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Kemal Reis

Type Figure Region Ottoman Empire Time c. 1451–1511 Also known as Kemal Reis、Kemal Bey、凯马尔贝伊

Famous Ottoman admiral and navigator of the late 15th to early 16th century, from a Galata seafaring family;…

Timeline

  1. c. 1451–1480Galata · Ottoman EmpireBorn into a Galata seafaring family, engaged in Mediterranean navigation and privateering in his youth, accumulating rich experience in naval battles and sailing, and bringing his nephew Piri Reis into the trade.
  2. 1491–1500Aegean Sea · Aegean SeaCommissioned by Bayezid II, he led fleets against Venetian and Mamluk forces in the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean, laying the groundwork for the large-scale war against Venice in 1499, and took part in support operations along the North African coast.
  3. 1499–1511Lepanto (Naupactus) · PeloponneseIn the 1499–1503 Ottoman–Venetian War he led the main fleet to capture Lepanto and other key ports, dealing heavy blows to Venetian sea power. In his later years he continued cruising the Mediterranean, and around 1511 was caught in a storm and sank near Rhodes, dying.

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