
It was actually during thisact of rescue that the brothers earned
the honorific name Baba, or father.
(14:16):
This nickname of Baba wascombined with the Italian for red
beard, a reference to thebrothers striking red beards.
And ultimately, it producedthe famous name of Barbarossa that
remained attached to themwherever they went.
Over the next few years, thethree Barbarossa brothers seemed
impossible to defeat.
(14:38):
In fact, in 1512, they wereinvited by the exiled Muslim ruler
of Algiers to drive out theSpanish from North Africa.
In the resulting battle, Arushlost his left arm.
He apparently replaced it witha silver prosthetic, earning him
the nickname Silver arm.
And despite losing appendages,the brothers refused to slow down.
(15:00):
In 1512, in the span of lessthan one month, they reportedly captured
a total of 23 ships in theMediterranean before they sailed
back to La Goulette in Tunis.
There, they built themselves agunpowder production facility to
create ammunition for theirnew large fleet of stolen ships.
In 1514, the brothersreportedly sailed with 1,000 Turkish
(15:24):
sailors, who might also havebeen privateers to destroy Spanish
fortresses along thesoutheastern coast of Spain.
In 1515, they continued tocapture a variety of European ships,
galleys and galleons, fromwhich they gained large amounts of
treasure.
The records show thatBarbarossa brothers sent some of
(15:45):
that treasure back to theOttoman sultan, who in return, sent
them two more galley ships andtwo swords encrusted with diamonds.
The next year, in 1516, theBarbarossa brothers actually managed
to capture the entire NorthAfrican region of Algiers for themselves.
Its location on theMediterranean meant that it could
(16:06):
act as a springboard for raidsagainst Christian shipping lanes,
especially those connectingSpain to its Italian territories.
At that point, the eldestbrother Arush declared himself Sultan
of Algiers.
And this is an important eventbecause it marked a shift in the
approach of the Barbarossabrothers from sea based raiding to
(16:28):
territorial rule.
But Aruges reign in Algierswas short lived.
The Spanish understandablydidn't take kindly to this new Corsair
Sultan on their doorstep.
Geographically, Algiers isjust a skip and a hop across the
Mediterranean from Spain.
So Spanish forces consistentlyattacked the coast of Algiers.
(16:48):
And in just two years later,in 1518, both Arush and Ishak were
killed in battle.
That only left one Barbarossabrother, Hizar.
Hizar recognized that the bestprotection for Algiers against the
Spanish was to join Algiers tothe Ottoman Empire.
He reached out to the OttomanSultan Selim I and offered his allegiance.
(17:13):
In return, the Sultan bestowedon the remaining Barbarossa the honorary
name of Hayreddin, meaning thebest of the faith.
This signaled HayreddinBarbarossa's formal entry into Ottoman
service and marked him as achampion of Islam in the Mediterranean.
(17:50):
In 1518, after his brother'sdeaths, Barbarossa offered Algiers
and his allegiance to theOttoman Sultan.
In return, Algiers became anOttoman sanjak or province.
Barbarossa would remain incharge of the region and the Sultan
provided him with vitalmilitary aid, including cannons and
2000 elite janissaries.
(18:11):
And when Selim's successor,Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent took
the throne in 1520, Barbarossaformed an even better relationship
with him.
Under Suleiman theMagnificent, the Ottoman Empire reached
its zenith of economic,military and political strength.
Suleiman himself was a skilledwarrior and personally led Ottoman
(18:33):
armies into their conquest ofa number of European Christian strongholds.
And by his death in 1566, theOttoman Empire stretched from the
western end of theMediterranean Sea to the Red Sea
and through the Persian Gulfand included at least 25 million
people.
Through his alliance with theSultan, Barbarossa gained access
(18:54):
to royal resources andopportunities for himself and Algiers
that helped him transform theNorth African region into a more
powerful and organized entity.
With the Sultan's support, hebegan developing a significant land
based army showing a visionthat went beyond simple piracy towards
state building.
(19:16):
And while he turned hisattention to land, Barbarossa didn't
completely lose touch with the sea.
Between 1518 and 1520,Barbarossa worked to become the de
facto ruler of all the socalled Barbary pirates in the Mediterranean.
He then placed his formidableCorsair fleet at Suleiman's disposal.
For the Ottomans, theiralliance with Barbarossa was a strategic
(19:40):
masterstroke.
It allowed them to projectnaval power into the western Mediterranean.
His raids stretched across theMediterranean, hitting Spain, Italy
and their islands.
And these weren't just smashand grab operations.
The primary goals ofBarbarossa's fleet were capturing
non Muslims for the slavemarkets or for ransoming and seizing
(20:02):
valuable cargo.
And frankly, the numbers arerather horrifying.
Raids in the Gulf of naplesreportedly yielded 7,800 captives.
10,000 from Sperlonga, 4,000from Ischia, and between 2 and 7,000
from Lipari, all southernItalian towns.
This human traffickinggenerated immense wealth for Algiers
(20:25):
and was a significant drain onChristian Europe.
The economic impact was severe.
Coastal regions in Italy andSpain suffered depopulation as people
fled inland.
European powers were oftenforced to pay tribute to Algiers
for safe passage of theirmerchant ships, further enriching
Barbarossa and the other corsairs.
(20:48):
It was a form of asymmetricalwarfare, tying down Christian resources.
Barbarossa's relentlesssuccess in Algiers and his constant
challenge to the Europeankingdoms didn't go unnoticed by Sultan
Suleiman the Magnificent.
In 1533, he summonedBarbarossa from Algiers to Constantinople,
(21:09):
not Istanbul.
And that was the imperialcapital of the Ottoman Empire.
And this was no mere courtesy call.
Suleiman appointed him KapudinPasha, grand Admiral of the entire
Ottoman navy.
Think about that.
A man who started as a commontradesman and corsair was now at
(21:29):
the helm of an imperial fleet.
Simultaneously, he was namedBalerbe, governor of governors of
North Africa, cementing hisauthority there.
This was a strategicmasterstroke by Suleiman.
The Ottoman Empire,traditionally a land power, was recognizing
the critical importance now ofsea power, entrusting its development
(21:51):
to inexperienced, ifunconventional, a leader like Barbarossa.
And it showed a seriouscommitment to challenging Christian
naval dominance.
It was a meritocratic choice,overlooking established military
figures.
For Barbarossa's proven geniusas Capudampasha, Barbarossa wasn't
just a combat commander.
(22:13):
He was tasked with building alarge and formidable war fleet and
organizing the Ottoman navy.
This included practical thingslike repairing and enhancing the
imperial shipyard in Constantinople.
He's even credited withestablishing naval schools.
And his teachings on navalstrategy reportedly influenced Ottoman
(22:33):
sailors for centuries.
