Khairuddin Pasha Barbaross (red beard) (born: 1475, died: 1546) was a Turkish pirate who later became chief of the Ottoman Empire’s naval forces and maintained his power in the Mediterranean for decades.
He was born on the Greek island of Medellin (now Lesbos). He died in Istanbul. His real name was Khidr Yaqub Oglu (Khidr Ibn Yaqub). The title of Khair-ud-Din was given to him by the great Ottoman ruler Sultan Sulaiman Qanuni. He got his name from his elder brother Baba Urooj (Urooj Rais) who was martyred by the Spaniards in Algeria. Even three centuries after his death, his successors continued to plunder the coastal towns and villages of the Mediterranean.
Many heroes have passed away in the Ottoman Turkish Caliphate, which is still highlighted by history due to their deeds. Such is the glorious name of Khairuddin Pasha Bar Brosa. It is our tragedy that today we have forgotten our glorious history.
The British and Europeans know the people and their deeds but have forgotten the history of their Muslim heroes or the information of these personalities has been taken away from us under a well thought out plan. Heard the name of a pirate but in fact this character was called the son of the seas in his time, Khairuddin because of his bravery and extraordinary intelligence Bahra? In the seas of Rome it was considered a symbol of fear.
He was nicknamed Barbarossa because of his red beard. When Barbarossa planted the flag of his victory in the African seas, the Turkish Empire formally handed over command of the country’s navy to him, meanwhile the Christian regime’s oppression of the Muslims of Andalusia.
It was hot, Khair-ud-Din saved thousands of Muslims in his navy and took them to Algeria, after which he sent Muslim European countries to be victorious in the Muslim wars. He also invaded and conquered many islands and expanded the Turkish frontiers. There was a certain kind of glory and terror in the personality of Wajiha and the mighty Khairuddin.
Khair-ud-Din Barbarossa loved the sea and his covering was the sea, his greatest virtue was compassion, he took special care of his subordinates and soldiers, at the same time his attitude towards the enemy was gentle and His love for ships is also evident from the fact that he used to happily do everything from shipbuilding to sailor work.
This brave son of the Muslims passed away at the age of 90 and left the stories of his bravery as an example to the world. People and those who love their history look for such leaders and make them a beacon.
It has been the custom of the Turkish government for a long time that whenever a navy went on an expedition, anchors were raised on the tomb of Khairuddin by reciting Fatiha and saluting with cannons. And the strong waves kiss Khairuddin’s mausoleum and pay their respects.
Khairuddin Pasha Barbarossa (born 1475, died 1546) was a Turkish pirate who later became chief of the Ottoman Empire’s naval forces and maintained his power in the Mediterranean for decades. He was born on the Greek island of Madeleine (now Lesbos). He died in Istanbul. His real name was Khidr Yaqub Oglu (Khidr Ibn Yaqub). The title of Khair-ud-Din was given to him by the great Ottoman ruler Sultan Sulaiman Qanuni. Barbarossa derives his name from his older brother Baba Urooj (Urooj Rais) who was martyred by the Spaniards in Algeria.
Early life under the supervision of Baba Urooj
Khidr was one of four brothers, Isaac, Urooj and Elias, born in the 1470s to Yaqub Agha and his Christian wife, Katrina. Some historians describe Jacob as a soldier, while others say he was part of the Ottoman army Annie Cherie in the town of Vardar, near Thessaloniki. The four brothers initially worked as merchants and sailors in the Eastern Mediterranean, and later as pirates, where they often clashed with the Knights of St. John’s on Rhode Island. Elias was killed in the clashes, while Arooj was arrested and sold as a slave after being held captive in Rhodes. He managed to escape the life of slavery and reached Italy first and then Egypt. Where he succeeded in meeting Mamluk Sultan Qansuwa Ghauri, who gave Arooj a ship to invade the Christian-occupied Mediterranean islands.
