Over time, many individuals have developed a fascination in pirates because of their enchantment and mystique. The legend of the Barbarossa Pirates, who sailed from the Barbary Coast in Northern Africa in the 1500s, will be discussed here. The surname Barbarossa, which translates to "red beard" in Italian, belonged to the two Aruj and Hizir brothers, who rose to fame and prominence via their exploits as pirates in the Mediterranean Sea. Discover more about the Barbarossa brothers' numerous pirate escapades by reading the information below.

· Their Careers' Beginnings

The Barbarossa brothers' career began when they early on were successful in capturing European warships. Their love for piracy was sparked by the successful capture of two papal galleys and a Sardinian vessel. They soon concentrated all of their efforts on assaulting and capturing Spanish ships. Sadly, after a fierce combat at that time, brother Aruj lost one arm to the Spanish. An Ottoman sultan gave Aruj authority to covertly rule the whole Barbary Coast later in 1516. Aruj was slain in battle two years later, and his brother Hizir assumed control of the organization after Aruj's passing. Hizir, who was also known as Khair-ed-Din, spent the remainder of his life engaged in battle with a number of Christian foes, including a fleet assembled expressly by the pope in an effort to clear the Barbarossa brothers and put an end to their reign of terror.

· Past Events in the Area

The island of Lesbos in the Aegean Sea, which is now a part of modern-day Greece, was governed by the Turks from 1462 until 1912. The birthplace of the Barbarossa brothers in the 1470s was the island of Lesbos. The Barbarossa brothers, the famous Turkish admiral – two of the greatest heroes of the Ottoman Empire, were already renowned and valiant pirates in their own right. They effectively overthrew the Iberian Peninsula's Islamic rulers with the invasion of Granada in 1492, forcing Muslim immigrants to evacuate the area and seek safety in North Africa. The Spanish and Portuguese set their eyes on occupying the entire territory of North Africa a few years later, in 1505. They started concentrating on coastal cities and on laying siege to the interior of the continent, infuriating their fellow Muslims even more.

· Power Conflict

The Barbarossa brothers each worked as privateers at one time while an Ottoman sultan's son was in power. At that time, the Barbarossa brother pirates severely disrupted the trade between Spain and Portugal and captured several ships in the western Mediterranean. Following the death of the Ottoman ruler in 1512, Selim and Ahmed battled it out for control until Selim eventually prevailed. Soon after, Selim started removing Ahmed's brother Selim's followers. In order to avoid the chaos caused by the rivalry between the sultans and to distance themselves from the hostile administration, the Barbarossa brothers escaped to North Africa. Instead, they joined the other kingdoms in the area who were at war with Spain.

· Ottoman and Northern African

Northern African city of Algiers was invaded by the Barbarossa brothers' pirates in 1516, and the Ottomans responded by increasing their power by giving the brothers' political backing. Arj and Khir both received nominal titles from the Ottoman Empire as chief sea governors of the western Mediterranean and governor of Algiers, respectively. After Arj died in combat in 1518 while battling the Spanish, the Spanish were subsequently able to retake Algiers. Khir then assumed control of Barbarossa's previous position and, with assistance from the Ottomans, carried on the conflict. The Ottomans used Algiers as their main center of operations for the western Mediterranean for the following ten years while the area fluctuated in control. This is how they became an Inspiration of Turkish navy.

· Preveza, Greece, site of a famous battle in 1538

Did you know that the Barbarossa pirate won one of his most illustrious battles in 1538 at Preveza, Greece? With the help of a unified force that included ships from Venice, Genoa, Spain, Portugal, Malta, and the Papal States, Barbarossa was able to defeat her enemies. The secret to his success was using galleys rather than sailing ships since they could be easily maneuvered and were powered by oars rather than sails. Against an amazing 300 sailing ships, Barbarossa was able to overcome the formidable combined army utilizing just 122 galleys. As a result, Tripoli and the eastern Mediterranean became under Ottoman control after Barbarossa's triumph. Many years later, Barbarossa overcame the Habsburgs with the help of French soldiers in the years 1543 and 1544. When Barbarossa passed away in Constantinople in 1546, his rich career as a pirate came to an end.

Two of the most well-known pirates in history, the legend of the Barbarossa Pirates each went on to become a legend in their own right. For more info, visit Barbarossa Biography!