This shows he was a strategicbuilder, not just a brilliant raider.
We have to remember that theMediterranean in the first half of
the 16th century was dominatedby this colossal struggle between
Sultan Suleiman's OttomanEmpire in the south and the vast
Habsburg domains of EmperorCharles V in Spain, Italy and a little
(22:55):
bit beyond.
The naval aspect of thisconflict was personified by the intense
rivalry between their chiefadmirals, Barbarossa for the Ottomans
and the Genoese condottieroAndrea Doria serving Charles.
V. Just as an aside, AndreaDoria had a personal portrait of
(23:15):
himself made by the Italianartist Angelo Bronzino around this
time.
In the portrait, Doria choseto have himself depicted nude as
the God of the sea.
He's portrayed as bearded,with a large trident, while looking
stern and resolute over allthat he surveys.
So that should give you a goodsense of Doria's own confidence in
(23:38):
himself.
Absolutely.
No doubt.
Perhaps he was confident for a reason.
Prior to becoming GrandAdmiral of the Ottoman Navy, Barbarossa
had already clashed multipletimes with Andrea Doria.
Early encounters in 1526 and1531 saw Barbarossa holding his own.
(23:58):
But the stakes were raised in1532 when Doria captured key Ottoman
ports in Greece.
This Christian offensive iswhat prompted the Sultan Suleiman
to summer Barbarossa toConstantinople, not Istanbul, in
1533, and give him overallcommand of the Ottoman navy.
(24:19):
Emperor Charles V knew exactlyhow formidable Barbarossa was.
He actually tried to recruithim not once, but twice, in 1535
and then again in 1540.
Charles V reportedly offeredBarbarossa lordship of North Africa
and the position of admiral inchief of his own fleet if he'd switched
(24:41):
sides.
Barbarosa refused, stayingloyal to Suleiman.
That an emperor would try topoach his most notorious Muslim naval
enemy speaks volumes about therespect and probably fear that Barbarossa
commanded.
Charles V was so determined toneutralize Barbarossa that he personally
led a massive expeditionagainst Algiers in October of 1541.
(25:07):
Despite this huge invasionforce, the campaign was a disaster
for Emperor Charles and the Habsburgs.
A combination of Barbarossa'sdefenses and severe storms wrecked
much of the Christian fleet,forcing Charles V to retreat.
This only burnishedBarbarossa's reputation further.
The fight for key NorthAfrican ports was relentless.
(25:31):
In August of 1534, Barbarossa,leading a fleet of 80 galleys, captured
Tunis.
He ousted the local sultan,who was a Spanish client, and established
Tunis as another powerfulOttoman aligned naval base.
This was a direct threat toHabsburg interests.
Emperor Charles V didn't takethis defeat lying down.
(25:53):
In 1535, he assembled amassive Christian coalition from
all over Europe to take Tunisand oust Barbarossa.
The coalition was reported tohave included over 300 galleys and
24,000 soldiers.
And this time the Christianforces were successful.
The fall of Tunis to theChristian Coalition was followed
(26:14):
by a brutal massacre of anestimated 30,000 Muslim civilians.
It's a grim reminder of thesavagery of warfare in this era,
especially when religiousanimosity was involved.
But Barbarossa was nothing ifhe wasn't resilient.
Recognizing he couldn't win adirect fight against such overwhelming
forces, he had strategicallywithdrawn from Tunis before its fall
(26:38):
and escaping with severalthousand of his core troops.
And almost immediately he wasback at his old tricks, leading a
devastating raid on Spanishisland of Menorca, where He reportedly
took 600 captives.
Even a major victory like therecapture of Tunis couldn't permanently
neutralize a corsair leaderlike Barbarossa.
(26:59):
He could always regroup andstrike elsewhere.
Absolutely.
Although Barbarossa had lostTunis, he remained a massive threat
to Christian Europe's trade,security and strategic interests.
So In February of 1538, PopePaul III assembled a Holy League,
a coalition of the Papalstates, Habsburg Spain, the Republic
(27:22):
of Venice, the Republic ofGenoa and the Knights of Malta.
The fact that these oftenrival Christian powers were united
shows just how seriously theytook the threat of Barbarossa.
And who was put in command ofthis mighty Christian armada?
Well, none other than AndreaDoria, Charles V's veteran Genoese
(27:45):
admiral and Barbarossa's longstanding nemesis.
The Holy League's fleet wasnumerically superior.
Estimates vary, but they hadaround 112 to 157 galleys, plus about
50 galleots and 140 largesailing warships.
Often called barcas or karaks.
(28:06):
They carried an estimated60,000 soldiers and a massive number
of cannons, probably around 2,500.
Against this imposing force,Hayred and Barbarossa commanded a
much smaller Ottoman fleet ofabout 122 galleys and galleots with
around 366 cannons andapproximately 11,000 soldiers.
(28:28):
The fleets met off the coastof northwestern Greece on September
28, 1538.
Barbarossa showed his tacticalbrilliance from the start.
He deployed his fleet in adistinctive Y shaped formation with
himself commanding the centerand experienced captains leading
the wings and rear.
The Ottoman galleys, primarilyor propelled, were more maneuverable
(28:51):
than the larger sail dependentChristian ships and this proved crucial.
By the end of the day, theHoly League was crushed.
They lost 10 ships that weresunk or destroyed and another 36
were captured by the Ottomans.
Around 3,000 Christian sailorswere taken prisoner and and Barbarossa's
losses?
Well, reportedly not a singleship was lost, with only about 400
(29:16):
killed and.
800 wounded in the Aftermath.
Barbarossa consolidatedOttoman control, clearing the Aegean
and Ionian seas of remainingChristian outposts.
The Republic of Venice, amajor loser at Preveza, was forced
to sue for Peace in 1540,acknowledging Ottoman control over
lost territories and payingsignificant war indemnities.
(29:38):
The Holy League was shatteredand it discouraged similar large
scale Christian coalitionsagainst the Ottomans for decades.
Those numbers really highlightthe disparity.
The Holy League had moreships, more men, more cannons.
So Barbarossa's victory wasn'tjust a win, it was a masterclass
(29:59):
in naval tactics against anumerically superior but clearly
less cohesive enemy.
So up to this point, we'vebeen discussing the Mediterranean
of the mid-1500s as largelydivided between Christian European
forces and Muslim Ottoman forces.
And while that was mostlytrue, sometimes rulers of Europe
and the rest of the worlddecided that winning was more important
(30:21):
than any religious differences.
Such was the case for KingFrancis I of France, commonly known
as the most Christian king,who established an alliance with
Suleiman the Magnificent, theOttoman Sultan, in 1536.