By 1505, Arooj had acquired three more ships and set up camp on the island of Djerba, shifting its operations in the Mediterranean to the west. He became famous between 1504 and 1510 when he brought Muslims from Spain to North Africa after the fall of Granada. His treatment of the Spanish Muslims was so good that he became known among them as Baba Arooj, and it was Baba Arooj who became Barbarossa in Spain, Italy and France. The only way for Al Jazeera to escape from Spain was to join the Ottoman Empire, so Barbarossa presented Al Jazeera to the Ottoman Sultan. The Sultan approved Al Jazeera as the Ottoman Sanjik (province) and appointed Arooj as “Pashae Al Jazeera” and “Naval Governor in the Western Mediterranean”. In 1516 he conquered Al-Jazeera and became king. He also wanted to capture other cities, but was killed in 1518, along with his brother Isaac, during a battle against Spanish forces who came to the aid of a local leader. He was 55 years old.
Khairuddin’s Early Deeds
After his brother was killed, Khairuddin continued his policy of bringing oppressed Muslims from Spain to North Africa, thanks to which he gained the support of a large number of anti-Spanish Muslims. He defeated the combined Spanish and Italian forces trying to capture Al Jazeera in 1519. In 1529, he captured the Spanish fort on a coastal island. In 1530, Andrea Doria attempted an attack to defeat Barbarossa, but fled in fear before the arrival of Barbarossa’s fleet.
Khairuddin as Admiral Pasha
In 1532, Suleiman the Magnificent summoned Barbarossa to Istanbul to form the Ottoman navy. The Sultan appointed Barbarossa Admiral Pasha (Admiral in Chief) of the Mediterranean and Bellerbe (Commander in Chief) of North Africa, and gave him command of the navy. Barbarossa first invaded the coasts of southern Italy, capturing Tunisia in 1534, and Hafsi Sultan Moulai Hassan escaped. Mawlawi Hassan enlisted the help of Charles V to recapture his empire, and in 1535 a large army of Spaniards and French snatched Tunisia from Barbarossa, including the dwarfs and the Mahdi.
A shocking defeat for Europe’s united navy
In 1537, Lotfi Pasha and Barbarossa led a formidable Ottoman army against the Ionian Islands and southern Italy, and Barbarossa snatched Corfu from the Venetian Empire. The armies of Spain, the Roman Empire, Venice and Malta were involved, but in September 1538, Barbarossa defeated the combined Christian army, led by Andrea Doria, at the Battle of Previza. This victory gave the Turks complete control over the Mediterranean for the next 33 years (until the Battle of Lipanto in 1571).
More victories and peace treaty
The following year, Barbarossa snatched the Castle Novo from Venetians, which he had obtained from the Turks after the Battle of Priviza. It also destroyed the remaining Christian strongholds in the Ionian Sea and the Aegean Sea. Eventually, Venice requested a peace treaty, which led to the signing of a peace treaty between Sultan Suleiman and Venice in 1540. In October 1541, Charles V laid siege to Al Jazeera and tried to eliminate the threat to the Spanish and Christian navies in the western Mediterranean, but a severe hurricane made it difficult for him to reach shore. After the battle, Charles, in despair, called back the army.
New expeditions in the western Mediterranean
In 1543, Barbarossa launched new expeditions in the western Mediterranean with a large fleet, invading the islands and coastal areas of Italy and Spain. He captured the French coastal city of Nice. He spent the winter with his fleet in Toulon, and next spring the Spanish and Italian allied fleet was once again under siege.
Defeated and attacked the heart of Naples state. He threatened to attack the Italian city of Genoa, but withdrew in exchange for the release of 3,000 shops and his lieutenant and friend, Targhat Rais. Targhat was imprisoned in Genoa after his capture in 1540 and worked as a slave on a ship. He later responded to several Spanish invasions in southern France, and arrived in Istanbul in 1544 following an agreement between Charles V and Solomon the Great.
Barbarossa resigned in Istanbul in 1544, and his son Hassan Pasha was appointed successor to Al Jazeera. He also wrote his autobiography “Ghazwat Khairuddin Pasha” which consists of 5 handwritten volumes. Volumes of this biography are now in the library of Topkapi Palace and Istanbul University.
Transmission
Khairuddin Pasha Barbarossa died in 1546 in his palace on the banks of the Bosphorus in Istanbul. His shrine is located near the Turkish Naval Museum in Istanbul. Many ships of the Turkish Navy are named after him. Even today, when a Turkish navy ship passes through the Bosphorus, it salutes its tomb.
