Piyale Pasha

Piale Pasha (Turkish: Piyale Paşa ) (* 1515 in Viganj, Peljesac peninsula, then Republic of Ragusa, today Croatia, † January 21, 1578 in Istanbul, Turkey today ) was an Ottoman admiral and vizier.

After training at the Academy Enderun sultan in Istanbul Piale received the rank Kapıcıbaşı and became the provincial governor ( Sanjak Bey ) appointed by Gallipoli.

Admiral of the Ottoman Navy

In 1554 he was promoted to Admiral and Bahriye Beylerbeyi: appointed ( as First Lord of the Admiralty ). In the same year he devastated with a large fleet, which also includes Turgutreis and Salih Reis with their squadrons were, Elba and Corsica. The following year, commissioned him to Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent, to assist with a fleet to the French king Francis II against the Hapsburg Spain. The Ottoman fleet arrived at Piombino on a Spanish, forced them to retreat, and then captured several Spanish coastal forts.

1558 landed Piale and Turgutreis, near Sorrento, where they pillaged the surrounding area and slaves captured, and then examined the Balearic Islands home. This success resulted in Piale appointment as Pasha.

Battle of Djerba

Main article: Battle of Djerba

To counter the Ottoman threat, brought Philip II of Spain in 1560 together an alliance that brought together more than Spain, the Vatican, the Republic of Venice, the Republic of Genoa, the Duchy of Savoy and the Maltese. The fleet of the alliance gathered at Messina, consisted of about 200 ships and 30,000 soldiers and was under the command of Giovanni Andrea Doria, a great-nephew of Andrea Doria.

On March 12, 1560, the allies conquered the island of Djerba, which dominated the sea routes between Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli, due to their geographical location. Then sent Sultan Süleyman a fleet of 120 ships under Piale Pasha, which arrived on May 9 before Djerba. The battle lasted until May 14 The Ottoman fleet, which had been reinforced on the third day of Turgutreis with his ships, the Christian fleet decisively defeated. The allies lost about 60 galleys and 20,000 men, but Giovanni Andrea Doria could escape. The Ottomans occupied Djerba again. Piale Passover was celebrated accordingly on his return to Istanbul, and he got a daughter of Suleiman's son Selim II to the wife.

1563 conquered Piale Pasha as an ally of France Naples and the surrounding hinterland; France, however, the city could not defend against a renewed Spanish attack and lost it again.

Siege of Malta

Main article: Siege of Malta ( 1565)

1565 Piale Pasha and the general Lala Mustafa were commissioned by Süleyman, to conquer Malta and to drive out the Order of the Knights of there. Despite months of siege, from May to September did not succeed in this endeavor, as the knight bitterly fought and the Turkish besiegers inflicted heavy losses. It also Turgutreis met his death. When finally landed a relief army from Sicily to Malta, ordered Piale and Mustafa, in the belief that there were a large force, the withdrawal of the besiegers.

1566 Piale conquered the island of Chios, and thus ended the Genoese presence in the Aegean. Then he led a fleet again to southern Italy, where they struck the Apulian coast.

1568 Piale Pasha was appointed vizier. He was the first Ottoman Admiral, which was bestowed this honor.

Conquest of Cyprus

Main article: Conquest of Cyprus by the Ottomans

On April 17, 1570 Piale Pasha led an Ottoman fleet of 110 galleys and Fusten from Istanbul to Rhodes to prepare for the conquest of Cyprus, the last major possession of Venice in the Eastern Mediterranean. It was followed four weeks later Kapudan Pasha Ali Pasha of the Ottoman transportation fleet of over 280 ships and 50,000 men land forces under the command of Lala Mustafa. The first troops landed in Cyprus on July 3. After all the troops were disembarked, Ali Pasha sailed with part of the fleet in the southern Aegean Sea, where he threatened the Christian Entsatzflotte and they eventually forced to retreat, while Piale Pasha provided protection to the other part of the fleet Cyprus. On 22 July, the siege of Nicosia began. The city fell on September 9, followed in the next few days of Paphos, Limassol and Larnaca. On 18 September, the siege of Famagusta, the last Venetian fortress began on the island. The defenders resisted until August 1, 1571st Then they were at the end, and Cyprus was the Ottoman Empire.

For Piale Pasha Cyprus had an unpleasant sequel. He had a large galleon laden with the choicest prisoners of Nicosia, to let them get to the Grand Vizier Mehmed Pasha Sokollu. On October 3, a massive explosion destroyed the ship and two adjacent in the port of Famagusta. Three days later sailed Piale with the bulk of his fleet to Rhodes, where he discharged his own booty before he returned with 130 ships to Istanbul. There he expected an indignant Grand Vizier, who reproached him for not having followed the Christian fleet to Crete ( him but probably much more because of his own loss of prey and Piales blatant self-enrichment growled ). Piale Pasha was allowed to go into retirement. Probably it saved his marriage with the Sultan's daughter's life.

Last Things

After the defeat of the Turkish fleet under Ali Pasha in the Battle of Lepanto in 1571 Piale Pasha was re-appointed as commander of the fleet. He had lost before Lepanto ships quickly replaced by new buildings and secured Istanbul just six months later the undisputed supremacy over the eastern Mediterranean. In 1573 he landed again in Puglia. 1574 he conquered and back Kilic Ali Pasha of Tunis supported by Spain Hafsidischen dynasty, before he then retired into private life.

Piale Pasha died on January 21, 1578 and was buried in the Piale Pasha Mosque in Istanbul. The Turkish Navy later named several of their ships after him.

  • Man
  • Vizier
  • Military person (Ottoman Empire)
  • Pasha
  • Born in the 16th century
  • Died in 1578
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