Both France and the OttomanEmpire had a common enemy, the sprawling
(30:43):
Habsburg Empire under EmperorCharles V. This pact, where.
Strategic interests trumpedreligious ideology, was scandalous
across Christian Europe at thetime, French diplomacy had to work
overtime, justifying it, oftenusing the pretext of protecting Christians
in Ottoman lands.
(31:04):
But in the end, the risk ofsuch an alliance paid off for the
French and the Ottomans.
In 1543, Barbarossa, at KingFrancis request, sailed his fleet
of hundreds of ships andthousands of troops to the French
coastal city of Marseilles.
Their main joint objective wasto take control of the city of Nice,
(31:27):
a strategic port locatedfarther east on the Mediterranean,
which was controlled by anally of the Emperor Charles V. The
combined.
Franco Ottoman forces besiegedNice in August of 1543, and the city
quickly fell.
But the campaign wasn'tentirely smooth sailing.
Pardon the pun.
Barbarossa was reportedlyfurious with the French for failing
(31:50):
to provide adequate provisions.
He allegedly complained, whatsoldiers are these that fill their
vessels with wine casks andforget to bring their gunpowder?
It highlights the challengesof coordinating such different military
cultures.
After Nice fell to the Frenchand the Ottomans, King Francis made
(32:10):
an unprecedented decision.
He invited Barbarossa's entirefleet to winter in the French naval
port of Toulon to accommodateover 30,000 Ottoman combatants and
prevent conflict.
Francis ordered most ofToulon's inhabitants to evacuate,
compensating them with a 10year tax exemption.
(32:31):
For six to eight months,Toulon effectively became an Ottoman
naval base on French soil.
Contemporary accounts are striking.
The Toulon cathedral wasTemporarily converted into a mosque.
The Muslim call to prayer washeard five times a day.
The Ottoman coinage was even used.
One observer famouslyremarked, quote, seeing talon, one
(32:53):
might imagine oneself inConstantinople, not Istanbul.
This caused an immense scandalacross Christian Europe.
The Ottoman fleet finally leftToulon in May of 1544, but not before
Barbarossa demanded a heftypayment from Francis and secured
the release of all Turkish andBarbary corsairs held as galley slaves
(33:17):
by the French.
In a final show of power, heeven pillaged five French ships in
Toulon's harbor to provisionhis fleet for the journey back to
Constantinople, A trulyremarkable and controversial episode.
In 1545, not long after hisexperiences in France, Barbarossa
retired from active command.
(33:38):
He was likely in his late 60sor early 70s by that point.
He appointed his son HassanPasha as his successor in Algiers,
ensuring his family'scontinued influence.
Barbarossa spent his finalyear in Constantinople dictating
his memoirs.
He died on July 4, 1546, inhis palace.
(34:00):
His mausoleum was built in thecity, near to where his fleets often
assembled to retire in peace.
Honor and wealth in theimperial capital after such a career
speaks volumes about hisstanding with Sultan Suleiman.
(34:34):
So Michael, who was Hayred,and Barbarossa.
European accounts, especiallyfrom nations like Spain and the Italian
states that suffered hisraids, consistently painted him as
the scourge of theMediterranean, a ruthless, brutal
pirate.
And as we've noted before, hisred beard was infamous, giving rise
(34:54):
to the Italian nickname Barbarossa.
But Ottoman and Turkishsources offer a starkly different
picture.
They describe him as darkskinned, of average height, powerfully
built, with luxuriant hair and beard.
He was lauded for hisintelligence, bravery tempered with
prudence and an indomitable will.
(35:15):
He was even described ascheerful, elegant and a teller of
jokes in private.
And his multilingualism Greek,Arabic, Spanish, Italian and French
was a huge asset.
The contrast in descriptionsof Barbarossa between Europe and
the Ottoman Empire reallyshows how deeply polarized perceptions
(35:36):
were at the time.
Absolutely.
And Barbarossa clearly had hisown opinions of current events and
biases of different groups of people.
For instance, at one point,Barbarossa was said to have mocked
Andrea Doria's failed attemptto take Algiers from him.
Barbarossa supposedly quippedthat Doria mistakenly thought Algiers
(35:57):
was like the New World andthat he could exterminate Algerians
as Europeans had done withNative Americans.
His memoirs also reveal hisopinion of Arab warriors as a very
cheeky people who did not knowthe art of war and could be unreliable,
contrasting them with thediscipline of Turkish soldiers.
(36:17):
Barbarossa's leadership was apotent mix.
Ruthless effectiveness,strategic foresight, and an uncanny
ability to inspire loyalty.
His strategic approach ofteninvolved concentrating overwhelming
force at a vulnerable point.
And he wasn't afraid to useterror as a weapon.
And with that in mind, wecan't talk about Barbarossa and the
(36:38):
Barbary Corsairs withoutaddressing the brutal reality of
their enterprise, the captureand enslavement of non Muslims.
This wasn't just a byproductof their raids.
It was a primary economicdriver and a key part of their war
against Christian Europe.
Thousands upon thousands ofChristians were captured, including
sailors, passengers andcoastal villagers.
(37:00):
All in all, historians thinkthat around 2 million enslaved people
entered the Ottoman Empirebetween 1500 and 1700.
And in Constantinople, notIstanbul, which was the capital of
the Ottoman Empire, it isestimated that about a fifth of the
population consisted of slaves.
The conditions were generally horrific.
(37:20):
Captives were sold in theslave markets of Algiers, Tunis and
Tripoli.
Men were often forced intohard labor, quarrying, stone, construction,
or most infamously, as galley slaves.
Life as a galley slave wasparticularly brutal.
Shackled to oars, often foryears, rarely leaving the ship, living
(37:41):
in filth under the constantthreat of the whip.
Women frequently faced sexualservitude in harems or domestic work.
Ransom was a possibility forthe wealthy or well connected.
But for the poor, captured bythe Barbary Corsairs was often a
life sentence.
Conversion to Islam couldsometimes lead to freedom, but doing
(38:04):
so usually meant they couldnever return home.
This was a highly organizedeconomic enterprise and the constant
threat of attack often forcedEuropean powers to pay tribute for
safe passage, furtherenriching Corsairs like Barbarossa.
It was economic warfare, plainand simple.
Barbarossa's impact on Ottomanand European history was immense,
(38:27):
particularly when we considerhis humble beginnings.
His victories at sea securedOttoman naval dominance in the Mediterranean
for much of the 16th century.
His leadership was key inexpanding Ottoman influence in North
Africa, turning Algiers into avital Ottoman outpost.
And more broadly, Barbarossaand his brothers established the
(38:47):
Barbary coast as a corsairstronghold that would affect Mediterranean
life for 300 years.
