Turgut Reis is one of the greatest Turkish seamen. He gained reputation because of his successes in Mediterranean sea. He won great victories against Venetian and Spanish navies after Barbarossa and threatened all Europe. Europeans called him Dragot. Turgut reis embellished the pages of history with his successes.
Turgut Reis was born in Menteşe of Izmir in 1485 in a village of Seroluz town. His father was a farmer called Veli. Turgut, who was a poor villager child, worked as a shepherd in his childhood. He was stout-built and had a strong body. Since he was very strong, he got interested in wrestling. He defeated everyone defying him. The wrestlers and bow users were registered as warriors in those days. The ones near the shore were made crew for the Pirate ships.
One day, Turgut went to Izmir leaving his shepherd work. He heard that a crier shouted "Those who wanted to die without sweating and breathing, go register as a pirate!" Upon hearing that, he signed, and then decided to register as a pirate. He was the son of mountains. But he wanted to put out to the vast seas before him.
While he had such thoughts, a Turkish pirate ship entered Izmir port. They hanged the commodties they obtained from their expeditions on the posts and was playing levent zeybek with drusms and shirill pipes. Turgut looked confused to those stout sea warriors, whose shirts were open, his eyes full open. He could resist no more, and registered as a levent. On that day, Turgut was merely 22. The Pirates made him artilleryman at the beginning.
The was sailing around seas and pirating from now on. But his greatest wish was to have his own trade ship. He did not even eat and drink in orde to accumulate money to acquire his purpose. At last, he succeed in owning a ship. Turgut Reis sailed to Anatolia. He first encountered two Venetian Ships loaded with wheat from Salonika near Metaban Peninsula, and attacked on them. He also had the possibility to change his little boot with a galley. Once he had one hundred and fifty Turkish pirates with him. Since they did not have galley slaves, he attacked on Sicilian shores and took captive many ıtalians and turned into oarsmen. Now he had new dimensions in piracy. He was sailing around in all shores from Cebelitarik to Aegean sea. Turgut took under his possession in a short time a fleet of about twenty galleys. Now he was known in whole the Mediterranean. After such successes he went to Algeria and recognized Barbarossa as a saint for him. Barbarossa liked Turgut very much. He praised his successes to his friends, even one day he complimented by saying: Turgut is better than me!
Barbarossa Hayrettin used Turgut Reis as his assistant. In 1540, Turgut's navy lying anchored in a port in Corsica shores. When it was about the sunrise, Turgut performed his morning prayer on a prayer rug. Then he read Koran after the Koran. Then he heard the worries of his crew. He understood that there was a danger and started to stare at the port mouth. He saw that two enemy battle ships were coming against them. However, these ships were followed by other bigger ones. This terrible navy was the navy sent by Emperor Sarlken, the holder of the only throne in Europe. The commander of the navy was young Jenatin Doria, the son of the brother of Andrea Doria, the famous Venetian Admiral. This young captain came to take captive the person whom whole Mediterranean feared.
Turgut Reis felt that he was in a trap. This was a terrible raid for him. Turgut Reis took the command of his twelve ships immediately, and moved on the enemy battleships consisting of sixteen pieces to make an urgent assault on them hoping that he could pass through these ships. However, the enemies started artillery fire suddenly. With the reply of Turks, a bloody sea battle started. However, the Turks could not go beyond the great wall in front of them. Then the enemy started to fire his artilleries on the coast.Turkish ships, between two fires, sank, and sometimes exploded because their ammunition store was fired. Two enemy ships extended a ramp to Turgut Reis' ship. The enemy soldiers from the ship attacked on Turgut Reis and took him as captive. They took this old sea lion before their admiral.
Turgut Reis thought that he was taken captive by Andrea Doria. But when he saw a junior before him instead of him, he clanked his chains he was tied with and cried out running:Oh, so I was taken captive by a child!
The young admiral attacked on Turgut because of his words. Turgut Reis was tied with chains. When the Admiral approached Turgut and raised his hand to slap, Turgut opened his eyes and attacked, so enemy soldiers attacked him. They caught him and imprisoned him in the place where galley slaves were kept. Turgut was fifty six years old on this date. He was now rowing hungry and naked under stringed whips. He was a galley slave, not a captain any more.
When Barbarossa Hayrettin heard that Turgut Reis was taken captive, he worried a lot. He took immediately his navy and went to Italian coasts to threaten everywhere, and then opened artillery fire on Genoa. When Genoeses asked himwhat he wanted, he replied: Immediately surrender Turgut!... Italians, considering this so much better, surrendered Turgut to Barbarossa. Turgut Reis was saved from captivity this way. Then, Turgut Reis took part in Preveze Sea Battle together with Barbarossa. Turgut Reis, after this victory, put out to Mediterranean again and started to raid on all coasts. He went to Napoli with his fleet in 1548 and seized a castle, and obtained much spoils.
Then he seized the galleys of Malta Knights bringing money to Trablusgarb. The Europeans besieged Turgut in Cebre island, where he had established his headquarters. However, Turgut Reis brought his ships from the land on greasy sledges and put out to sea from the back side of the Island. While the enemies were happy for having surrounded Turgut, he had already captured a ship going to help them, and gave them a lesson.
Suleyman the Magnificent accepted him to civil service when he heard of his reputation. Karlıeli Province was delivered to him. However, Grand Vizier Rustem Pasha was jealous of Turgut. Because he was a rival for his brother Captain of the Sea Sinan Pasha. Turgut Reis, being sad of such intrigues, went to Tunisia. However, Suleyman the Magnificent sent him gifts and pleased him. In addition he said that he was going to appoint him as governor to Trablusgarp if he conquered there. Turgut, to fulfil his wish, conquered Trablusgarb. Therefore, he was appointed to Trablusgarp governor, and thus reached the rank of pasha. He governed Trablusgarp for eleven years.
While Turgut Reis governed Trablusgarp and Bingazi, the knights in Malta island were in action. There were many pirates there .One day Malta pirates seized a Turkish ship from Egypt. Kanuni, hearing that, said: Get those wasps out of Malta beehive! and prepared a navy. A navy of 181 ships was prepared in 1564. A force of thirty thousand people got on the ships. Piyale Pasha was appointed to Navy Command. Fourth Vizier Mustafa Pasha, the brother of Kızıl Ahmetli Şemsi Pasha was chosen as the military commander. Turgut Reis also moved toward Malta with his navy. The navy went to Malta, landed soldiers there and had a bloody war.
While Turgut Reis was engaged in construction of a tabya across this very powerful castle, a cannon ball from enemy fortifications hit a rock near him. A piece of stone from this rock hit Turgut Reis' head and killed this eighty year-old hero. Old tiger of the Mediterranean fell down with his bloody mouth and nose. Commander Mustafa Pasha, seeing Turgut Reis fell martyr, covered his military cloak on his shoulders on this old martyr. After the bastion was constructed, they took his body to the tent. Turgut Reis Malta Adasında 1565'te şehit düştü. Naşını alarak Trablusgarb'ta yaptırılan bir türbeye defnettiler. Turgut Reis is the greatest hero of naval history but Barbarossa.