Hayreddin Barbarossa

"Barbaros" redirects here. For the Greek term barbaros, βαρβαρος, see Barbarian. For the TV series, see Barbaros (TV series).
This article is about the Ottoman admiral. For the Turkish research vessel, see RV Barbaros Hayreddin Paşa.
Not to be confused with Frederick Barbarossa.

Hayreddin Barbarossa
A portrait of Hayreddin Barbarossa
Nickname(s)Barbarossa (Redbeard)
Hayreddin
Hızır Reis
Bornc. 1478
Lesbos, Ottoman Empire (modern Greece)
Died4 July 1546 (aged 67–68)
Büyükdere, Ottoman Empire (modern Turkey)
Allegiance Ottoman Empire
Service / branch Ottoman Navy
Years of servicec. 1500–1545
RankKapudan Pasha (Admiral)
Battles / wars
ChildrenHasan Pasha
RelationsYakup Ağa (father)
Katerina (mother)
Ishak (brother)
Oruç Reis (brother)
Ilyas (brother)

Hayreddin Barbarossa (Arabic: خير الدين بربروس, romanized: Khayr al-Din Barbarus, original name: Khiḍr; Turkish: Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa), also known as Hayreddin Pasha, Hızır Hayrettin Pasha, and simply Hızır Reis (c. 1466/1483[1] – 4 July 1546), was an Ottoman corsair and later admiral of the Ottoman Navy.[2][3][4][5] Barbarossa's naval victories secured Ottoman dominance over the Mediterranean during the mid-16th century.

Born on Lesbos, Khizr began his naval career as a corsair under his elder brother Oruç Reis. In 1516, the brothers captured Algiers from Spain, with Oruç declaring himself Sultan. Following Oruç's death in 1518, Khizr inherited his brother's nickname, "Barbarossa" ("Redbeard" in Italian). He also received the honorary name Hayreddin (from Arabic Khayr ad-Din, "goodness of the faith" or "best of the faith"). In 1529, Barbarossa took the Peñón of Algiers from the Spaniards.

In 1533, Barbarossa was appointed Kapudan Pasha (grand admiral) of the Ottoman Navy by Suleiman the Magnificent. He led an embassy to France in the same year, conquered Tunis in 1534, achieved a decisive victory over the Holy League at Preveza in 1538, and conducted joint campaigns with the French in the 1540s. Barbarossa retired to Constantinople in 1545 and died the following year.

  1. ^ Džaja, Srećko M.; Weiss, Günter; Nehring, Karl; Bernath, Mathias (1995). Austro-Turcica 1541-1552 (in German). R. Oldenbourg. p. 675. ISBN 978-3-486-56167-8. Hayreddin Barbarossa (Barbarossa, Barbarrossa, Barbe Rubae) (1466/83 (?) – 1546).
  2. ^ "Barbarossa | Ottoman admiral". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  3. ^ Kiel, Machiel (1 December 2018). "The Medrese and Imaret of Hayreddin Barbarossa on the Island of Lesbos/Midilli: A Little-known Aspect of the Cultural History of Sappho's Island Under the Ottomans (1462–1912)". Shedet. 5 (5): 162–176. doi:10.21608/shedet.005.12. ISSN 2536-9954.
  4. ^ Caprioli, Francesco (11 October 2021). "The "Sheep" and the "Lion": Charles V, Barbarossa, and Habsburg Diplomatic Practice in the Muslim Mediterranean (1534-1542)". Journal of Early Modern History. 25 (5): 392–421. doi:10.1163/15700658-bja10029. ISSN 1385-3783. S2CID 244626095.
  5. ^ Isom-Verhaaren, Christine (1 August 2007). ""Barbarossa and His Army Who Came to Succor All of Us": Ottoman and French Views of Their Joint Campaign of 1543-1544". French Historical Studies. 30 (3): 395–425. doi:10.1215/00161071-2007-003. ISSN 0016-1071.