Barbarossa.
A name that conjures images offierce battles, plundered coasts
and a red bearded admiral whocommanded the respect of sultans
and the fear of emperors.
(39:07):
His life was a testament toambition, strategic genius and ruthless
pragmatism.
From the perspective ofChristian Europe, his actions, the
relentless raids, theenslavement of thousands, the disruption
of trade, were undeniablycriminal On a vast scale.
Yet within the Ottoman Empire,he was the architect of naval supremacy,
(39:29):
a defender of the faith and abuilder of imperial power.
His story forces us toconfront the complexities of history,
where one empire's hero isanother's villain.
The crimes of Barbarossa werecommitted in an age of brutal conflict
where the lines betweenpiracy, privateering and state sponsored
warfare were often blurred bythe tides of imperial ambition.
(39:54):
Join us next time on History'sGreatest Crimes.
Until then, stay curious.
16Th century Mediterranean.
A battleground of empires, ahighway for unimaginable wealth and
and a hunting ground for the ruthless.
From the sun drenched Greekislands of the Aegean to the fortified
posts of North Africa, onename, one red bearded visage struck
terror into the hearts ofChristian Europe.
(00:41):
He was born with the nameHizar in the late 1400s in the Ottoman
Empire.
And being an excellent seaman,he eventually became Kapudin Pasha,
Grand Admiral of the Ottoman Navy.
But history would remember himmost by the name his enemies whis
in fear, Barbarossa, which wasItalian for Redbeard.
(01:03):
As you've probably alreadyimagined correctly, Barbarossa was
a fierce man with verynoticeable red hair.
But more importantly, over thecourse of time, Barbarossa was a
pirate, a privateer, a sultanand even a grand admiral at one point.
His life was a saga of brutalraids, cunning strategy and the forging
(01:25):
of a naval power that woulddominate the seas.
I'm Michael.
And I'm Elena.
And today on History'sgreatest Crimes, we're discussing
the man who Europeanchronicles painted as the scourge
of the Mediterranean.
A man whose fleets left trailsof devastation.
Historians describe him aspossessing a restless and enterprising
(01:47):
spirit combined with valor andambition, but also driven by a hatred
of Christianity.
This was Barbarossa.
That's right, Michael.
Throughout the 1500s, his veryname, Barbarossa, became synonymous
with the terror of the Barbary Corsairs.
The term corsair comes fromthe French word for pirate or privateer
(02:12):
and it referred generally toMediterranean pirates who attacked
with or without state sanction.
But more specifically, theBarbary Corsairs referred to North
Africa, mostly Muslim piratesand privateers who raided coastal
settlements in search ofpeople to enslave and sell.
In total, it is believed thatover the course of the 16th and 17th
(02:36):
centuries, Barbary Corsairscaptured over 850,000 people from
Italy, France, Spain,Portugal, the British Isles, even
as far as as Iceland.
Those captured were then oftensold as slaves in North Africa and
the Ottoman Empire, which atthat time stretched all the way from
(02:57):
the Balkans of Eastern Europe,through Greece and Turkey, down through
the Holy Land and into presentday Saudi Arabia and Iraq.
Like the golden age of piratesin the Caribbean, the Barbary Corsairs
were brutal and unflinching intheir ambitions to enrich themselves.
And like those same pirates inthe Caribbean, the Barbary Corsairs
(03:20):
often crossed over from legalprivateering for the state to illegal
piracy and back again,depending on what circumstances were
happening at the moment.
And yet to the Ottoman Empire.
Barbarossa was a hero.
He was nicknamed lion of theMediterranean, and hey Reddin, which
(03:41):
translated from Arabic at thetime meant best of the faith, came
to be one of his most famous Nickn.
His victories reshaped thebalance of power in Europe and the
Middle East.
His strategies redefined navalwarfare, and his alliance with sultans
like Suleiman the Magnificentprojected Ottoman might across the
(04:02):
waves.
Barbarossa and the otherBarbary corsairs that followed weren't
just pirates, though.
They were empire builders of agrand and terrifying scale.
The sheer scale ofBarbarossa's operations, the thousands
captured in slave raids, andthe economic devastation inflicted
on coastal Europe mark hisreign as a period of profound criminality
(04:27):
from one perspective andheroic expansion from the other.
Stay with us as we discuss thebloody rise of Barbarossa, the pirate
king who held theMediterranean and his fearsome grip
for decades in the 16th century.
(05:04):
Barbarossa's story begins notas a feared corsair, but as a boy
named Hizar.
Born on the Greek island ofLesbos Sometime during the 1460s
or 1470s, his father was anOttoman cavalryman of Turkish or
Albanian origin who hadparticipated in the Ottoman conquest
of Lesbos and other Greekislands from the Genoese in 1462.
(05:29):
At that point in the late1400s, the Ottoman Empire was nearing
its apex, including much ofthe present day Middle east, southeastern
Europe and North Africa.
So being on the island ofLesbos pretty much in the center
of all of that could be reallygood for business.
Most Ottomans were SunniMuslim, although many conquered peoples
(05:51):
were allowed to continue theirown religious traditions in private.
It was a diverse island at thecenter of a number of important Christian
and Muslim trade routes.
A great place to start a business.
In the mid-1400s, his fatherwas rewarded for his loyalty to the
Ottoman Empire with a fief ora piece of land on the island of
(06:11):
Lesbos.
There he settled down, becamea potter, and even owned a boat to
trade his wares.
He married a woman namedCaterina, a local Greek Orthodox
Christian, possibly the widowof a priest.
This mixed Muslim, Christian,Ottoman Greek heritage is fascinating,
placing him and his siblingsat a cultural crossroads in a strategically
(06:34):
vital and often contested partof the Aegean Sea in the Mediterranean.
Hiser had three brothers,Ishak, Arush and Elias, and all of
the brothers, including Hizar,were drawn to the sea.
Initially involved in maritimetrade, as we'll.
See, the four brothers wouldeventually transition from being
(06:56):
Mediterranean traders topirates, or corsairs, as they were
known then at the time.
But theirs wasn't a suddenleap into lawlessness.
It actually began in responseto the threat of the Knights Hospitaller
of St. John.
Based on the island of Rhodes,who frequently attacked Ottoman shipping,
the Knights Hospitaller.
(07:17):
Were connected to the medievalhistory of the Crusades, during which
western Europeans mademultiple attempts to retake the Holy
Land from Muslim rulers.
The Knights Hospitaller were amilitary order dedicated to helping
the sick and the poor whilealso defending Christians in the
hol.
But after Jerusalem was lostto Crusaders in 1187, the Knights
(07:39):
Hospitaller were driven out ofthe area to the island of Rhodes,
where they remained for centuries.
