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PREFACE
PREFACE
When the ship is ready for launching there comes a moment of tense excitement before the dogshores are knocked away and she slides down the ways. In the case of a ship this excitement is shared by many thousands, who have assembled to acclaim the birth of a perfected product of the industry of man; the emotion is shared by all those who are present. It is very different when a book has been completed. The launching has been arranged for and completed by expert hands; she like the ship gathers wa
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INTRODUCTORY
INTRODUCTORY
In all the ages of which we have any record there have been men who gained a living by that practice of robbery on the high seas which we know by the name of Piracy. Perhaps the pirates best known to the English-speaking world are the buccaneers of the Spanish Main, who flourished exceedingly in the seventeenth century, and of whom many chronicles exist: principally owing to the labours of that John Esquemelin, a pirate of a literary turn of mind, who added the crime of authorship to the ill dee
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CHAPTER I THE CRESCENT AND THE CROSS
CHAPTER I THE CRESCENT AND THE CROSS
There is, in the deeds of men of action, an interest which is never aroused by those persons of brains and capacity by whom the world is really ruled. The statesman in his cabinet is the god within the machine; it is he who directs the acts of nations, it is he who moves the fleets and armies as if they were pieces on the chess-board; to him, as a rule, is the man of action subordinate, obeying his behests. Rule and governance are his, power both in the abstract and the concrete. Seldom in the h
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CHAPTER II THE COMING OF THE CORSAIRS
CHAPTER II THE COMING OF THE CORSAIRS
The rise and progress of the Moslem corsairs of the Mediterranean is a most curious and interesting historical fact. The causes which led to results so deplorable to commerce, civilisation, and Christianity are set forth in this chapter in order that some idea may be formed of the state of affairs in that region at the end of the fifteenth and the beginning of the sixteenth centuries, and also that the reflex action of the great triumph of the Christian armies in Spain may be more fully understo
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CHAPTER III URUJ BARBAROSSA
CHAPTER III URUJ BARBAROSSA
In the year 1457 an obscure Roumelian or Albanian renegado named Mahomedi was banished from Constantinople by the Grand Turk; he established himself in the island of Mitylene and there married a Christian widow named Catalina, by whom he had two sons, Uruj and Khizr. The father had been a sailor and both sons adopted the same profession. It is from the pages of El Maestro Don Fray Prudencio de Sandoval that we glean these bare facts concerning the birth and parentage of these men who, in after-y
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CHAPTER IV THE DEATH OF URUJ BARBAROSSA
CHAPTER IV THE DEATH OF URUJ BARBAROSSA
The events recorded in the last chapter bring us down to the end of the year 1515, and while every endeavour has been made to present affairs in chronological sequence, it must be remembered that the dates of piratical expeditions are often impossible to obtain: the wrath of the chroniclers at the nefarious deeds of the corsairs greatly exceeding their desire for a meticulous accuracy in the matter of the exact time of their occurrence. Uruj, as has been seen, had by his headstrong folly once ag
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CHAPTER V KHEYR-ED-DIN BARBAROSSA
CHAPTER V KHEYR-ED-DIN BARBAROSSA
Uruj had arrogated to himself the title of King of Tlemcen, but with his death this shadowy sovereignty came to an end, and the Spaniards seized upon the province. This, however, did not avail them much, as the Sultan of Fez sent against them an innumerable army, and they in their turn were dispossessed. It was in the year 1518 that Uruj fell beneath the pike of Garzia de Tineo, and now the first place in the piratical hierarchy was taken by Kheyr-ed-Din. In this man the genius of the statesman
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CHAPTER VI THE TAKING OF THE PEÑON D’ALGER; ANDREA DORIA
CHAPTER VI THE TAKING OF THE PEÑON D’ALGER; ANDREA DORIA
Although Kheyr-ed-Din had made himself master of Algiers, there still remained the fortress of Pedro Navarro in the hands of the Spaniards. This strong place of arms had now been in their practically undisputed occupation for twenty years; from out of its loopholed walls and castellated battlements the undaunted garrison had looked forth while the tide of war both by land and sea had swept by. They had been unmolested so far, but now their day was to come. In command of the Peñon d’Alger, as it
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CHAPTER VII THE APOTHEOSIS OF THE CORSAIR KING
CHAPTER VII THE APOTHEOSIS OF THE CORSAIR KING
If Charles V. made no such outward manifestation of his joy as did the Persian monarch, he possibly was no less pleased than Xerxes; this he showed by his acts, and the value that he attached to the services of Doria was instanced in the directions which he gave. He ordered the Governors of all his possessions in Italy to do nothing without first consulting the admiral; to lend him prompt aid, whether he demanded it in his own name or in that of the Republic of Genoa. He made him Admiralissimo o
