The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1911-11-30
WHEN | TURKEY
RULED The SEA
There Was a Time When the
Ott0manS Dominated,
The BATTLE OF LEPANTO

1t Was Fought In 1871 and Put an End
to tho Turks Supremacy In the Medi-
terranean-Uruj Barbarossa and 9th
or Great Sea Kings.
It is difficult in these days Of Turk
ish naval degeneration to imagine that
there was time when Turkish sea-
men and Turkish fleets dominated the
Mediterranean to the terror Of the
Christian nations that bordered it and
traded upon it. There are many ia
nous seamen in the annals of the Of
toman empire. and many naval ac-
tons of great magnitude-in fact, the
most stupendous maritime conflict of
historic times was the battle of Lepan-
to. fought in 1911. in which the Chris
tan league of the nations at the west.
ern end of the Mediterranean finally
overthrow the Turk and practically
put an end to the period of his naval
domination.
The first of the great Turkish sea
kings was Uruj Barbarossa, who was
born on the island of Lesbos toward
the close Of the fifteenth century. For
some time he cruised in the archipela-
go, following the not unusual occnna
ton OF a buccaneer. But he soon grew
ambitious, and, sailing with an in
creased force along the African coast.
he fixed up an agreement with the
king OF Tunis. under which he had
free use of that port on condition that
he handed over a fifth Of his BOOTY.
The first exploit of Uruj at this end
OF the Mediterranean was the CAPTURE
OF two richly laden galleys belonging
to Pope Julius H., whose crews were
so astounded at the sight of Turkish
turbans in such western waters-the
affair took place off the island of Elba
that they made hardly any resist
ance.
Put Prisoners to Work.
The Turk put his prisoners to work
the oars and set out for more plumber.
His next considerable capture was that
OF a Spanish galleon carrying 500 SOL
dlers, but the unfortunate people were
so horribly seasick that they, too, put
up no opposition to the Turk. In the
course of year or two Uruj was at
the head Of squadron Of eight ships
and naturally began to turn his
thoughts to something better than the
paying of tribute to the king of Tunis
He therefore set out to assist the
dethroned king Of Bujeya to regain his
country from the Spaniards: but,
thanks to wound he himself received
and to the arrival of the great Genoese
admiral. Andrea Doria, he failed, and
his power was for the time broken.
Uruj had worthy successor in his
younger brother, whose name is vari-
ously rendered Chiaraddin, Kheyr-ed-
din or Hairreddin. By series Of cum
ming diplomatic moves, of which this
period is so full, Chiaraddin obtained
much. assistance from the sultan and
gradually regained all that had been
lost in the battle where his brother
lost his life. Having established him.
self ashore he equipped a fleet Of
eighteen galleOns. and with these he
secured the Mediterranean every year
from May to August in search Of
Christian booty, and SO greatly did he
increase his power that in few years
he laid successful siege to- the Spanish
port Of Algiers, which fell after a con-
tinuous day and night bombardment
Of fortnight. A couple of weeks aft
er the place had fallen nine transports
full Of re-enforcements arrived, and,
after the Turks had watched them for
some time sailing up and down out
side trying to locate the now unrecog-
nizable fortress, they pounced out and
took the whole fotilla. with nearly
5000 prisoners.
Concurrently with these successes III
the west the Turkish fleet at home had
been busying itself. Lepanto was tax
en- from Venice. Egypt was conquered.
and, last rock of all in the Christian
rule of the Mediterranean, the. island
of Rhodes, garrisoned by the knights
Of st. John, was taken in 1922 after
a long siege, in which were engaged
400 ships and over 100000 soldiers.