To put things into bettergeographical perspective, the island
of Rhodes is located in theAegean Sea, just off the southwestern
coast of present day Turkey.
And as mentioned, hisr thefuture pirate Barbarossa was living
a bit further north on adifferent island in the same coast.
(08:03):
So while his OR is growing up,his family maintained a healthy trading
business.
But it was always at risk ofattack from the Knights Hospitaller.
By this time in the late1400s, the Knights Hospitaller on
the island of Rhodes hadshifted their focus to privateering
for Christian Europe.
Specifically, they oftenattacked Ottoman merchant ships like
(08:24):
that owned by his OR and his family.
As young adults, Hizar'seldest brothers, Arush and Elias,
expanded their father'strading business.
They now operated primarily inthe Levant between Turkey, Syria
and Egypt, and they spent mostof their days aboard ships.
The brothers also supposedlylearned to speak a series of languages,
(08:45):
including Italian, Spanish,French and Greek, along with Arabic,
which I'm sure was great for business.
Absolutely, Michael.
We have to remember that theMediterranean in the late 1400s was
actually pretty diverse,including multiple kingdoms and empires
and multiple religious groupswho all had their own cultures.
So all looked very optimistic.
(09:07):
For his family, their tradingbusiness was booming.
But then in the 1480s, whileLaRouge and Elias were returning
from a trading expedition inTripoli, Lebanon, the brothers ship
was attacked by the Knights Hospitaller.
Elias was killed and Arush was captured.
Arush then spent the next fouryears rowing as a galley slave for
(09:28):
the Knights Hospitaller, atwhich point his father was able to
pay the ransom to get him release.
Imagine the impact of that, Elena.
If Aarush and the family hatedthe Knights Hospitaller before, they
certainly did now.
Upon his release, Aarouche'scareer shifted decisively towards
organized privateering.
(09:49):
It seems that he now onlydesired a career that would allow
him to get revenge for whathappened to him and his brother.
According to the records,Arush received ships from an Ottoman
prince specifically to combatthe Knights Hospitaller.
And when he was successful atthat, the same Ottoman prince ordered
Arush to participate in theOttoman naval expedition to the southern
(10:13):
eastern region of of Apulia in Italy.
There, in Italy, Arushbombarded several coastal castles
and captured two ships.
And on the way back home tohis island, his home island of Lesbos,
he captured three more galleons.
Clearly, Arush was pretty goodat privateering for the Ottoman Empire.
And Arush's success made himindispensable to other Muslim rulers
(10:36):
as well, including theEgyptian Sultan, who gave him another
ship and entrusted him withthe task of raiding the coasts of
Italy and the islands of theMediterranean that were under Christian
rule.
In 1503, Hisser joined Arushin the privateering business, marking
the true start of theirlegendary partnership.
And they were shrewd operators.
(10:58):
In 1504, the brotherscontacted the Sultan of Tunis and
asked permission to use thestrategically located seaport of
La Goulette for their operations.
The Sultan granted them theright to do so on the condition that
the brothers gave him onethird of their spoils.
This was a classic Ottomancorsair arrangement.
(11:20):
The privateers would gain asecure base and the local ruler would
get a share of their profits.
Their reputations grew witheach daring capture.
Within a year, the brothershad captured two large galleys that
belonged to the Pope, as wellas a Sicilian warship called the
Cavalleria, which wastransporting hundreds of Spanish
(11:40):
soldiers and knights to Naples.
These knights were of course,ransomed for a nice price.
And in 1505, Arush and Hiserraided the southern Italian coast
of Calabria.
These exploits increased thebrothers fame and notoriety, as well
as their fortune.
And not wanting to miss out onthe fame and fortune, it was also
(12:02):
at this time that the thirdsurviving brother, Ishak, also joined
the family privateeringbusiness off the coast of Tunis.
But what's really interestingis that the brothers did something
that elevated them beyond mere Raiders.
Between 1504 and 1510, theytransported thousands of Muslim refugees,
Moriscos and Jews who werefleeing persecution in Christian
(12:27):
Spain to Muslim North Africa.
Just to provide some contexthere, this was when Queen Isabella
and King Ferdinand of Spaincarried out large scale expulsions
of Jews and Muslims whorefused to convert to Roman Catholicism.
Just months before ChristopherColumbus landed in the new world
in 1492 and claimed it forSpain, the king and queen issued
(12:49):
the Alhambra Decree.
That decree demanded theimmediate conversion of all Jews
and Muslims who wished toremain in the kingdom.
And as a result, over the nextcouple of decades, multiple waves
of expulsions forced thousandsfrom their homes and across the Mediterranean
Sea to other more welcomingkingdoms, one of which was the Ottoman
(13:10):
Empire.
The expulsions were anextremely risky time for Muslims
and Jews leaving Spain.
Those who chose to leaverather than convert were not permitted
to take their wealth with them.
It had to stay in Spain, ofcourse, and therefore belong to the
Spanish king and queen.
Being penniless made itdifficult to hire safe passage, as
one could imagine.
(13:31):
And making matters worse, arumor began circulating that those
leaving had swallowed theirjewels and other wealth, order to
take it out of the kingdomwith them.
As a result, there were quitea few incidents of Jewish and Muslim
passengers being gutted andthrown overboard by greedy sailors
in search of treasure.
Into this chaos sailed thethree brothers, Arush, Hizur and
(13:54):
Ishak.
They used their ships to helptransport people from Spain to the
Ottoman Empire.
This particular act cast themas protectors and warriors for the
faith, generating immensegoodwill for them in North Africa
and throughout the Ottoman Empire.
It was actually during thisact of rescue that the brothers earned
the honorific name Baba, or father.
(14:16):
This nickname of Baba wascombined with the Italian for red
beard, a reference to thebrothers striking red beards.
And ultimately, it producedthe famous name of Barbarossa that
remained attached to themwherever they went.
Over the next few years, thethree Barbarossa brothers seemed
impossible to defeat.
(14:38):
In fact, in 1512, they wereinvited by the exiled Muslim ruler
of Algiers to drive out theSpanish from North Africa.
In the resulting battle, Arushlost his left arm.
He apparently replaced it witha silver prosthetic, earning him
the nickname Silver arm.
And despite losing appendages,the brothers refused to slow down.
(15:00):
In 1512, in the span of lessthan one month, they reportedly captured
a total of 23 ships in theMediterranean before they sailed
back to La Goulette in Tunis.
There, they built themselves agunpowder production facility to
create ammunition for theirnew large fleet of stolen ships.
In 1514, the brothersreportedly sailed with 1,000 Turkish
(15:24):
sailors, who might also havebeen privateers to destroy Spanish
fortresses along thesoutheastern coast of Spain.
