Was there Room in Rum for Corsairs?: Who Was an Ottoman in the Naval Forces of the Ottoman Empire in the 15th and 16th Centuries?

Abstract

This paper analyzes the “Ottomanness” of five prominent seafarers, mainly relying on contemporary narrative sources, some of which are autobiographical in nature. First, Kemal Reis and his nephew Piri Reis sailed the Mediterranean as corsairs before entering Ottoman service during the reign of Bayezid II. Piri Reis eventually became Mısır Kapudanı with responsibilities in the Indian Ocean in 1547. Seydi Ali Reis was appointed Mısır Kapudanı after Piri Reis’ failure to conquer Hormuz and subsequent execution. Hayreddin Pasha, the most successful Ottoman corsair seafarer, became Kapudan (grand admiral) of the Ottoman Mediterranean fleet during the reign of Süleyman. Finally, Turgud Reis failed to succeed Hayreddin as Kapudan (grand ad- miral) despite his expertise, because of the opposition of Grand Vizier Rüstem Pasha who obtained the position for his own brother, Sinan Pasha. The seafarers’ experi- ences countering enemies without and rivals within, illustrate their battle to become acknowledged as legitimate servants of the ruler of Rum, the Ottoman sultan.