Barbaros Hayreddin Paşa (1475-1546) - younger Barbarossa, Famous Pirate, Ottoman Admiral, Chief of Navy
Süleyman the Magnificent (1520-1566) also attached great importance to the Ottoman Navy and it enjoyed its golden age during his reign. During this period, Barbaros Hayreddin Pasha and his brothers Oruç and İlyas Reis, as well as many famous Turkish sailors such as Selman Reis, Murat Reis and Seydi Ali Reis, established an absolute dominance over the Mediterranean with their extraordinary brilliance in commanding the Ottoman Navy. Barbaros Hayreddin Pasha’s real name was Hızır Hayreddin Reis, but he became better known as "Barbaros". This name, derived from "Barbarossa" (Redbeard), was given to him by the Europeans.
In 1553, Süleyman the Magnificent invited Barbaros Hayreddin Pasha to İstanbul and placed the Ottoman Navy under his command, appointing him Commander in Chief. Under the guiding hand of Barbaros, new ships were built at the shipyards in İstanbul to strengthen the Navy and it became a strategic component of the Ottoman foreign policy.
The maritime knowledge, experience and the tactical ingenuity of Barbaros Hayreddin Pasha was best demonstrated in the Preveza Naval Battle on 27 September 1538. The battle commenced with Barbaros in the best position and he used this advantage to conduct tactical attacks on the weakest points of the Crusader Fleet, which was in fact more powerful than the Ottoman Fleet.
The Crusader Fleet under the command of Andrea Doria was utterly bewildered by these strikes and they dispersed in panic. The Crusader Fleet became overwhelmed and withdrew suffering heavy losses. This victory left Barbaros as the undisputed master of the Mediterranean. The Victory of Preveza stands as a monument of pride and honor and to commemorate this great victory, 27 September is celebrated with great enthusiasm as the Turkish Naval Forces Day.