In 1515, they continued tocapture a variety of European ships,
galleys and galleons, fromwhich they gained large amounts of
treasure.
The records show thatBarbarossa brothers sent some of
(15:45):
that treasure back to theOttoman sultan, who in return, sent
them two more galley ships andtwo swords encrusted with diamonds.
The next year, in 1516, theBarbarossa brothers actually managed
to capture the entire NorthAfrican region of Algiers for themselves.
Its location on theMediterranean meant that it could
(16:06):
act as a springboard for raidsagainst Christian shipping lanes,
especially those connectingSpain to its Italian territories.
At that point, the eldestbrother Arush declared himself Sultan
of Algiers.
And this is an important eventbecause it marked a shift in the
approach of the Barbarossabrothers from sea based raiding to
(16:28):
territorial rule.
But Aruges reign in Algierswas short lived.
The Spanish understandablydidn't take kindly to this new Corsair
Sultan on their doorstep.
Geographically, Algiers isjust a skip and a hop across the
Mediterranean from Spain.
So Spanish forces consistentlyattacked the coast of Algiers.
(16:48):
And in just two years later,in 1518, both Arush and Ishak were
killed in battle.
That only left one Barbarossabrother, Hizar.
Hizar recognized that the bestprotection for Algiers against the
Spanish was to join Algiers tothe Ottoman Empire.
He reached out to the OttomanSultan Selim I and offered his allegiance.
(17:13):
In return, the Sultan bestowedon the remaining Barbarossa the honorary
name of Hayreddin, meaning thebest of the faith.
This signaled HayreddinBarbarossa's formal entry into Ottoman
service and marked him as achampion of Islam in the Mediterranean.
(17:50):
In 1518, after his brother'sdeaths, Barbarossa offered Algiers
and his allegiance to theOttoman Sultan.
In return, Algiers became anOttoman sanjak or province.
Barbarossa would remain incharge of the region and the Sultan
provided him with vitalmilitary aid, including cannons and
2000 elite janissaries.
(18:11):
And when Selim's successor,Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent took
the throne in 1520, Barbarossaformed an even better relationship
with him.
Under Suleiman theMagnificent, the Ottoman Empire reached
its zenith of economic,military and political strength.
Suleiman himself was a skilledwarrior and personally led Ottoman
(18:33):
armies into their conquest ofa number of European Christian strongholds.
And by his death in 1566, theOttoman Empire stretched from the
western end of theMediterranean Sea to the Red Sea
and through the Persian Gulfand included at least 25 million
people.
Through his alliance with theSultan, Barbarossa gained access
(18:54):
to royal resources andopportunities for himself and Algiers
that helped him transform theNorth African region into a more
powerful and organized entity.
With the Sultan's support, hebegan developing a significant land
based army showing a visionthat went beyond simple piracy towards
state building.
(19:16):
And while he turned hisattention to land, Barbarossa didn't
completely lose touch with the sea.
Between 1518 and 1520,Barbarossa worked to become the de
facto ruler of all the socalled Barbary pirates in the Mediterranean.
He then placed his formidableCorsair fleet at Suleiman's disposal.
For the Ottomans, theiralliance with Barbarossa was a strategic
(19:40):
masterstroke.
It allowed them to projectnaval power into the western Mediterranean.
His raids stretched across theMediterranean, hitting Spain, Italy
and their islands.
And these weren't just smashand grab operations.
The primary goals ofBarbarossa's fleet were capturing
non Muslims for the slavemarkets or for ransoming and seizing
(20:02):
valuable cargo.
And frankly, the numbers arerather horrifying.
Raids in the Gulf of naplesreportedly yielded 7,800 captives.
10,000 from Sperlonga, 4,000from Ischia, and between 2 and 7,000
from Lipari, all southernItalian towns.
This human traffickinggenerated immense wealth for Algiers
(20:25):
and was a significant drain onChristian Europe.
The economic impact was severe.
Coastal regions in Italy andSpain suffered depopulation as people
fled inland.
European powers were oftenforced to pay tribute to Algiers
for safe passage of theirmerchant ships, further enriching
Barbarossa and the other corsairs.
(20:48):
It was a form of asymmetricalwarfare, tying down Christian resources.
Barbarossa's relentlesssuccess in Algiers and his constant
challenge to the Europeankingdoms didn't go unnoticed by Sultan
Suleiman the Magnificent.
In 1533, he summonedBarbarossa from Algiers to Constantinople,
(21:09):
not Istanbul.
And that was the imperialcapital of the Ottoman Empire.
And this was no mere courtesy call.
Suleiman appointed him KapudinPasha, grand Admiral of the entire
Ottoman navy.
Think about that.
A man who started as a commontradesman and corsair was now at
(21:29):
the helm of an imperial fleet.
Simultaneously, he was namedBalerbe, governor of governors of
North Africa, cementing hisauthority there.
This was a strategicmasterstroke by Suleiman.
The Ottoman Empire,traditionally a land power, was recognizing
the critical importance now ofsea power, entrusting its development
(21:51):
to inexperienced, ifunconventional, a leader like Barbarossa.
And it showed a seriouscommitment to challenging Christian
naval dominance.
It was a meritocratic choice,overlooking established military
figures.
For Barbarossa's proven geniusas Capudampasha, Barbarossa wasn't
just a combat commander.
(22:13):
He was tasked with building alarge and formidable war fleet and
organizing the Ottoman navy.
This included practical thingslike repairing and enhancing the
imperial shipyard in Constantinople.
He's even credited withestablishing naval schools.
And his teachings on navalstrategy reportedly influenced Ottoman
(22:33):
sailors for centuries.
This shows he was a strategicbuilder, not just a brilliant raider.
We have to remember that theMediterranean in the first half of
the 16th century was dominatedby this colossal struggle between
Sultan Suleiman's OttomanEmpire in the south and the vast
Habsburg domains of EmperorCharles V in Spain, Italy and a little
(22:55):
bit beyond.
The naval aspect of thisconflict was personified by the intense
rivalry between their chiefadmirals, Barbarossa for the Ottomans
and the Genoese condottieroAndrea Doria serving Charles.
V. Just as an aside, AndreaDoria had a personal portrait of
(23:15):
himself made by the Italianartist Angelo Bronzino around this
time.
In the portrait, Doria choseto have himself depicted nude as
the God of the sea.
He's portrayed as bearded,with a large trident, while looking
stern and resolute over allthat he surveys.
So that should give you a goodsense of Doria's own confidence in
(23:38):
himself.
Absolutely.
No doubt.
Perhaps he was confident for a reason.
Prior to becoming GrandAdmiral of the Ottoman Navy, Barbarossa
had already clashed multipletimes with Andrea Doria.
