| Hayreddin Barbarossa | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Real Name |
Khizr |
|
Born |
1478 |
|
Died |
4 July, 1546 |
Origin[]
Hayreddin Barbarossa, also known as "Redbeard", Hayreddin Pasha, Hızır Hayrettin Pasha, and simply Hızır Reis, was an Ottoman corsair and later admiral of the Ottoman Navy. Barbarossa's naval victories secured Ottoman dominance over the Mediterranean during the mid-16th century. For three centuries after his death, Mediterranean coastal towns and villages were ravaged by his pirate successors.
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.
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of Hayreddin Barbarossa from before Janury 1, 1929 are public domain in the US.
Some notable appearances are listed below:
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica
Notes[]
- The name of Hector Barbossa (Barbosa is also a Galician-Portuguese surname), a fictional character in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, is a derivative of Hayreddin Barbarossa's.
- The character Barbarossa from the manga One Piece is inspired by Hayreddin Barbarossa.