The impact of Turgut Reis in the Mediterranean
459 years ago, on the plain of Fort San Telmo, Turgut Reis, known as Dragut, a privateer captain in the service of the Ottoman Empire, died. Dragut was a scourge for the seafaring peoples of the Christian domains of the western Mediterranean. After the death of the feared privateer Redbeard, Dragut became his successor. He assembled a squadron of two dozen brigs and attacked and devastated several seaside towns on the coast of Campania and Calabria, kidnapping hundreds of people who would later be sold as slaves in North Africa and Istanbul.
Raids on the Christian coasts
Between 1545 and 1550, Dragut repeatedly attacked the Catalan, Valencian and Majorcan coasts. In 1545, he attacked Pineda in Maresme, and in 1550, he assaulted Cullera in Ribera Baja, causing numerous deaths. Furthermore, he attempted an attack on Pollença, but the population managed to repel him, although with significant losses.
The siege of Malta and its legacy
In 1565, Dragut, already an admiral of the Ottoman navy, was sent to attack Malta, then in the possession of the knights of the Order of Saint John of the Hospital. During the siege, Dragut was seriously injured by the impact of a cannon ball. He died that same night, at the age of 80.