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CHAPTER VIII THE RAID ON THE COAST OF ITALY; JULIA GONZAGA
CHAPTER VIII THE RAID ON THE COAST OF ITALY; JULIA GONZAGA
The Grand Turk had spoken, the appointment had been made, Barbarossa had arrived; but though autocrats can cause their mandate to be obeyed, they cannot constrain the inward workings of the minds of men. In spite of the awe in which Soliman the Magnificent was held, there were murmurs of discontent in the capital of Islam. The Sultan had been advised to make Barbarossa his Admiralissimo by his Grand Vizier Ibrahim, who was, as we have said, his alter ego . This great man had risen from the humbl
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CHAPTER IX BARCELONA, MAY 1535; THE GATHERING OF THE CHRISTIAN HOSTS
CHAPTER IX BARCELONA, MAY 1535; THE GATHERING OF THE CHRISTIAN HOSTS
Some idea of the terror inspired by the actions of the Sea-wolves at this date is contained in the following extract from “The Golden Age of the Renaissance,” by Lanciani: “The Bastione del Belvedere, which towers in frowning greatness at the north-east end of the Vatican Garden and commands the approach to the Borgo from the upper-end valley of the Tiber, was begun by Antonio de Sangullo the younger, and finished by Michel Angelo after the death of Antonio, which took place on September 30th, 1
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CHAPTER X THE FALL OF TUNIS AND THE FLIGHT OF BARBAROSSA
CHAPTER X THE FALL OF TUNIS AND THE FLIGHT OF BARBAROSSA
Autocracy in the sixteenth century was a very real and concrete fact. The orders of great kings were, as a rule, implicitly obeyed, and, when they were not, there was likely to be trouble of the worst description for those by whom they had been contravened. It is this that causes us to regard as most extraordinary one of the happenings in the armada which sailed from Barcelona for the coast of Africa. A most peremptory order was issued that no women, no boys, no one, in fact, save fighting men o
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CHAPTER XI ROXALANA AND THE MURDER OF IBRAHIM
CHAPTER XI ROXALANA AND THE MURDER OF IBRAHIM
At the coming of spring Barbarossa was at sea again with thirty-two ships ready for any eventuality, his crews aflame with ardour for revenge against those by whom they had been so roughly handled. He chose for the scene of operations a place on the coast of Majorca some fifteen miles from Palma; from here he commanded the route of the Spaniards from their country to the African coast, and it was against this nation that he felt a great bitterness owing to recent events. Eagerly did the corsair
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CHAPTER XII THE PREVESA CAMPAIGN; THE GATHERING OF THE FLEETS
CHAPTER XII THE PREVESA CAMPAIGN; THE GATHERING OF THE FLEETS
Some thirty-five miles to the south-eastward of Cape Bianco (the southernmost point of the island of Corfu) lies Prevesa, at the entrance of the Gulf of Arta, or, as it was known in classic times, the Ambracian Gulf. In these seas, in the year 31 B.C. , was fought one of the most memorable battles of antiquity, for it was here that Octavius, afterward Augustus Cæsar, defeated the forces of Antony and Cleopatra. There have been many controversies of late years as to whom the original idea of brea
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CHAPTER XIII THE BATTLE OF PREVESA
CHAPTER XIII THE BATTLE OF PREVESA
How Alessandro Condalmiero fought the Galleon of Venice — “The King of the Sea is dead.” There is something almost pathetic in the spectacle of a really great leader badgered and importuned by lesser men to adopt a course which he, with a superior insight, knows to be unsound. In the matter of the landing Barbarossa had demonstrated that it was he whose knowledge of war was superior to those who were so ready to thrust upon him their opinions; this, however, did not content them, and they now de
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CHAPTER XIV THE NAVY OF OARS. THE GALLEY, THE GALEASSE, AND THE NEF
CHAPTER XIV THE NAVY OF OARS. THE GALLEY, THE GALEASSE, AND THE NEF
In the sixteenth century the vessel of war in the Mediterranean was essentially that oar-propelled craft known to us as the galley. As time went on she was gradually superseded by the sailing man-of-war which was able to carry that heavy ordnance which the light scantling of the galley did not permit of her mounting; but for the use of the corsairs who lived by means of raids and surprise attacks, whose business it was to lie perdu on the trade routes, the mobility of the galley was of prime imp
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CHAPTER XV DRAGUT-REIS
CHAPTER XV DRAGUT-REIS
How he became Lieutenant to Kheyr-ed-Din Barbarossa—His capture by Jannetin Doria—His four years as a galley slave—His ransom by his old chief. In character, in capability, in strategic insight, in tactical ability, not one of the predecessors or the successors of Kheyr-ed-Din Barbarossa can be compared to him; he was the greatest and most outstanding figure of all those corsairs of whose deeds we hear so much during the sixteenth century, the man above all others who was feared and hated by his
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CHAPTER XVI DRAGUT-REIS
CHAPTER XVI DRAGUT-REIS