Early encounters in 1526 and1531 saw Barbarossa holding his own.
(23:58):
But the stakes were raised in1532 when Doria captured key Ottoman
ports in Greece.
This Christian offensive iswhat prompted the Sultan Suleiman
to summer Barbarossa toConstantinople, not Istanbul, in
1533, and give him overallcommand of the Ottoman navy.
(24:19):
Emperor Charles V knew exactlyhow formidable Barbarossa was.
He actually tried to recruithim not once, but twice, in 1535
and then again in 1540.
Charles V reportedly offeredBarbarossa lordship of North Africa
and the position of admiral inchief of his own fleet if he'd switched
(24:41):
sides.
Barbarosa refused, stayingloyal to Suleiman.
That an emperor would try topoach his most notorious Muslim naval
enemy speaks volumes about therespect and probably fear that Barbarossa
commanded.
Charles V was so determined toneutralize Barbarossa that he personally
led a massive expeditionagainst Algiers in October of 1541.
(25:07):
Despite this huge invasionforce, the campaign was a disaster
for Emperor Charles and the Habsburgs.
A combination of Barbarossa'sdefenses and severe storms wrecked
much of the Christian fleet,forcing Charles V to retreat.
This only burnishedBarbarossa's reputation further.
The fight for key NorthAfrican ports was relentless.
(25:31):
In August of 1534, Barbarossa,leading a fleet of 80 galleys, captured
Tunis.
He ousted the local sultan,who was a Spanish client, and established
Tunis as another powerfulOttoman aligned naval base.
This was a direct threat toHabsburg interests.
Emperor Charles V didn't takethis defeat lying down.
(25:53):
In 1535, he assembled amassive Christian coalition from
all over Europe to take Tunisand oust Barbarossa.
The coalition was reported tohave included over 300 galleys and
24,000 soldiers.
And this time the Christianforces were successful.
The fall of Tunis to theChristian Coalition was followed
(26:14):
by a brutal massacre of anestimated 30,000 Muslim civilians.
It's a grim reminder of thesavagery of warfare in this era,
especially when religiousanimosity was involved.
But Barbarossa was nothing ifhe wasn't resilient.
Recognizing he couldn't win adirect fight against such overwhelming
forces, he had strategicallywithdrawn from Tunis before its fall
(26:38):
and escaping with severalthousand of his core troops.
And almost immediately he wasback at his old tricks, leading a
devastating raid on Spanishisland of Menorca, where He reportedly
took 600 captives.
Even a major victory like therecapture of Tunis couldn't permanently
neutralize a corsair leaderlike Barbarossa.
(26:59):
He could always regroup andstrike elsewhere.
Absolutely.
Although Barbarossa had lostTunis, he remained a massive threat
to Christian Europe's trade,security and strategic interests.
So In February of 1538, PopePaul III assembled a Holy League,
a coalition of the Papalstates, Habsburg Spain, the Republic
(27:22):
of Venice, the Republic ofGenoa and the Knights of Malta.
The fact that these oftenrival Christian powers were united
shows just how seriously theytook the threat of Barbarossa.
And who was put in command ofthis mighty Christian armada?
Well, none other than AndreaDoria, Charles V's veteran Genoese
(27:45):
admiral and Barbarossa's longstanding nemesis.
The Holy League's fleet wasnumerically superior.
Estimates vary, but they hadaround 112 to 157 galleys, plus about
50 galleots and 140 largesailing warships.
Often called barcas or karaks.
(28:06):
They carried an estimated60,000 soldiers and a massive number
of cannons, probably around 2,500.
Against this imposing force,Hayred and Barbarossa commanded a
much smaller Ottoman fleet ofabout 122 galleys and galleots with
around 366 cannons andapproximately 11,000 soldiers.
(28:28):
The fleets met off the coastof northwestern Greece on September
28, 1538.
Barbarossa showed his tacticalbrilliance from the start.
He deployed his fleet in adistinctive Y shaped formation with
himself commanding the centerand experienced captains leading
the wings and rear.
The Ottoman galleys, primarilyor propelled, were more maneuverable
(28:51):
than the larger sail dependentChristian ships and this proved crucial.
By the end of the day, theHoly League was crushed.
They lost 10 ships that weresunk or destroyed and another 36
were captured by the Ottomans.
Around 3,000 Christian sailorswere taken prisoner and and Barbarossa's
losses?
Well, reportedly not a singleship was lost, with only about 400
(29:16):
killed and.
800 wounded in the Aftermath.
Barbarossa consolidatedOttoman control, clearing the Aegean
and Ionian seas of remainingChristian outposts.
The Republic of Venice, amajor loser at Preveza, was forced
to sue for Peace in 1540,acknowledging Ottoman control over
lost territories and payingsignificant war indemnities.
(29:38):
The Holy League was shatteredand it discouraged similar large
scale Christian coalitionsagainst the Ottomans for decades.
Those numbers really highlightthe disparity.
The Holy League had moreships, more men, more cannons.
So Barbarossa's victory wasn'tjust a win, it was a masterclass
(29:59):
in naval tactics against anumerically superior but clearly
less cohesive enemy.
So up to this point, we'vebeen discussing the Mediterranean
of the mid-1500s as largelydivided between Christian European
forces and Muslim Ottoman forces.
And while that was mostlytrue, sometimes rulers of Europe
and the rest of the worlddecided that winning was more important
(30:21):
than any religious differences.
Such was the case for KingFrancis I of France, commonly known
as the most Christian king,who established an alliance with
Suleiman the Magnificent, theOttoman Sultan, in 1536.
Both France and the OttomanEmpire had a common enemy, the sprawling
(30:43):
Habsburg Empire under EmperorCharles V. This pact, where.
Strategic interests trumpedreligious ideology, was scandalous
across Christian Europe at thetime, French diplomacy had to work
overtime, justifying it, oftenusing the pretext of protecting Christians
in Ottoman lands.
(31:04):
But in the end, the risk ofsuch an alliance paid off for the
French and the Ottomans.
In 1543, Barbarossa, at KingFrancis request, sailed his fleet
of hundreds of ships andthousands of troops to the French
coastal city of Marseilles.
Their main joint objective wasto take control of the city of Nice,
(31:27):
a strategic port locatedfarther east on the Mediterranean,
which was controlled by anally of the Emperor Charles V. The
combined.
Franco Ottoman forces besiegedNice in August of 1543, and the city
quickly fell.
But the campaign wasn'tentirely smooth sailing.
Pardon the pun.
Barbarossa was reportedlyfurious with the French for failing
(31:50):
to provide adequate provisions.
He allegedly complained, whatsoldiers are these that fill their
vessels with wine casks andforget to bring their gunpowder?