How the corsairs captured the town of “Africa”; of its recapture by Andrea Doria and its eventual total destruction by Charles V. Dragut had made it a practice never to appear in the harbour of “Africa” in any great force, as he had no desire to frighten the birds whom he desired to snare; on the occasion of which we are now speaking he had but two galleys, and their departure from the outer harbour passed almost unnoticed, as the ruck of the population were accustomed to visits from the corsair
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CHAPTER XVII DRAGUT-REIS
CHAPTER XVII DRAGUT-REIS
How Dragut was blockaded in the Island of Jerbah—How he left Andrea Dona “with the dog to hold”—His return to Constantinople, and how he sailed from thence with a great expedition against the Knights of Malta. Charles V. had “smoked out the fox,” but his admiral in so doing had not succeeded in capturing that remarkably wily animal; for Dragut was not only still at liberty, but was burning for revenge on those by whom he had been dispossessed. He had lost “his city,” as he called “Africa”; he ha
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CHAPTER XVIII THE KNIGHTS OF ST. JOHN
CHAPTER XVIII THE KNIGHTS OF ST. JOHN
The Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem, afterwards known as the Knights of Rhodes, and eventually as the Knights of Malta—A brief sketch of the Order, including the relation of how Gozon de Dieu-Donné, subsequently Grand Master, slew the great Serpent of Rhodes; also some account of Jean Parisot de la Valette, forty-eighth Grand Master, who commanded at the Siege of Malta, in which the arms of Soliman the Magnificent were defeated after a siege lasting one hundred and thirteen days. Amongst all
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CHAPTER XIX DRAGUT-REIS
CHAPTER XIX DRAGUT-REIS
How Sinan Basha and Dragut raided the islands of Malta and Cozo and captured the town of Tripoli. How the Knights of Malta captured “the puissant galleon” belonging to the Kustir-Aga and the Odalisques of the harem of the Grand Turk. The despair of the ladies and the advice of the Imaum to Soliman the Magnificent. A great armada is fitted out in Constantinople. The preparations for defence on the part of La Valette and the Knights. The expedition sails from Constantinople and lands in Malta. Gre
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CHAPTER XX THE SIEGE OF MALTA
CHAPTER XX THE SIEGE OF MALTA
The siege of Malta by the Turks; The capture of the fortress of St. Elmo; The death of Dragut-Reis There was an entire disregard of human life among the leaders of the Ottoman Turks at this time which is almost incredible; to attain their end in war they sacrificed thousands upon thousands of men with an absolutely callous indifference. In no chapter of the bloodstained history of their Empire was this trait more in evidence than it was at the siege of Malta. There was, however, a reason for thi
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CHAPTER XXI ALI BASHA
CHAPTER XXI ALI BASHA
Ali, the Basha of Algiers, succeeds to Dragut—He conquers the Kingdom of Tunis, captures four galleys from the Knights of Malta, joins Piali Basha in his raidings preliminary to the battle of Lepanto—The gathering of the Christian hosts and the arrival of Don John of Austria in the Mediterranean to take command. “Now I have heard several mariners and captains of the sea, nay, even Knights of Malta, debate among themselves this question, as to which was the greater and better seaman, Dragut or Oc
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CHAPTER XXII LEPANTO
CHAPTER XXII LEPANTO
How Ali Basha fought at the battle of Lepanto: his subsequent career—Conclusion. Lepanto , the last battle of first-class importance in which the Sea-wolves bore a leading part, is memorable in many ways. It is one of the most sanguinary which was ever fought, the element of personal hatred between the combatants, to which we have alluded more than once, being singularly in evidence on this occasion. As we have said, this campaign was brought about at the initiative of the Venetians, and an inci
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AUTHORITIES CONSULTED
AUTHORITIES CONSULTED
Sailing Ships and their Story. E. Keble Chatterton. Barbary Corsairs: Story of the Nations. Stanley Lane Poole. Compleat History of the Present Seat of War in Africa between Spaniards and Algerines. 1632. Joseph Morgan. History of Philip II. William Hickling Prescott. History of Charles V. Robertson. Histoire de Barberousse. Richer. Vie des plus célèbres marins. Richer. Histoire de Barberousse. Sander Rang et Ferdinand Denis. Doria et Barberousse. Les derniers jours de la Marine aux Rames. Admir
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LIST OF THE KINGS OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, SULTANS OF TURKEY, POPES OF ROME, AND GRAND MASTERS OF MALTA, BETWEEN THE DATES 1492–1580, THE PERIOD COVERED IN THIS BOOK.
LIST OF THE KINGS OF ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, SULTANS OF TURKEY, POPES OF ROME, AND GRAND MASTERS OF MALTA, BETWEEN THE DATES 1492–1580, THE PERIOD COVERED IN THIS BOOK.
Spain Granada, taken by Ferdinand and Isabella, the sovereigns of Aragon and Castile (“Los Reyes Catolicos”) in 1492. Their daughter, Joanna, married Philip, son of the Emperor Maximilian of Germany. Ferdinand died 1516, and was succeeded by Charles V., son of Philip and Joanna, as King of Spain, in 1517. On the death of his grandfather Maximilian, in 1519, Charles was elected Emperor of Germany. He resigned all his dignities and retired to the monastery of Yuste in 1555, and was succeeded by hi
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