It highlights the challengesof coordinating such different military
cultures.
After Nice fell to the Frenchand the Ottomans, King Francis made
(32:10):
an unprecedented decision.
He invited Barbarossa's entirefleet to winter in the French naval
port of Toulon to accommodateover 30,000 Ottoman combatants and
prevent conflict.
Francis ordered most ofToulon's inhabitants to evacuate,
compensating them with a 10year tax exemption.
(32:31):
For six to eight months,Toulon effectively became an Ottoman
naval base on French soil.
Contemporary accounts are striking.
The Toulon cathedral wasTemporarily converted into a mosque.
The Muslim call to prayer washeard five times a day.
The Ottoman coinage was even used.
One observer famouslyremarked, quote, seeing talon, one
(32:53):
might imagine oneself inConstantinople, not Istanbul.
This caused an immense scandalacross Christian Europe.
The Ottoman fleet finally leftToulon in May of 1544, but not before
Barbarossa demanded a heftypayment from Francis and secured
the release of all Turkish andBarbary corsairs held as galley slaves
(33:17):
by the French.
In a final show of power, heeven pillaged five French ships in
Toulon's harbor to provisionhis fleet for the journey back to
Constantinople, A trulyremarkable and controversial episode.
In 1545, not long after hisexperiences in France, Barbarossa
retired from active command.
(33:38):
He was likely in his late 60sor early 70s by that point.
He appointed his son HassanPasha as his successor in Algiers,
ensuring his family'scontinued influence.
Barbarossa spent his finalyear in Constantinople dictating
his memoirs.
He died on July 4, 1546, inhis palace.
(34:00):
His mausoleum was built in thecity, near to where his fleets often
assembled to retire in peace.
Honor and wealth in theimperial capital after such a career
speaks volumes about hisstanding with Sultan Suleiman.
(34:34):
So Michael, who was Hayred,and Barbarossa.
European accounts, especiallyfrom nations like Spain and the Italian
states that suffered hisraids, consistently painted him as
the scourge of theMediterranean, a ruthless, brutal
pirate.
And as we've noted before, hisred beard was infamous, giving rise
(34:54):
to the Italian nickname Barbarossa.
But Ottoman and Turkishsources offer a starkly different
picture.
They describe him as darkskinned, of average height, powerfully
built, with luxuriant hair and beard.
He was lauded for hisintelligence, bravery tempered with
prudence and an indomitable will.
(35:15):
He was even described ascheerful, elegant and a teller of
jokes in private.
And his multilingualism Greek,Arabic, Spanish, Italian and French
was a huge asset.
The contrast in descriptionsof Barbarossa between Europe and
the Ottoman Empire reallyshows how deeply polarized perceptions
(35:36):
were at the time.
Absolutely.
And Barbarossa clearly had hisown opinions of current events and
biases of different groups of people.
For instance, at one point,Barbarossa was said to have mocked
Andrea Doria's failed attemptto take Algiers from him.
Barbarossa supposedly quippedthat Doria mistakenly thought Algiers
(35:57):
was like the New World andthat he could exterminate Algerians
as Europeans had done withNative Americans.
His memoirs also reveal hisopinion of Arab warriors as a very
cheeky people who did not knowthe art of war and could be unreliable,
contrasting them with thediscipline of Turkish soldiers.
(36:17):
Barbarossa's leadership was apotent mix.
Ruthless effectiveness,strategic foresight, and an uncanny
ability to inspire loyalty.
His strategic approach ofteninvolved concentrating overwhelming
force at a vulnerable point.
And he wasn't afraid to useterror as a weapon.
And with that in mind, wecan't talk about Barbarossa and the
(36:38):
Barbary Corsairs withoutaddressing the brutal reality of
their enterprise, the captureand enslavement of non Muslims.
This wasn't just a byproductof their raids.
It was a primary economicdriver and a key part of their war
against Christian Europe.
Thousands upon thousands ofChristians were captured, including
sailors, passengers andcoastal villagers.
(37:00):
All in all, historians thinkthat around 2 million enslaved people
entered the Ottoman Empirebetween 1500 and 1700.
And in Constantinople, notIstanbul, which was the capital of
the Ottoman Empire, it isestimated that about a fifth of the
population consisted of slaves.
The conditions were generally horrific.
(37:20):
Captives were sold in theslave markets of Algiers, Tunis and
Tripoli.
Men were often forced intohard labor, quarrying, stone, construction,
or most infamously, as galley slaves.
Life as a galley slave wasparticularly brutal.
Shackled to oars, often foryears, rarely leaving the ship, living
(37:41):
in filth under the constantthreat of the whip.
Women frequently faced sexualservitude in harems or domestic work.
Ransom was a possibility forthe wealthy or well connected.
But for the poor, captured bythe Barbary Corsairs was often a
life sentence.
Conversion to Islam couldsometimes lead to freedom, but doing
(38:04):
so usually meant they couldnever return home.
This was a highly organizedeconomic enterprise and the constant
threat of attack often forcedEuropean powers to pay tribute for
safe passage, furtherenriching Corsairs like Barbarossa.
It was economic warfare, plainand simple.
Barbarossa's impact on Ottomanand European history was immense,
(38:27):
particularly when we considerhis humble beginnings.
His victories at sea securedOttoman naval dominance in the Mediterranean
for much of the 16th century.
His leadership was key inexpanding Ottoman influence in North
Africa, turning Algiers into avital Ottoman outpost.
And more broadly, Barbarossaand his brothers established the
(38:47):
Barbary coast as a corsairstronghold that would affect Mediterranean
life for 300 years.
Barbarossa.
A name that conjures images offierce battles, plundered coasts
and a red bearded admiral whocommanded the respect of sultans
and the fear of emperors.
(39:07):
His life was a testament toambition, strategic genius and ruthless
pragmatism.
From the perspective ofChristian Europe, his actions, the
relentless raids, theenslavement of thousands, the disruption
of trade, were undeniablycriminal On a vast scale.
Yet within the Ottoman Empire,he was the architect of naval supremacy,
(39:29):
a defender of the faith and abuilder of imperial power.
His story forces us toconfront the complexities of history,
where one empire's hero isanother's villain.
The crimes of Barbarossa werecommitted in an age of brutal conflict
where the lines betweenpiracy, privateering and state sponsored
warfare were often blurred bythe tides of imperial ambition.
(39:54):
Join us next time on History'sGreatest Crimes.
Until then, stay curious.
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal
Gregg Rosenthal and a rotating crew of elite NFL Media co-hosts, including Patrick Claybon, Colleen Wolfe, Steve Wyche, Nick Shook and Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic get you caught up daily on all the NFL news and analysis you need to be smarter and funnier than your friends.